'Green Line' Gets Funding for Study

The train line that is being proposed by Barry Cassidy now has a name. The Green Line, which Cassidy hopes will connect Phoenixville to the Main Line (and ideally the R5 Septa Line), is now undergoing feasibility studies to see if it is a project worth pursuing.

From today's Phoenix
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The funding was raised through private sources, and the Main Street CDC secured enough funds for the study late last week. Cassidy said that the source of the funding is important, as it proved far quicker to raise the funds through private sources rather than apply for government funding.

"It's important to move the project along as quickly as possible so we don’t lose opportunities," Cassidy said. "By securing private funding...there is no need to apply for funding or answer to nearly every agency imaginable. I think what happens with these kinds of projects is many times there a lot of generals and not enough infantry."

He added that private funds may be used for a future feasibility study as well, pending the results of the market analysis. Government funds could be used at some point in the process for zoning, train stations, transportation related housing, and other uses, Cassidy said.

The market analysis will be conducted by consultants with Gannett Fleming, and the nine-week study is tentatively scheduled to kick off on Monday, February 4, with a final report to be presented in April.

CDC has named the project the Green Line, Cassidy explained, due to the project’s potential to control urban sprawl and provide an alternative to using automobiles, thus mitigating traffic congestion.

The Green Line would use existing tracks owned by Norfolk Southern Corporation spanning from Phoenixville to Devault. The passenger rail service could then use existing rights of way along Route 29 and Valley Stream Parkway to travel to Paoli.

According to preliminary plans, the Green Line would parallel several industrial centers including Great Valley Corporate Center and Vanguard. The rail service could also use areas such as the former Phoenix Steel site for transportation related housing and train stations
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This plan is different than the original that would have seen the train line run past Great Valley High School and terminate in Frazier. Personally, I think the new plan is a much better option since it will connect us to the business centers in Great Valley as well as to the Paoli train station, making access to Center City that much easier.

Source: The Phoenix