Rail restoration committee seeks business ridership data; volunteers urge infrastructure focus

The Rail Restoration Committee briefed council on a business survey it conducted to gauge local interest in rail service and to inform planning for restoration of the West Chester branch. Jason Levin, chair of the Rail Restoration Committee, said the present focus is infrastructure investment rather than imminent operations: “I don’t think we’re planning to have an operation in place anytime in the next year or two. So it’s really about infrastructure right now.”

Charlotte Barker, a committee member, said the survey targeted businesses in the Downtown West Chester Business Improvement District and other local institutions — including West Chester University and Chester County employers — to understand likely demand and specific trip patterns. Committee members said respondents and stakeholders raised questions about whether ridership would be sufficient for a commuter model or if shuttle/bus options could meet short‑trip demand.

Representatives of the volunteer West Chester Railroad stressed the group’s long‑term investments in track and maintenance. Operations manager Derek Slifer said volunteers and revenue from the tourist railroad fund track rehabilitation projects and asked council to preserve the railroad’s tourist role while negotiations continue: “We protect that egg as if it was our own… We just happen to disagree with the method suggested by the committee to get there. However, we realize this committee is going to be part of the picture.”

The restoration committee reported a recent stakeholder meeting that included committee members, elected officials and state representatives; Levin said the group will pursue grants and infrastructure funding and coordinate with Representative Pielli (as referenced at the meeting) to pursue further resources.

Why it matters: The committee’s survey and stakeholder coordination are intended to guide whether restored service would prioritize infrastructure supporting tourist operations, branch rehabilitation, or the more complex regulatory and capital needs of commuter rail service.

Next steps: Committee members said they will update council with revised survey findings and pursue grant opportunities; the West Chester Railroad reported a planned $200,000 track rehabilitation project funded partly by a Pennsylvania multimodal matching grant and partly by the railroad’s ticket revenue.