SEPTA KOP rail project dead

[Septa9739]

It’s rare that I bash a public transportation system for attempting an extension, but this one deserves it. With cost estimates of $3,000,000,000 and climbing for a 4 mile extension that MIGHT have seen 7,500 riders per day, the Federal Transportation Administration has rightly elected not to fund this project. I have included a link below for fuller details. It should not be paywalled.

SEPTA fails to get federal funding, puts stop to King of Prussia rail line project

The proposed 4-mile extension was projected to cost more than $3 billion, a majority of the costs was expected to be provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program

www.phillyvoice.com

I think SEPTA deserves particular shame for this because it wanted to pursue this project while:
1. 2/3 of the cars in the Regional Rail fleet will turn 50 in the next 4 years,
2. the Market Frankfort Line can’t maintain intervals due to incessant equipment failures because the cars are lemons and need to be replaced,
3. the entire Broad Street Line fleet is over 40 years old
4. the trolleys are all almost 40 years old, not ADA compliant and require considerable modernization
5. Insisting The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway costs too much at almost the same price and almost 20x the ridership, and
6. I’m sure I’m missing something.

My hope is that some of this money might be able to be allocated to some of these more pressing (and prudent) uses.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

It’s rare that I bash a public transportation system for attempting an extension, but this one deserves it. With cost estimates of $3,000,000,000 and climbing for a 4 mile extension that MIGHT have seen 7,500 riders per day, the Federal Transportation Administration has rightly elected not to fund this project. I have included a link below for fuller details. It should not be paywalled.

SEPTA fails to get federal funding, puts stop to King of Prussia rail line project

The proposed 4-mile extension was projected to cost more than $3 billion, a majority of the costs was expected to be provided through the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program

www.phillyvoice.com

I think SEPTA deserves particular shame for this because it wanted to pursue this project while:
1. 2/3 of the cars in the Regional Rail fleet will turn 50 in the next 4 years,
2. the Market Frankfort Line can’t maintain intervals due to incessant equipment failures because the cars are lemons and need to be replaced,
3. the entire Broad Street Line fleet is over 40 years old
4. the trolleys are all almost 40 years old, not ADA compliant and require considerable modernization
5. Insisting The Roosevelt Boulevard Subway costs too much at almost the same price and almost 20x the ridership, and
6. I’m sure I’m missing something.

My hope is that some of this money might be able to be allocated to some of these more pressing (and prudent) uses.

I agree.

The only reason I’ve ever heard for anyone to go to King of Prussia is to go to the mall, and people drive there so they can cart back all the stuff they bought.

Much better to use money for projects that benefit people who really need it.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I agree.

The only reason I’ve ever heard for anyone to go to King of Prussia is to go to the mall, and people drive there so they can cart back all the stuff they bought.

Much better to use money for projects that benefit people who really need it.

I do believe there are lots of office buildings up there now, though I do not know how close the station would be to them.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

The only reason I’ve ever heard for anyone to go to King of Prussia is to go to the mall, and people drive there so they can cart back all the stuff they bought.

Do people even go to malls anymore? The last one I went to had half the stores closed and looked derelict. Online shopping and Wal-Mart have I think killed off a lot of them.

As SEPTA9739 there are a lot more worthwhile projects that are crying out for SEPTA to pursue.

I wonder if any consideration has ever been given to a short extension to the NHSL to a suburban park and ride location say North of Norristown or the Plymouth Meeting area? That would make it a lot more accessible to commuters in suburban areas that otherwise have to drive into Norristown.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Do people even go to malls anymore? The last one I went to had half the stores closed and looked derelict. Online shopping and Wal-Mart have I think killed off a lot of them.

Mall walkers go to malls. I’m one of them during cold or wet weather.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Do people even go to malls anymore?

At one point, it was one of the biggest malls on the east coast. Even though the mall itself may soon be obsolete, the parcel of land and area around it is ripe for repurposing. I never considered the shoppers to be that much of an consideration in the scope of the project.

 

[MARC Rider]

At one point, it was one of the biggest malls on the east coast. Even though the mall itself may soon be obsolete, the parcel of land and area around it is ripe for repurposing. I never considered the shoppers to be that much of an consideration in the scope of the project.

There's sure a lot of traffic around there, and it would be great for the area to be repurposed as a "new urbanist" downtown plus lots of residential. But I don't think extending the P&W would provide adequate rail transit. It might be better to run a branch of the regional rail out from Norristown. (And also get regional rail frequencies up to a point that regional rail is a useful transportation option.) That at least connect you to the county seat and provides a one-set trip into Philadelphia and connection to Amtrak and the airport. Also, a dense network of frequent bus lines on routes that are useful to people.