West Chester station (West Chester Railroad)

West Chester station, formerly Market Street Station, is a train station in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Located at Market Street, it currently serves as a stop on the West Chester Railroad heritage railroad. The location was previously used as a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Branch, and later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester Line.

West Chester
West Chester Railroad tourist train station
West Chester station in 2018
Location230 East Market Street
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39.9609°N 75.6004°W / 39.9609; -75.6004
Owned byWest Chester Railroad
Line(s)West Chester Line
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
History
Opened1875, 1997 (as heritage railway)
ClosedSeptember 19, 1986[1]
Rebuilt1885
ElectrifiedDecember 2, 1928[2]
Previous namesMarket Street
Services
Preceding station West Chester Railroad Following station
Terminus Main Line Westtown
toward Glen Mills
Former services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Terminus West Chester Line West Chester University
toward Suburban Station
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Terminus West Chester Branch Oakbourne
toward Suburban Station
Maple Avenue
toward Frazer
 Frazer – West Chester Terminus

SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions, Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line, and the existence of faster and more frequent bus service on SEPTA Route 104 along West Chester Pike to 69th Street Terminal. Service was restored by the West Chester Railroad in 1997, a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester.

Station history
East Market Street Station in West Chester circa 1930

The West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad opened Market Street station in 1875.[3] It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1885.[4] The main building was razed in 1968.[3]

SEPTA later used the stop for the R3 West Chester Line. In 1986, SEPTA discontinued service due to deteriorating track conditions, the expansion of Exton station, and the improvement of bus service on SEPTA Route 104. The frame building erected in place of the older station was closed and razed.[5]

In 1997, the West Chester Railroad (WCRR) constructed a new station for its heritage line running to Glen Mills. Except for the concrete platform, nothing remains of the former station; however, the foundation outline from the former building is visible. WCRR erected a one-room station on site that serves as a ticket office and gift shop.

Service restoration

In 2014, the Chester County Planning Commission's long-term public transportation plan envisioned the return of SEPTA service to West Chester. The vision calls for extending SEPTA's Media/Elwyn line to its former terminus at the West Chester station by 2040.[6]

References
  1. "The Potential of Rail Service to West Chester Borough". Borough of West Chester. p. 24. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  2. "Electric Trains to Start Sunday". The Chester Times. November 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. U.S. National Park Service. Historic American Buildings Survey (1979). "Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Market Street, West Chester Borough, Chester, PA." Survey No. HABS PA-246.
  4. Jones, Ph.D. Jim A."Walking Tour of West Chester's Railroad Corridor." Accessed 2011-02-23.
  5. Jones, Ph.D., Jim A. (2006). Railroads of West Chester: 1831 to the Present. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Taggart Printing. pp. 77–78.
  6. "Chester County Public Transportation Plan - Draft April 2014"

Further reading


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