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The Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority got some big news recently that has given a boost to the effort to restore passenger rail service from Reading to Philadelphia with stops in Pottstown and Phoenixville.
Authority members say being admitted into the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program will significantly increase the likelihood that service will be successfully implemented.
With its acceptance into the program, the authority will receive $500,000 to develop the scope and cost estimate for completing a service plan that will examine ridership and revenue forecasts, capital programming and provide an operational analysis.
The authority will now also be able to begin negotiations with Amtrak and Norfolk Southern about using their existing tracks for passenger rail service, and also be eligible for more federal funding in the future.
At their first meeting since the announcement, authority members on Monday stressed being accepted into the program is an immensely important step. But they also made clear that it is only the first step.
Tom Frawley, authority executive director, said entering the program is the start of the first phase of a long process that will undoubtedly have all sorts of hurdles and challenges to overcome.
“The real work begins now,” he said.
The authority began tackling some of the work Monday, voting unanimously to hire a company to craft a service plan. A $750,000 contract will be awarded to AECOM, an international infrastructure consulting firm, pending negotiations on a few outstanding details.
Nearly all of the contract will be covered by a federal grant given to Berks that has been earmarked for the service plan.
AECOM was one of five companies to submit service plan proposals to the authority. A selection committee reviewed the submissions and recommended AECOM.
The authority also renewed a contract with Virtual Farm Creative to manage the social media accounts of the authority and develop a quarterly newsletter. The yearlong contract will begin in January and pay the Chester County company $2,400 a month.
In a separate contract also approved Monday, Virtual Farm Creative will receive a one-time $3,000 payment to revise the authority website to reflect that the rail project has been accepted into the federal program.
In personnel news, the authority accepted the resignation of two of its members.
Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence, whose county commissioner term will expire at the end of the year after he opted to not run for reelection, stepped down from his post on the authority. He will be replaced by one of the other Montgomery commissioners, however who that will be has not been announced.
Lawrence did not attend the virtual meeting Monday.
Jim Gerlach resigned as well, due to his impending retirement from his post as president of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. He will be replaced by David Hunter, the executive director of the Berks County Planning Commission.
Gerlach said he has been happy to serve on the authority, commending his colleagues for their dedication to restoring passenger rail service to the region and thanking the commissioners for their leadership.
“I think this is the single most important step taken over the last 20 years to bring this project to fruition,” he said. “You have really put together the vehicle needed to move this forward and I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines.”
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