KOP Rail Project Could Be Slashed Due To Coronavirus Impacts

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA — COVID-19 may have struck the finishing blow to the latest effort to expand public transportation and passenger rail in Montgomery County.

The long-awaited expansion of the Norristown High Speed Line, including five new stops into King of Prussia, is among $250 million worth of projects which could be taken off the table entirely without "prompt legislative action."

It's the result of a trickle effect at the state level, with a revenue shortfall from Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls impacting SEPTA's Capital Budget for new projects. No final decisions have yet been made on which projects will be cut, or in the very least postponed, but for the short term, the outlook isn't brilliant.

"This (shortfall) requires that SEPTA immediately delay and stop altogether $250 million in capital projects – including bridges, station accessibility, and electric bus procurements – impacting jobs and economic activity when both are greatly needed," according to a recent SEPTA analysis of coronavirus impacts.

SEPTA's project team for the King of Prussia rail did not respond to requests for elaboration on the status of the project. A "KOP Rail" Facebook page continued to tout the benefits of the rail as recently as Monday morning.

And it's more than just new projects which could be threatened. SEPTA said they will need an influx of cash to maintain even their current levels of service.

The Norristown High Speed Line extension, modest in scale compared to more ambitious passenger rail extension efforts underway for years in Phoenixville, would add five new station stops to the line.

The project gained steam in 2017, received formal approval in Jan. 2018, and appeared to get off the ground in Jan. 2019 with the release of construction plans and a detailed 90-page report on improving bikeability and walkability near all five new stations.

The five stations include one at Henderson Road, two at the King of Prussia Mall, and two in Moore Park KOP, formerly known as the KOP Business Park.

SEPTA says that the rail would reduce travel time between Center City and King of Prussia by 30 minutes each way. It would improve the region's sustainability, with an estimated reduction in 18 million vehicle miles traveled per year.

Additionally, it would finally provide a rail link to one of the greater Philadelphia area's most significant economic hotspots, while connecting bikers and walkers to Valley Forge, the Schuylkill River Trail, and the Chester Valley Trail.

The High Speed Line currently runs along 22 other stops from the 69th Street Transportation Center in Philadelphia, through Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, and Radnor, and out to Norristown.