Petition Launches To Expand SEPTA Along 422

A petition is circulating to expand SEPTA along Route 422, connecting Philadelphia to Reading, citing increasing traffic woes in a part of the region that is experiencing rapid growth.

Organizers are asking officials to reboot plans to build the Schuylkill Valley Metro, a proposed 62 mile rail project that would utilized Norfolk Southern Railway freight lines in combination with the existing Manayunk-Norristown line and Cynwyd line.

Two segments were proposed: one which would run from Philadelphia to Reading, ending in Wyomissing, and another that would extend from the city through King of Prussia and end in Exton.

The Change.org petition had gained 309 supporters as of Tuesday afternoon, and petitioned leaders from across the state and the region, including the county planning directors in Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks counties.

During his state representative campaign last November, which he ultimately lost in a close contest, Limerick's Joe Ciresi was vocal about a 422 train route, believing it vital to the local economy.

"Passenger rail service would provide valuable relief to our infrastructure, taking thousands of cars off our highways and providing a regional link that would help revitalize the boroughs of Pottstown and Royersford, while boosting our regional economy," Ciresi said last fall.

Planned stops along the line from Philadelphia to Reading included:

• Jefferson Station
• Suburban Station
• 30th Street Station
• 52nd Street
• Wynnefield
• Bala
• Cynwyd
• Manayunk
• Ivy Ridge
• Conshohocken
• Norristown Transportation Center
• Port Kennedy
• Phoenixville
• Royersford
• Limerick
• Pottstown
• Exeter
• Reading
• VF Factory Outlet
• Wyomissing

To learn more about the petition, see here.

Image courtesy Change.org