Amtrak, Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority sign agreement to restore passenger rail to Reading, other Pennsylvania communities

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Amtrak and the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) recently signed a document formalizing their relationship as they restore passenger rail to Reading, Pottstown and Phoenixville, Pa., and reconnect with Philadelphia, New York and the Northeast Corridor.

“Amtrak is proud to partner with the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority to advance the potential restoration of passenger rail between Reading and Philadelphia,” Nicole Bucich, Amtrak vice president of planning and state partnerships, said. “We look forward to the opportunity to reconnect communities like Reading to the Northeast Corridor and beyond, to support their economic and community development.”

SRPRA previously designated Amtrak as the proposed operator of the Reading – Philadelphia – New York Corridor. The agency also has completed step 1 of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program (CIDP). Step 2 will include computer-based operations simulation, infrastructure improvement planning, and capital cost estimating.

Under the terms of the agreement, SRPRA reaffirmed its intention to have Amtrak operate the new passenger rail service. Amtrak committed to providing SRPRA with free ridership forecasting, revenue estimating, and operating and maintenance cost estimating for CIDP step 2. Amtrak expressed a willingness to work with SRPRA on CIDP step 3 tasks and post-CIDP tasks such as final design.