West Chester | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 West Chester station in 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 230East Market Street West Chester, Pennsylvania | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°57′39″N75°36′01″W / 39.9609°N 75.6004°W /39.9609; -75.6004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| System | West Chester Railroad tourist train station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | West Chester Railroad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | West Chester Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1side platform | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1875, 1997 (as heritage railway) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | September 19, 1986[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1885 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | December 2, 1928[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous names | Market Street | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheWest Chester station, formerly theMarket Street Station, is an American train station that is located on Market Street inWest Chester, Pennsylvania. It currently serves as a stop on theWest Chester Railroadheritage railroad. The location was previously used as a stop on thePennsylvania Railroad's (PRR)West Chester Branch, and later became a part ofSEPTA'sR3 West Chester Line.
SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service here in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions,Chester County's desire to expand facilities atExton station on SEPTA'sPaoli/Thorndale Line, and the existence of faster and more frequent bus service onSEPTA Route 104 alongWest Chester Pike to69th Street Terminal.
Heritage service was restored in 1997 by theWest Chester Railroad, a privately owned and operatedtourist railroad that operates betweenGlen Mills and West Chester.
TheWest Chester & Philadelphia Railroad opened Market Street station in 1875.[3] It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1885.[4] Demolition of the main station building occurred in 1968.[3]
SEPTA later used the stop for theR3 West Chester Line. In 1986, SEPTA discontinued service due to deteriorating track conditions, the expansion ofExton station, and the improvement of bus service onSEPTA Route 104. The frame building erected in place of the older station was closed and razed.[5]
In 1997, theWest Chester Railroad (WCRR) constructed a new station for itsheritage line running toGlen 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.
In 2014, the Chester County Planning Commission's long-term public transportation plan envisioned the return of SEPTA service to West Chester.[6] In 2018 a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation report estimated rebuilding to cost $380M USD. In July 2022 the West Chester Borough Council formed a Rail Service Restoration Committee to explore the use of battery-operated rail cars as a lower cost alternative to a full rebuilding of an electrified line.[7]
