COATESVILLE — Work is well underway on a new $65 million train station project in the city.
PennDOT Press Secretary Alexis Campbell said Thursday that the train station will be completed by mid to late 2025.
The job includes design, station and streetscape construction, Amtrak support, and Amtrak track work at Fleetwood Street, just east of the existing historic station building.
According to a Thursday PennDOT release, the following projects have been completed at the train station:
• The project site has been cleared and erosion controls installed 800 Lineal feet of sheet and H piling for temporary support of the railroad during the construction of retaining wall and platforms.
• Temporary heal blocks, walers and rakers (additional temporary support for bullet point above) are 50% complete on the south side of the tracks. Caissons (deep foundations) for retaining walls are all installed on the south side of the tracks.
The following still needs to be completed:
• Retaining Walls on both sides of tracks; Platform piers on both sides of tracks; Platform placements on both sides of tracks; Stair and elevator towers for both sides of tracks; Reconstruction of Fleetwood Street on the south side of tracks; Parking lot construction on the south side of tracks; Lighting throughout the site.
According to Sonia Huntzinger, of 2nd Century Alliance, $9.5 million toward a goal of $13 million has been raised to date to build a 300-space parking garage.
The following are funding sources for the garage: Chester County Community Revitalization Program for $1,000,000; the PA Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund for $650,000; and the PA Office of Budget Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program for $4,000,000
The US FTA Community Project/Transportation Appropriations through Sen. Robert Casey’s office contributed $2,000,000.
Huntzinger is excited.
“The daily progress is exciting,” she said. “After years in the planning phase, we’re thrilled to see so much activity at the site and understand they are ‘on track’ for opening in 2025.”
City Manager James Logan said recently that once completed the station will energize the community, and have a tremendous impact and a ripple effect.
“When city residents see actual construction it energizes them and makes them more hopeful that we are stepping into the 21st Century like other cities and municipalities,” Logan said. “PennDOT and our community stakeholders are in constant communication, and we are pleased with the current progress and timely updates.
To my knowledge, there have not been any major obstacles to the 2025 completion date, and we’ll soon see a visible structure once the track work is completed.”
Logan was especially pleased that the new station will be state-of-the-art, and ADA compliant.
“Some of the folks who couldn’t ride the trains for years will be able to,” Logan said.
The current building is owned by Amtrak and leased to the City of Coatesville and has been closed for more than 25 years. The original site is on a curve of the track that prevents the construction of ADA-accessible platforms and necessitated a shift in the station location.
The new, accessible station along Fleetwood Street between 3rd and 4th avenues will feature: 530-foot-long high-level accessible platforms with canopies and seating; stair/elevator towers; an audio/visual public address system and security cameras; and bicycle racks;
“The bridge that takes 4th Avenue under the railroad will be converted into a pedestrian underpass, and a tunnel liner will be installed to eliminate water leakage,” according to a release from last year. “Track work improvements include a bypass track to be constructed by Amtrak to facilitate freight train traffic past the new high-level platforms.”
Fleetwood Street will be reconfigured to improve access to the new station and to include bus stops and “kiss-and-ride” areas. The layout will include a plaza and space for commercial and retail development on the south side of Fleetwood Street opposite the new station location, on property owned by the Coatesville Redevelopment Authority.
The RDA is seeking developers for the development of these RDA-owned lots immediately adjacent to the new station.
Gov. Tom Wolf visited for an official Oct. 21, 2021, groundbreaking.
Work is being led by PennDOT with support from Chester County, the City of Coatesville, and the Coatesville Redevelopment Authority and additional funding by the Federal Transit Administration.Through the partnership, contractor Wickersham is hiring local workers. Michael Baker is the project manager and is led by Patrick Gardener.
