Skip to content
Business
Link copied to clipboard

Opposition group fights rail for King of Prussia

At a series of public meetings next month, SEPTA will present a single proposal for the five-mile extension of the Norristown High Speed Line.

At a series of public meetings next month, SEPTA will present a single proposal for the five-mile extension of the Norristown High Speed Line.

The meetings haven't been scheduled, but one group is already fighting.

A petition to give Upper Merion residents a vote on the extension has attracted 424 signatures in three months, as of Wednesday. A group called NoKOPRail with a presence on Twitter and Facebook formed to support the petition.

For context, those signatures come from a municipality of almost 30,000, according to census data, but the group has a lot of grievances: SEPTA communicated its plans poorly. The rail goes too close to residences. It won't get the use SEPTA is predicting. It's not clear where the money is coming from. Perhaps most important for those who live in Upper Merion, the group argues the rail won't be used by the people who live around it.

"A lot of our concerns are, you're shoehorning a train into an area that wasn't designed for trains to begin with," said Dan Cowhey, one of the group's leaders.

He said there are already places with rail access near King of Prussia.

Cowhey said concerns about funding have yet to be answered. Federal money, about $20 million, will pay for 30 percent of the design phase, SEPTA has said, but the project now has an estimated cost of more than $1 billion. SEPTA plans to pursue funds through the federal New Starts program.

NoKOPRail also rebuts one of the central arguments in favor of the rail spur - that it will become a vital link to King of Prussia's retail businesses. King of Prussia's vision includes denser, pedestrian-friendly development, but right now the community has a lot of big-box stores and sprawl. A rail that caters to shopping might not be a winning proposition, Cowhey said.

Numbers released by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia tell a different story. Over 20 years, a report projected, the rail could bring $540 million to $946 million in real estate value and 1,000 or more jobs annually - up to 29,000 new King of Prussia employees. The rail project also could eventually save drivers 1.7 million to 2.1 million hours per year off of congested roads. SEPTA also estimated the extension would add 8,500 riders a day.

The new proposal debuting in March was designed to address some of the concerns about the rail, including the fears that it will bring roaring trains too close to homes.

After a long period of whittling down plans to a final five, next month will provide a clear idea of what a King of Prussia rail extension may look like.

jlaughlin@phillynews.com

215-854-4587

@jasmlaughlin