It’s been nearly 22 years since an R3 train made a stop in my town, West Chester, PA.

I didn’t know this until about two months ago, when I read this article by Shane Madden in my old school’s student newspaper, the Quad. Fascinated by the abandoned rail line right down the street from me, I started digging for more information. I found some awesome accounts on the site of an old professor and friend of mine, 6th Ward Councilmember Dr. Jim Jones (a.k.a. WCJim). I got so worked up that I started a damn blog about it.

My name is TJ, and I’ve been an R5 passenger since 2006, close to the 20th anniversary of the end of R3 service in West Chester. I live near Everhart Park and I take the Great Valley Flyer from Exton in to work at Center City every day. Having never been a regular train passenger before, the daily commute has certainly piqued an interest in railroads and local history for me. Looking out the window of the R5 as it whizzes by Paoli, Wayne, Villanova, and Overbrook is like looking at a cross-section of the Delaware Valley.

R3WestChester.org is here for two reasons: the first is to serve as a collection of historical links and resources about railroads and the borough of West Chester. Hopefully this site can serve as a sort of community blog as well as a jumping-off point for anyone curious to know more about the old R3 West Chester Line. If you’ve got any cool stories or photos from the history of the West Chester railroad, we’d love to see them here.

The second reason is a little more ambitious than the first. Lots of people in and around the borough would love to see R3 service return to Market Street, where riders would be able to hop on and enjoy the scenery of Chester and Delaware Counties on their way to work and school in Philadelphia. Its my hope that this site can serve as a place where those people can discuss and organize a grassroots effort to bring SEPTA Regional Rail back to the seat of Chester County government. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be at work finding ways to help convince SEPTA, Chesco and borough officials of the need for rail transit here.

Want to act now? There are two things you can do to revive the West Chester Line. First, if you haven’t already, sign this petition that’s been circulated by Westtown’s John McKinstry. Secondly, keep checking back here for updates. You can also click the RSS icon in the upper-right to subscribe for updates via email or RSS reader. Keep checking back, get involved, and sooner or later we’ll see those SEPTA trains pulling in to Market Street Station once again.

R3WestChester.org - a site about the past (and future!) of SEPTA Regional Rail in West Chester, PA.