Electrified 1928 Opened 1875 Tracks 1 Closed 1986 | Previous names Market Street Line(s) West Chester Line Rebuilt 1885 | |
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Location 230 East Market StreetWest Chester, Pennsylvania Similar West Chester University, Westtown station, Oakbourne station, Locksley station, Wawa station | ||
West Chester station, formerly Market Street Station, is a train station in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Located at Market Street, it currently serves as a stop on the West Chester Railroad heritage railroad. The location was previously used as a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's (PRR) West Chester Branch, and later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester Line.
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SEPTA discontinued regular passenger service in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions, Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line, and the existence of faster and more frequent bus service on SEPTA Route 104 along West Chester Pike to 69th Street Terminal. Service was restored by the West Chester Railroad in 1997, a privately owned and operated tourist railroad that operates between Glen Mills and West Chester.
Station history
The West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad opened Market Street station in 1875. It was rebuilt following a major fire in 1885. The main building was razed in 1968.
SEPTA later used the stop for the R3 West Chester Line. In 1986, SEPTA discontinued service due to deteriorating track conditions, the expansion of Exton station, and the improvement of bus service on SEPTA Route 104. The frame building erected in in place of the older station was closed and razed.
In 1997, the West Chester Railroad built a new station for its heritage line running to Glen Mills. Except for the concrete platform, nothing remains of the former station; however, the foundation outline from the former building is visible. The West Chester Railroad erected a small one-room station on site that serves as a ticket office and gift shop.
Service restoration
In 2014, the Chester County Planning Commission's long-term public transportation plan envisioned the return of SEPTA service to West Chester. The vision calls for extending SEPTA's Media/Elwyn line to its former terminus at the West Chester Station by 2040.