The King of Prussia Mall, for example, showed no interest in building around proposed nearby stations, for example by redeveloping a parking lot into housing or office space.A big selling point for those in favor of the Sixers' recently-unveiled plan to put a new arena in Center City is the overwhelming number of public transit options mere feet away from the entrances.Īnd it's true! Philadelphia isn't known for overwhelmingly robust public transit, but the intersection of 11th & Market is potentially the most transit-available intersection in the city. The agency defended its final route choice, saying the new spur would connect several communities with just four miles of track, would allow SEPTA to use an existing maintenance facility and trains, and had a cost comparable to other similar projects.Īdvocates also lamented the land use around the proposed stations, which most commuters would have had to reach by car instead of by walking. Those decisions needlessly inflated the project’s cost, critics said. Transit advocates criticized SEPTA’s planning process, which rejected routes along open land or existing highways or tracks, in some cases because of opposition from nearby homeowners. Supporters argued the project would revolutionize travel to the largest job center in Philly’s suburbs, attracting 9,768 daily rides and $636 million in annual economic activity.Įnvironmental review was completed after Richards, a former Montgomery County commissioner, became SEPTA’s general manager in 2020, and the FTA greenlit the project for final design. King of Prussia Business’s Improvement District, created in 2011, revived a dormant, 50-year-old proposal for the rail extension, and shepherded it through a decade of community outreach and environmental review. The new line was championed almost exclusively by political and business leaders.
It would reach the King of Prussia Mall via the Pennsylvania Turnpike before continuing 1.3 miles east to First Avenue and Moore Road. SEPTA proposed building a 4-mile spur off of the existing Norristown High Speed Line, with five new stations. The estimated cost had mushroomed from $1.08 billion in 2017 to $2.08 billion as of last year, and SEPTA said Friday that the latest projection was $3.02 billion. Rising project costs worsened by inflation and high interest rates also contributed to the decision, the agency said.
This has left the authority with significantly fewer resources than peer agencies to pursue system expansion while also addressing critical infrastructure needs,” SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. “SEPTA’s capital budget has been underfunded for decades.
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