Major Investment Study / Draft Environmental Impact Statement   4. Transportation and Traffic Impacts

4.3 IMPACTS ON RAILROAD OPERATIONS

Note: All distances are for shared / impacted ROW areas only.

SEPTA Main Line (4.5 miles)- This is the multiple track trunk line that currently carries all of SEPTA's regional rail (commuter trains) through Center City Philadelphia between the 30^th Street Station area in West Philadelphia and 16^th Street Junction in North Philadelphia. Light rail alternatives will not operate over this line. To the extent that light rail alternatives replace existing R6 regional rail trains, the number of trains using this segment of railroad will be reduced in number. Commuter Rail (including TSM) trains and Alternative 6 modified light rail trains will operate over this section of railroad and will result in an increase in the number of trains. This may require revisions to other existing train schedules and modification of operating practices such as crew change locations to maintain sufficient capacity to accommodate the increased number of trains.

CSX East Coast Main Line (0.5 miles)- There is a single-track main freight line in the segment between SEPTA's City Branch right-of-way and Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia. It is located in a right-of-way that has room for additional tracks. For light rail alternatives, two additional tracks will be constructed parallel to the existing track, leaving sufficient room to permit construction of an additional freight track. There will be no impact on through freight operations. There is no potential for impacting local freight service in this segment, as there are no existing freight customers or any potential for new freight customers adjacent to the alignment. Alternative 2D, Alternative 6 and TSM will not use this segment.

Norfolk Southern industrial track in West Philadelphia (1.4 miles) - This is a single track between the vicinity of the Philadelphia Zoo and 52^nd Street. There is currently no freight service on this track, but it passes the West Parkside Industrial Park where there is potential for rail served industries to locate. CSX has trackage rights for local service on this segment. Light rail alternatives will require use of the right-of-way on which this track is located. Thus future through freight or local freight service to any industries that might locate along this track will be restricted to hours when the light rail service is not operating. This will limit the rail freight operator's flexibility in providing service and may negatively impact the marketability of the adjacent properties to rail serviced industries. For those light rail alternatives that would use wide gauge track, dual gauge would be required in this segment to accommodate local freight service. Alternative 2D, Alternative 6 and TSM will not use this track.

Amtrak Harrisburg Line (3.0 miles) - This multiple track line extends between the 30^th Street Station area and 52nd Street in West Philadelphia. It is currently used by both Amtrak and SEPTA trains. There is currently no freight service in this segment, but Norfolk Southern has trackage rights. Light rail alternatives will not use this segment. Alternative 2D, TSM, and Alternative 6 will replace existing SEPTA trains with a higher frequency service. This may require changes to scheduling of Amtrak and other SEPTA trains and may place limitations on scheduling additional trains during peak hours. It would also create additional restrictions on the ability to accommodate freight trains if Norfolk Southern chooses to exercise its trackage rights. There is no potential for rail served industries in this segment.

SEPTA R6 Cynwyd Line (4.5 miles)- This line extends between 52^nd Street in West Philadelphia and Ivy Ridge. It is partially used for existing regional rail service (2.2 miles) and is partially out of service (2.3 miles). All alternatives will replace the existing service on this line with higher frequency of service. There is no freight service, nor is there any potential for future freight service.

SEPTA R6 Norristown Line (14.1 miles)- This line extends between 16^th Street Junction in North Philadelphia and a junction with Norfolk Southern on the south side of the Schuylkill River west of the Norristown Station. It is used for SEPTA commuter rail service. Norfolk Southern has trackage rights for local freight service, and between Ford Street in Norristown and the west end of the segment (1.2 miles), Norfolk Southern has trackage rights for through freight trains. All alternatives (except TSM) will replace the existing SEPTA service with a higher frequency service. The light rail alternatives will require that any local freight service needing access to the SVM tracks be operated during hours when the light rail service is not operating, reducing Norfolk Southern's operating flexibility and the marketability of any adjacent property to rail service. For main line freight movements under light rail alternatives and Alternative 6, an independent track for exclusive use of Norfolk Southern will be constructed between Ford Street and the west end of the segment. This will increase the capacity and flexibility for through freight operations in that segment. The commuter rail alternatives and Alternative 6 will place additional limits on the operating flexibility and capacity for local freight operations due to the higher frequency of passenger service. For the commuter rail alternatives under which an additional track between Ford Street and the west end of the segment will not be constructed, there will be additional limits on the operating flexibility and capacity of through freight movements.

Norfolk Southern Harrisburg Line - Norristown to Port Kennedy (3.1 miles)- In this segment there are two main tracks and a major freight yard. For all build alternatives, separate tracks will be constructed to avoid any impact on freight operations. Construction of the new tracks will result in some improvement to the existing yard operations. For the light rail alternatives and Alternative 6, a shop and yard are proposed for vacant land in this area, which will reduce the potential for development of rail served industries.

Norfolk Southern Harrisburg Line - Port Kennedy to Titus (37.1 miles) - Between Norristown and Titus (on the south side of Reading), the Norfolk Southern line consists of two main tracks with room for additional tracks in some areas. Both through and local freight service is operated. Under the light rail and modified light rail alternatives separate tracks for exclusive use of the Schuylkill Valley Metro will be constructed, with flyovers of the NS tracks at key locations. There will be no impact on through freight operations, but local service to existing or future local industries will be less flexible and may have to be restricted by time of day, including possible limitation to hours when passenger service is not operated. The use of high platforms for Alternative 6 may place additional restrictions on local freight service. Under the commuter rail alternatives, additional track will be constructed in some areas, and all tracks will be shared by both freight and passenger service. The presence of the passenger service will introduce restrictions to the flexibility of through freight train operations and to the flexibility and timing of local freight service, but the additional track will provide additional flexibility during periods of track maintenance and other abnormal conditions.

Norfolk Southern Harrisburg Line - Titus to Outer Station (Reading) (2.7 miles) - This single track segment, which does not have room for a second track over its entire length, is currently used by freight trains to alleviate congestion on another freight route on the west side of Reading and cannot accommodate passenger trains under current conditions. Construction of improvements to the freight line on the west side of Reading will improve freight traffic flows through Reading, eliminating the need to operate through freight trains on this segment. The flexibility for operating any local freight service will be restricted. For the light rail alternatives, local service would be restricted to hours when passenger service is not operated. For commuter rail alternatives and Alternative 6, local freight service will likely be restricted to non-peak hours.

Norfolk Southern Harrisburg Line - Outer Station (Reading) to Wyomissing (1.3 miles) - This double track segment, which does not have room for additional tracks in two key areas, is currently used by freight trains to alleviate congestion on another freight route on the west side of Reading and cannot accommodate passenger trains under current conditions. By constructing improvements on the freight line on the west side of Reading, one of the two existing tracks can be acquired for exclusive use by passenger trains except for time-restricted local freight service to industries on the side of the right-of-way adjacent to the exclusive passenger track. This will improve through freight traffic flows through Reading, but will restrict the flexibility of any local freight service. For the light rail alternatives, local service would be restricted to hours when passenger service is not operated. For commuter rail alternatives and Alternative 6, local freight service will likely be restricted to non-peak hours.

PECO Energy Tracks at Cromby (0.9 miles)- This single-track line is used to shift coal trains to and from an electric generating station. Use of this line by all alternatives (except TSM) will require that the work be shifted to hours when the passenger service is not operating, and reimbursement to PECO Energy for its additional operating costs will be required.

Phoenixville Industrial Track (4.7 miles)- This single-track line between Perkiomen Junction and Phoenixville currently carries one local freight train for a single customer. In most areas there is room for a second track. Under the light rail alternatives, this train will be restricted to hours when the passenger service is not operating, and service to any future local industries will be subject to the same restrictions, negatively affecting the marketability of adjacent properties to rail served industries. Under the commuter rail alternatives and Alternative 6, the local service will likely be restricted to non-peak hours.

North Abrams Industrial Track (1 mile)- This single-track branch serves a small industrial park, but there are currently no rail-served customers. Under all alternatives (except TSM), an elevated viaduct will be constructed adjacent to or over portions of this track. If reinstitution of local freight service is required, the elevated viaduct will have to be designed accordingly.

Norfolk Southern Dale Secondary (1.8 miles) - This is a double-track right-of-way with a single freight track in service. Light rail alternatives will not use this segment. For the extension of Route 100 to Port Kennedy under the commuter rail alternatives, a new track for exclusive passenger use will be constructed adjacent to the existing track. A flyover structure will eliminate any need for a grade crossing. Existing freight operations will not be impacted. There are no existing rail served industries in this segment, and there is little or no potential for future rail served industries.

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