Pottstown To Receive $25 Million In Federal Funding For Railroad

POTTSTOWN, PA — Pottstown will receive $25 million in federal funding to support improvements to the Colebrookdale Railroad, officials announced.

The massive investment will bring major infrastructure improvements to the area in an effort to revitalize transportation, recreation, and the local economy.

“This award belongs to Pottstown," Nathaniel Guest, the executive director of the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust, shared in a statement. "...Hundreds of residents and volunteers made the case that a town built on iron and rail deserved infrastructure equal to its ambitions."

Guest added that seeing Pottstown receive such profound federal recognition was a personal victory for him and many others.

"Pottstown raised me, and there is a particular satisfaction in helping the federal government see what those of us from here have always known," Guest said.

Specifically, the funding will be used to build a new train shed for Colebrookdale's locomotive and rail cars, rehabilitate High Street Bridge and the nearby tracks, add new pedestrian walkways with lights and security, and connect the station area to West High Street, SEPTA, and Schuylkill River Trail.

The funding comes from the federal Build Grant Program, which supports some of the nation's largest and most important transportation projects. Projects are selected for funding based on long-term growth potential and impacts on safety, access, and sustainability, among other factors.

U.S. Senator John Fetterman's office said the grant came about after he wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy touting the economic benefits of supporting the railway.

“When we invest in historic landmarks like the Colebrookdale Railroad, we invest in Pennsylvania’s future,” Fetterman said in a statement. “I’m proud to have fought for this funding and am grateful to Secretary Duffy for his commitment to this hidden Pennsylvania treasure, which will continue to play a critical role in the region’s economic future."

Colebrookdale is an active freight and heritage railroad that covers portions of both Berks and Montgomery counties. It was abandoned by East Penn Railroad in 2008 but saw new life as a tourist train in 2014.