Amtrak Board of Directors nominee commits to prioritizing vital Reading passenger rail project
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) questioned Mr. Robert Gleason, nominee to be Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors, during a Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee hearing. Senator Fetterman asked Mr. Gleason if he would commit to expanding passenger rail service in Reading, Pennsylvania.
“One hundred Amtrak trains run through Pennsylvania every day, including maybe 100 feet away from where I live in Braddock, serving almost 7 million total passengers in my state. I do not see passenger rail as a political issue—I mean, everybody rides them, red and blue. This is about getting people where they need to be,” said Senator Fetterman. “As a member of this committee I will fight to support and defend this vital federal service, and I made it very clear that I will work with anyone as long as they are willing to do that. Since being sworn into the Senate, I am working to expand passenger rail service through and across communities in Pennsylvania. One of the projects that I am pushing and want to expand is passenger rail to Reading.”
“So, Mr. Gleason, you made clear in your testimony that you understand the importance of passenger rail for both big cities and small towns in our state of Pennsylvania. Can you commit to working with my office and the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority to get this service operational by 2029?” asked Senator Fetterman.
Mr. Gleason explicitly committed, “Absolutely. I’ve talked to those people in Reading for years. They’re just like Johnstown. We lost our trains. We have two trains a day. We need more train service, and I appreciate your support for passenger rail. And I understand the whole Schuylkill thing needs to be supported. Absolutely.”
Senator Fetterman will hold Mr. Gleason to this commitment, if he is confirmed. A clip from Senator Fetterman’s line of questioning can be found here.
Since service between Reading and Philadelphia was discontinued in the 1980s, there have been multiple efforts to restore it. In 2021, Amtrak included the line between Reading and Philadelphia in its service expansion vision for 2035. In 2022, Berks, Chester, and Montgomery counties formed the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority (SRPRA) to finally bring this vital service back. The proposed line would run along the Schuylkill River and include stops in Phoenixville and Pottstown.
The Reading-Philadelphia-New York corridor was selected as part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program. SRPRA is working with local, state, and federal officials to get the line shovel-ready and operational by 2029. The project is critical to economic development and revitalization in these Pennsylvania communities.
