Many think that Paoli’s train station is not truly representative of either what the town used to be, or what it soon could be. Now, with the Paoli Intermodal Transportation Center on the way there is hope that this will change, writes J.F. Pirro for Main Line Today.

“We’re Route 30, a racetrack, except during rush hour,” says Ed Auble, owner of a nearby insurance-agency. “The transportation center is wonderful. We’ve been asking for it for years.”

As a past President of the Paoli Business and Professional Association, Auble also hopes that the center will bring changes to the town itself.

“There’s no village green or town center. No one is walking in Paoli; it does not happen. We need more restaurants, some bigger draw,” he points out. “I don’t want Paoli only to be known as the place where people can get on the train.”

The fact is that more than 1,300 passengers board the train at Paoli’s station, but it has not seen significant change since it was redone in the fifties. In 2013 alone, the station served 175,300 Amtrak and 738,000 SEPTA passengers, which is more than any other west suburb station. This volume is taking its toll on both the building and parking facilities and the situation is expected to be remedied by the three phase project, due to be completed by 2022.

At the start of this year, the station at the corner of Lancaster Avenue and North Valley Road will see accessibility improvements which should bring it into compliance with Department of Transportation Accessibility standards, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. This phase will also include a high-level center platform, elevators and ramps, a pedestrian overpass, as well as improvements to the parking lot. There will also be ADA improvements to existing building and upgrades to the rail infrastructure.

The second phase, planned for 2019, will replace the bridge on North Valley Road, redirect traffic on the intersection of Route 30 and Darby Road, and finally combine all parking areas and operations north of the tracks.

The final phase includes plans for an expanded transportation center and a new high-level outbound platform with a waiting area, ticket offices and amenities for passengers. There will also be better bus facilities a 600 space commuter parking garage.

While it is expected that the new station will breathe new life into town, there are still developmental hurdles that need to be overcome. Among them, says Zach Barner, the planning and zoning coordinator for Tredyffrin Township, are oddly angled major intersections and the fact that north side of the Lancaster Avenue is limited by railroad tracks.

However, the plans for the station are already having positive impacts on the town, he says. “It seems like there’s renewed interest in Paoli, and the train station only makes the area more desirable,” he points out, adding that “now that there’s finally movement, it’s a high-priority project for the region, as well.”

Timothy Phelps, the Executive Director of the Malvern’s Transportation Management Association of Chester County, sees the new center as an opportunity not just for Paoli, but the whole county.

“It’s not only about getting people into Center City, but how we can get them from western part of the county into Great Valley.”

Brad Zerr, a lifelong Paoli resident and current president of the business association, did not want to say much about the project as it is still evolving, but commented that “some of the beauty is that no one really knows what it will look like.”