Phoenixville to Philly commute (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: appointed, apartment, house)

[Jfoldno7]

My fiance and I are considering moving from our apartment in Bala Cynwyd to a very nice property in Phoenixville. Both of us are grad students at Villanova but my fiance only takes night classes and from 9-5 works at UPenn. We love the property in Phoenixville and the schools seem solid but our main concern is how painful the commute will be.

I asked a few locals and it sounds like the main options are taking 23 through Valley Forge to 76 OR drive 15 minutes to Paoli and take one of the express trains, which on the schedule look very quick.

Is anyone else doing something similar on a daily basis? How have your experiences been? Would you recommend any other routes?

[pman]

lots of people drive to Paoli for the train from phoenixville. (a former Paolian)

[maestro]

I drove from Phoenixville to Malvern and then took the train. Very easy, albeit a bit long if you are not used to an hour and 20 minute commute.

[DanceOfDays]

I drove from Phoenixville to Bryn Mawr everyday for four years, so a bit different, but 23 can turn into a bottleneck leaving Phoenixville after 8 or so. If you get an early start you should have better luck. Same with 76. If you get an early start you'll move, albeit slowly, but you'll still be fine.With all the new housing and construction around the Phoenixville area traffic has gotten worse and worse. Taking backroads to Paoli might be your best bet to avoid traffic, although you have to worry about SEPTA and parking and all of that.

[pman]

oh yes, and contact your local representative to support
www.r6extension.com

[Jfoldno7]

Thanks for the replies! I am pretty sure we are going to put an offer down on the property. We really like the area and my fiance is willing to put up with a longer commute to have a nicer home in a more affordable area.

I will absolutely be contacting my rep. about the R6 extension and the "greenline" project I keep hearing about. With the growth and sheer volume on 76 I think these mass transit extensions need to happen. That was probably one of the biggest downsides to us in Phoenixville. While it looks like there is a good chance the train will get back up there in the next few years you just never know and my fiance and I have really enjoyed being able to catch a train into the city whenever we feel like it. Oh well, I guess you can't have it all when working house payments into a tight budget.

[pman]

By Derrick Nunnally
Inquirer Staff Writer
The 20-year quest to improve commutes in the Route 422 corridor received high-profile exposure yesterday when U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Sen. Arlen Specter came to Norristown to learn about the often-jammed artery in Montgomery County.
Long-discussed plans to improve, and possibly toll, the 25-mile road and extend SEPTA's Norristown line to Reading require large-scale government money (HA), and neither LaHood nor Specter promised yesterday that cash would immediately flow.
[SIZE=2]{YESTERDAY 422 & NORRISTOWN. TODAY the PAIR ARE AT E-TOWN}[/SIZE]

But Specter said he foresaw a strong chance for 422 funding in a 2010 highway bill that is expected to contain more than $500 billion for roads nationally.
"The whole development of the area hinges on this," Specter said.
LaHood said Pennsylvania's success at turning stimulus funds into working projects had positioned the state near the head of the line for the next round of outlays.
"You're doing the right things," LaHood said. "We'll be there to help you along the way."
A consultant's study of options for the corridor is expected to be finished by early 2011, which could lead to projects being green-lighted that year. Among the ideas on the table is tolling Route 422 to help pay for the extended train line, which Specter said would be local officials' decision. The work's scope, price and date have not been set.
...
"I'm glad to see that [Specter is] speaking of it now," Sestak said, "but I'm disappointed in the actions he took that have cut transportation funding."

\philly.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

[Jfoldno7]

After doing some research I think the Phoenixville community would be better served by the "greenline" (see Citizens for the Train) project which proposes to buy the ROW on old freight tracks running down to Paoli. The R6's lack of express trains already makes it a long haul from Norristown into 30th St. Without expanding to a 3-4 track system (like the R5) the possibility of express trains remains slim. This isn't so bad when the end of the line is Elm St. but it will be a larger problem if they extend the route to Phoenixville or Pottstown.

I think that any R6 expansion to Phoenixville will have to include rush-hour trains that run from Center City to Phoenixville in under an hour, otherwise the alternatives (straight driving or taking the R5 to a station and then driving) will continue to be competitive alternatives.

On a semi-unrelated note: What is up with Septa not having restrooms on their trains? Some of these rides to the end of the lines take an hour or more. Not exactly the type of scenario you want to have when coming back from one of the center city bars.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Jfoldno7

After doing some research I think the Phoenixville community would be better served by the "greenline" (see Citizens for the Train) project which proposes to buy the ROW on old freight tracks running down to Paoli. The R6's lack of express trains already makes it a long haul from Norristown into 30th St. Without expanding to a 3-4 track system (like the R5) the possibility of express trains remains slim. This isn't so bad when the end of the line is Elm St. but it will be a larger problem if they extend the route to Phoenixville or Pottstown.

I think that any R6 expansion to Phoenixville will have to include rush-hour trains that run from Center City to Phoenixville in under an hour, otherwise the alternatives (straight driving or taking the R5 to a station and then driving) will continue to be competitive alternatives.

I think both are good and, to some extent, serve different markets. Moreover, it is feasible that trains evenetually be diverted over the Manayunk viaduct and in from the west which would connect the R6 line to 30th st and suburban in much less time. that said, even with the project as is, the R6 would still be useful for getting to Conshohocken and temple and norristown (FWIW). It might be useful the other way as well, to reading. the Green Line is a useful link if you're going ot 30th st rather than temple or market east and also connects to Great Valley. Paoli is also a stop on the Harrisburg and NY (and possibly Pittsburgh if they get high speed rail funding for it) Keystone trains. In short, I tend to agree with you but Montgomery and Berks counties may not. If you're from Phoenixville, both are improvements IMO

Originally Posted by Jfoldno7

On a semi-unrelated note: What is up with Septa not having restrooms on their trains? Some of these rides to the end of the lines take an hour or more. Not exactly the type of scenario you want to have when coming back from one of the center city bars.

money. restrooms cost money, SEPTA doesn't have it. for my money, I'd rather see shorter trips than restrooms, not that I woudl mind restrooms.

[S2B]

Can someone let me know by updating this page if anything has been done recently with the planning of the Citizens for the Train Greenline in Phoenixille?