Chesco Commissioner Marian Moskowitz Visits The White House

CHESTER COUNTY, PA —Restoring train service from Reading to Philadelphia was among the issues Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz discussed with leaders across Pennsylvania during a forum last Thursday at the White House.

“It was a privilege to be invited to represent Chester County at the White House,” said Moskowitz, chairwoman, who participated in a forum “Communities in Action: Building a Better Pennsylvania."
“It was an incredible experience, and I came back energized by the amazing work that has already been done.”
The forum brought together elected officials across Pennsylvania to share how investments from the three federal programs - American Rescue Act, Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Act are benefitting Pennsylvania.

Reading to Philadelphia

Moscowitz told the group about the newly formed Schuylkill River Passenger Train Authority, which is applying for grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to restore passenger train service from Reading to Philadelphia.

The authority is a newly created board with representatives of three counties, Berks, Montgomery and Chester, overseeing a project to restore passenger train service from Philadelphia to Reading, with stops in Norristown, Phoenixville and Pottstown.

The project envisions passengers being able to connect from Philadelphia to New York and Washington, D.C.

Moscowitz also said grant applications have been submitted by Chester County for its county-owned bridges, through federal bridge investment funds.

Some of the funded projects Moskowitz discussed at the forum include:

• $10 million allocated to Chester County’s Mental Health Crisis Response System to establish the 988 Mental Health Crisis Call Center;

• A Work Enclave Program through Chester County Opportunities Industrial Center, which involves a program for Coatesville residents to participate in a community cleanup to learn job skills.

“I am incredibly proud of the work we have already done to better the lives of Chester County residents using these federal funds, but our work is not complete yet,” Moskowitz said.

The commissioner said the new funds coming in will provide tremendous opportunities to build a brighter future for Chester County.

“We’re just getting started,” she said.