The group promoting the Candy Line, SCP Rails to Trails (Schuylkill/Charlestown/Phoenixville) has been meeting since 2006, and has presented preliminary plans to Schuylkill and Charlestown townships, as well as Phoenixville Borough and the Phoenixville Area Regional Planning Commission (http://www.charlestown.pa.us/planning_prpc.asp The comprehensive plan: http://www.phoenixville.org/PDF/Projects,Reports,%20&%20Studies/ComprehensivePlan_2008.pdf).
The Candy Line has received support from all of the boards to continue looking into the concept of a rails to trails project, with the Regional Planning Commision giving its endorsement of the plan.
After the Greenline Commuter Train project began, SCP Rails to Trails contacted the head of the Citizens for the Train organization, and received approval for a rails-with-trails addition to their studies; the Borough of Phoenixville has conditioned their financial support for the second round of study into the Greenline project on the inclusion of a bike path option.
One of our members met directly with Norfolk Southern this past April, and floated the idea of railbanking - protecting the train corridor for future train use by converting it to a trail for the time being. We are still working on this end, and hope to see progress in the coming year.
The Candy Line Trail sits at an opportune point for trails; connecting the urban center of Phoenixville with the business center of Great Valley, while connecting the Schuylkill Valley Trail in to the Horseshoe Trail and the Chester Valley Trail - the Candy Line could allow for a full connection of all three major regional trails!
Contact SCP Rails to Trails at SCPRailsToTrails@gmail.com
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