Paoli, PA (PAO)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$4,546,255

Station Ridership

FY 2011

161,791

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

The station in Paoli is the most heavily used regional rail station in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. The building that used to host travelers was a large, venerable, ginger-colored structure that was torn down mid-20th century. Around that time many stations along Philadelphia’s Main Line were being stripped, torn down, or used by municipalities in fire-fighting exercises – symptoms of the decline of private passenger rail service in the United States and the cost-cutting measures that were adopted to reduce overhead and raise capital.

Like many of the replacement structures built in the aftermath of that movement, today’s Paoli station is a one-story tan brick rectangle with a small waiting area that has wooden benches, a coffee shop, a ticket office, and a wooden outdoor awning over part of the platform.

The heavy usage of the station, however, has led the townships surrounding the station to partner with Amtrak and the federal government to propose the new Paoli Transportation Center. The station represents an enormous investment and improvement opportunity for the surrounding communities who stand to benefit financially from the redevelopment of the rail yard.

To address these concerns, Chester County, Amtrak, and SEPTA have come together with the Tredyffrin Township, Willistown Township, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to propose a new intermodal transit facility as well as a commercial and potential residential redevelopment of the larger site. If fully executed, proponents of this plan say it would improve traffic congestion, enhance the area’s economy and encourage further transit usage.

The plan calls for the intermodal transportation center to be fully accessible by pedestrians, cars, taxis and vans, to use SEPTA, bus, and Amtrak service, and to include ticket offices, retail shops, a waiting area, and expanded parking of up to 1,000 spaces. Officials of the Tredyffin Township also believe that it would help reduce suburban sprawl, and pedestrian access across the tracks would improve safety.

Meanwhile the rail yard would also feature a small park, landscaped plaza or public square; improved roads; retail and commercial development; and possibly even new residences. The larger, improved station would be the center of a new business district in Paoli. To accommodate these new plans, the surrounding townships have begun to propose new zoning ordinances and elicit resident feedback. They have also appealed to Congress for funding, including an earmark worth $3 million of the project’s estimated $40 million cost.

Part of the revitalization of the Paoli Station includes the cleaning of the 30-acre Paoli Rail Yard on which it sits. A Superfund site, SEPTA, Amtrak and the Environmental Protection Agency have worked together to remove toxic chemicals, including PCBs, in preparation for the construction of the new station and other planned facilities for this location.

The rail yard has a long history in Paoli, beginning operations in 1915 with a car shop used to repair steam-powered rail cars. Between 1939 and 1967 it was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and then by the Penn Central Transportation Co. until 1976. In April of 1976 it was conveyed to Conrail, which immediately transferred title to Amtrak, which owns it to this day. Conrail continued to operate the facility until 1983, when SEPTA took over.

The Paoli Master Plan approved in 2001 calls for the project to be implemented over the next 20 years, and though officials expect significant development in the short term, especially now that the Superfund clean-up has been completed, completion of the new station is likely to be years in coming.

Paoli is situated in three townships: Easttown, Tredyffrin, and Willistown. The area is named for the Paoli Inn founded in 1769 by Joshua Evans. The inn, which stood near the current site of the Paoli Post Office, was built on land bought by Evans’ father from William Penn in 1719. It was named for General Pasquale Paoli, after he had received the 45th and final toast at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the inn. Paoli was a Corsican patriot and leader of the first democratic republic in the modern world.

The town grew up around the building, eventually co-opting the inn's name.

During the Revolutionary War, the area became infamous as the location of the Battle of Paoli, also known as the Battle of Paoli Tavern or, perhaps a bit melodramatically, as the Paoli Massacre. Fought on September 21st, 1777, the battle saw a decisive British victory by the forces under the command of Major General Charles Grey over those of colonial Brigadier General Anthony Wayne. Left behind by George Washington with 1,500 troops to monitor and harass the British, General Wayne set up his camp near Paoli Tavern. The British, with more than three times as many troops, planned a surprise assault for roughly midnight, and set upon the camp in three waves. To make sure that the Americans were not alerted to their presence, General Grey ordered his men to remove the flints from their muskets, earning him the nickname “No Flint” Grey. Catching the Americans completely unprepared, the British took the camp without trouble. Though the routed American troops claimed that the British gave no quarter, only 53 Americans were killed during the battle and the vast majority escaped. The disappointed American troops vowed revenge for this supposed massacre, leading the British troops involved to take to wearing red feathers in their hats to let the Americans identify them in future engagements, a sign of their contempt. To this day the Royal Berkshire Regiment wears red-backed badges on their caps to commemorate this disagreement.

Paoli has long been an important commuter transportation hub, and continues to be so to this day, hosting many people making the daily journey to and from Philadelphia.

This facility has a waiting room and is staffed by Amtrak employees. Paoli is served by 25 trains a day.

Amtrak's Keystone Service is financed in part through funds made available by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.