Chester Valley Rail Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

which runs largely through the Great Valley of Pennsylvania (also known as the Chester Valley) in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

and Montgomery counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. The west end is in Exton (Chester County), while the east end is in King of Prussia (Montgomery County). Phase 1 of the trail was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Phase 2 of the trail's construction has begun in an attempt to connect the trail's three sections, adding .

Historical development

The Chester Valley Rail Trail enjoys a rich history closely connected to a number of American Revolutionary War parks and monuments. The trail runs through

Battle of the Clouds The Battle of the Clouds (also known as the Battle of Warren, Battle of Whitehorse Tavern, or the Battle of Goshen) was an aborted engagement of the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War on September 16, 1777, in the area surro ...

Park, a site known for a battle between the armies of General Washington and General Cornwallis in September 1777 in which torrential downpour spoiled the colonial troops' black powder and forced them to retreat prior to fully engaging the British. Additionally, the trail travels within a few miles of the site of the Paoli massacre. Phase 2 of the trail project will connect to the Schuylkill River Trail, providing a link to

Valley Forge National Historic Park Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site ...

Trail construction

The Chester Valley Rail Trail idea began in 1991 when

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

abandoned the former

Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...

Chester Valley Branch, whose route connected the towns of Bridgeport and

Downingtown Downingtown is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,898. Downingtown was settled by European colonists in the early 18th century and has a number of historic buildings an ...

. As there were two parallel railway lines within a mile from the route (built by competitor the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

), Conrail considered the Chester Valley Branch redundant and had abandoned most of the route by 1991. A remnant of the branch (from Bridgeport to King of Prussia) survived until May 2011 when short line operator

East Penn Railroad East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Delaware. Except for two industrial park switching operations, all are former Pennsylvania Railroad or Read ...

abandoned it; this stretch will be incorporated into Phase 2. Authorities from Chester and Montgomery counties, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) looked to convert the road bed into a walking trail. In 2009, PennDOT hired C. Abbonizio Contractors to construct Phase 1 of the trail for $3.2 million. Construction on Phase 2 of the trail began in August 2011.

Design and construction

The paved trail is wide with an approximately wide right-of-way. The trail's unpaved section near the Great Valley Corporate Center is crushed stone. On May 27, 2010, a truss bridge was built over Church Road in

East Whiteland Township East Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,650 at the 2010 census. Mailing addresses associated with East Whiteland include Malvern, Frazer, and a small area of Exton. History Fo ...

. Parking and restrooms are provided at each of the trail's two trailheads. A number of parks, including the Battle of the Clouds Park and Valley Creek Park, are adjacent to the trail.

External links

Chester County Parks and Recreation

Traillink.com

Flickr
{{PennsylvaniaRailtrails Rail trails in Pennsylvania