As SEPTA continues toadvance the extension of theNorristown High Speed Lineinto King of Prussia, a groupof regional business, civic andacademic leaders are workingbehind the scenes to championthe project known as King ofPrussia Rail (KOP Rail).Formed in October 2017 asSEPTA and the Federal TransitAdministration released the DraftEnvironmental Impact Statement forKOP Rail, the King of Prussia RailCoalition believes that connecting thethree largest employment centers in thePhiladelphia region – Center City,University City and King of Prussia – willserve as a catalyst for economic develop-ment for the entire region.

The King of Prussia Rail Coalition is ledby an Advisory Committee, chaired byJerry Sweeney, President and CEO ofBrandywine Realty Trust. JoiningSweeney on the Advisory Committee areMichael G. Anastasio, President, BalaConsulting Engineers, Inc.; Matt Bayley,Senior Vice President of Strategy,Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; MikeBowman, President & CEO, Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board;Thomas A. Caramanico, FormerPresident, McCormick Taylor, Inc.; BernieDagenais, President, Main Line Chamberof Commerce; Rev. Peter M. Donohue,President, Villanova University; PatEiding, President, PhiladelphiaCouncil AFL-CIO; John Fry,President, Drexel University;Gerry Johnson Geckle, SeniorVice President of HumanResources, Universal HealthServices; William H. Glazer, CEO,

Keystone Property Group; Eric Goldstein,Executive Director, King of PrussiaDistrict; Bob Hart, General Manager, Kingof Prussia Mall; Rob Henry, ExecutiveDirector, GVF; Ira Lubert, President,Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds; KevinMahoney, EVP & Chief AdministrativeOfficer, University of Pennsylvania HealthSystem; Suzanne Ryan, Board Member,Montgomery County Chamber ofCommerce; and Rob Wonderling,President & CEO, The Chamber ofCommerce for Greater Philadelphia.

Since its founding, the Coalition hasfocused on educating the public on theimmediate and lasting opportunities thatthis transformational project will bring tothe region. Their efforts include the launchof a website, koprailcoalition.com, socialmedia presence and an advertisingcampaign. Additionally, the Coalition’s freewebinar series, KOP Rail: Smart Strategiesfor Connected Communities, featuresindustry experts exploring the many antici-pated benefits of this project as well as

highlighting case studies fromaround the country, includingTysons, VA and Silicon Valley.

To learn more about the King of Prussia Rail Coalition, visitkoprailcoalition.com or emailinfo@koprailcoalition.com.

King of Prussia Rail CoalitionContinues to Champion City to Suburb Link

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RAIL UPDATEKing of Prussia Rail:

Recent Milestones & Next Steps Wonder what’s happening with the

King of Prussia Rail (KOP Rail) project?Here’s the latest on the transformationalproject that aims to connect the region’sthree largest employment centers – CenterCity, University City and King of Prussia –via a 4.5 mile extension of the NorristownHigh Speed Line:October 2017: SEPTA and the Federal Transit

Administration release the Draft EnvironmentalImpact Statement (Draft EIS) for KOP Rail. The DraftEIS identifies alternatives and analyzes the effectsthe proposed project would have on the natural,cultural and socioeconomic environments. Thisfederal process requires that SEPTA evaluate a rangeof options or alternatives that would address theproject needs and goals, and determining which, ifany, of the alternatives best balances potentialimpacts on the area environment and communitywith its anticipated benefits.November 2017: SEPTA holds a series of

public hearings and public information sessions tocollect comments on the Draft EIS.January 2018: SEPTA’s Board of Directors

adopts the recommended Locally PreferredAlterative (LPA) as presented in the Draft EIS withthe North/South design option. This paves the wayfor the start of the Final Environmental ImpactStatement (Final EIS) phase of the project.July 2018: SEPTA releases a Request for

Proposal (RFP) to progress engineering work onKOP Rail. The RFP’s scope encompasses the

detailed preliminary design work, including survey-ing and utility and geotechnical investigations. Thiswill progress the engineering and architecturaldesign from the conceptual LPA, completing 15percent of the total design. An option is alsoincorporated in the RFP to design engineering tasksand delivery contract documents, including techni-cal specifications, drawings, schedule, costestimates, survey stake-out and constructionphasing documents to complete the 30 percentdesign. Late 2019: Final EIS expected to release. The

purpose of the Final EIS is to further identifypotential impacts and develop potential mitigationstrategies the Final EIS may have on the natural,cultural and socioeconomic environments. Duringthe Final EIS phase, engineering studies also will beadvanced to confirm aspects of design andconstruction costs.

To learn more about King of PrussiaRail, visit SEPTA’s project website,koprail.com.

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KING OF PRUSSIA RAIL(Continued from page 27)

New Webinar Series Highlights theImpacts of King of Prussia Rail

This September, the King of Prussia RailCoalition launched a free webinar serieshighlighting the many opportunities thatKing of Prussia Rail (KOP Rail) will bringto the region. Once complete, KOP Rail willextend the existing Norristown HighSpeed Line into King of Prussia, connect-ing the three largest employment centers inthe Philadelphia region - Center City,University City and King of Prussia. Theproject will serve as a regional catalyst foreconomic development.

“King of Prussia Rail is a necessaryinvestment for our region to remaincompetitive,” said Jerry Sweeney, Presidentand CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust andchair of the King of Prussia Rail Coalition’sAdvisory Committee. “The benefits of thisproject are far-reaching, and we are excitedto highlight them throughout this series.”

Moderated by Wells & Associates,national transportation consultants basedin Virginia, Maryland and WashingtonD.C., the series OP Rail: Smart Strategies for

Connected Communities, features industryexperts exploring anticipated benefitswithin their fields. Elizabeth Smith, PE,PMP, Director of Strategic Planning andPartnerships for SEPTA, presented the firstwebinar, KOP Rail: Tracking Progress, onSeptember 18. During the webinar, Smithshared the history, recent milestones andnext steps for this significant project.

Future webinars include: • The Economic Impacts of Rail pre-

sented by Nick Frontino, Managing Directorof Projects & Operations, Economy Leagueof Greater Philadelphia

November 13, 2018 from 1 to 1:30 PM

• Opportunities for Walkability:Lessons Learned from Tysons presentedby Barbara Byron, Office of CommunityRevitalization, Fairfax County, VA

January 15, 2019 from 1 to 1:30 PM

To register for the free webinars orview archived presentations, visitkoprailcoalition.com/webinar.