Churchville station

Churchville station is a former train station in Churchville, Pennsylvania. Located on Knowles Avenue and Bustleton Pike, it is now a private residence.

Churchville
Churchville station site in 2006
Location	Knowles Avenue and Bustleton Pike Churchville, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.1849°N 75.0137°W
Owned by	SEPTA
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Construction
Platform levels	1
Parking	25 spaces
History
Opened	1878 (RDG), 1892
Closed	January 18, 1983[1]
Electrified	no
Former services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Southampton toward Reading Terminal Newtown Line Holland toward Newtown Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station Southampton toward Cheltenham Newtown Branch Holland toward Newtown
Churchville Train Station, Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Churchville station in July 2012.
Area	185 acres (74.9 ha)
Part of	Churchville Historic District (ID95000887[2])
Added to NRHP	July 21, 1995

The station was built in 1892, and served as a stop on the Reading Railroad's Newtown Line. It replaced another structure built in 1878. It was later taken over by SEPTA and served as a stop on the Fox Chase/Newtown Line.

History

The station, built in 1892, was a stop on the Reading Railroad's Newtown Line, and a replacement for another structure built in 1878. It was later taken over by SEPTA and served as a stop on the Fox Chase/Newtown Line.

Churchville station, and all of those north of Fox Chase station, was closed on January 18, 1983 due to failing diesel train equipment resulting in low ridership.[1]

In addition, a labor dispute began within the SEPTA organization when the transit operator inherited 1,700 displaced employees from Conrail. SEPTA insisted on utilizing transit operators from the Broad Street Subway to operate Fox Chase-Newtown diesel trains, while Conrail requested that railroad motormen run the service. When a federal court ruled that SEPTA had to use Conrail employees in order to offer job assurance, SEPTA cancelled Fox Chase-Newtown trains.[3] Service in the diesel-only territory north of Fox Chase was cancelled at that time, and Churchville station still appears in publicly posted tariffs.[4]

Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999.

Station building

Churchville station has been restored and is now used as a private residence. SEPTA signage—installed in 1984, one year after train service had ended—remains in place at the station parking lot. The station is a contributing property of the Churchville Historic District, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since July 21, 1995.

References

1. Kennedy, Sara (October 21, 1983). "SEPTA to Boost Rail Service 13%". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1–2. Retrieved July 14, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Tulsky, Fredric N. (January 29, 1982). "Conrail Staff Must Run Trains: court ruling bars SEPTA takeover". Philadelphia Inquirer. SEPTA must use Conrail workers rather than its own personnel to run trains over the region's 13 commuter lines, a special federal court has ruled in a decision that offers some job assurance for 1,700 Conrail employees next year. The special court, in an opinion issued Wednesday, ruled that SEPTA had acted legally in October when it replaced Conrail workers with its former subway operators on the line.
4. SEPTA Tariff No. 154

External links

• Newtown Line.pa-tec.org – PA-TEC study on resuming SEPTA commuter service between Fox Chase and Newtown