Politics & Government

Giant New Power Towers Planned for Main Line

Amtrak plans to replace power line towers with huge new structures that will run all along the Main Line tracks, right through Bryn Mawr.

Amtrak plans to replace the power line towers along the Main Line tracks with gigantic new structures that will run all along the Main Line, right through Bryn Mawr.

The towers would be similar to ones that run along Amtrak's "I-95 corridor" along the southern Connecticut coastline.

Amtrak held a . According to one Tredyffrin Township Supervisor who attended there were less than 10 members of the public at the meeting which was legally advertised but not widely promoted by the railroad.

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The Tredyffrin Township website describes the planned Amtrak towers this way:

Starting in 2015, Amtrak is planning to replace the structures that support the existing overhead contact system along the 22 mile stretch of railway from the Philadelphia Zoo to the Paoli Train Station.

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The current system of structures is approximately 100 years old and have reached its life expectancy. The changes to the new structures anticipated with this project are as follows: 1) they will be taller – typically they will be 75 feet but where they cross highway overpasses, they will be 100 feet; 2) they will be steel and have a wide flange shape (like an “I” beam); 3) they will be galvanized and will retain their gray color rather than rusting; 4) they will have a k-frame in lieu of the head-span; 5) they will not have guy wires; and 6) the spacing across the tracks will be slightly wider to provide additional track clearance.

For further information regarding this project, contact Daniel P. Tasker at Amtrak, 215-349-1416, Taskerd@amtrak.com or Daren Petroski at Burns Engineering, Inc., 215-979-7700 x7749, DPetroski@burns-group.com. To review handouts from the last public meeting, please visit the Township Building, 1100 DuPortail Rd, Berwyn during regular business hours.

What do you think? Are the new towers too tall or are you ok with replacing the rusting towers along the tracks with the much taller ones like Amtrak uses in Connecticut?

Tell us in the comment section at the bottom of this article.


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