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Originally Posted by wanderer34
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You might want to re-read my post. It was literally "in a dream" I had. Yeah, right now, N.O. NO WAY is Coatesville main-line.
As far as the R5 possibly extending to Lancaster, I'm not sure if that would be feasible. We're talking easily a 90-minute commute each way. Did SEPTA ever serve Lancaster? As far as SEPTA returning to West Chester, I did my masters paper on that subject back in 2010. The population growth along that line is statistically significant, and a return on service could significantly impact development in areas within a mile of each proposed station location. One of the sources I used for this paper was a peer-reviewed paper about the light rail line in Phoenix. They essentially argued that the light rail line linking Phoenix with the airport and Arizona State had a significant impact on land use; it sparked all kinds of transit-oriented development. Since then, several new lines are either under development or are operational.
I know that cost and various other projects with a higher priority are the main reasons why SEPTA hasn't pursued this much. To an extent they have, as I believe they're extending the line to Wawa (whoopee). I follow Vista.com on Facebook and Linkedin, which gives all kinds of business updates for Chester County. I saw a county-wide map of planned site development. There are a ton of proposed developments (residential and otherwise) that show up in and around West Chester. If these are people who have to commute to Delaware County for business, then the WC line would be a huge benefit to them.