Career center could be built near new Coatesville train station

CHESTER COUNTY

Career center could be built near new train station in Coatesville

COATESVILLE A career training and education center could be part of the plans to redevelop the Coatesville train station on the Keystone Corridor, according to State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D., Chester). He is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to develop the center.

PennDot supports a plan to construct a building that would be both a waiting area for train riders and a job training and education center with work space for entrepreneurs as part of the $26.4 million project to develop a new Coatesville station.

"The new train station will be the front door to Coatesville, and right alongside it we are committed to putting a job and education training center, a pathway for the community to access all the opportunities the city's revitalization has to offer," Dinniman said in a statement.

City officials hope the new train station and surrounding development will be the heart of its revitalization effort. The Coatesville station had a ridership of more than 16,600 people in 2013.

A tentative location for the center is the 300 block of Fleetwood Street. Next steps include forming a committee of community leaders and getting funding for the center. - Michaelle Bond