Roads and highways As of 2019, there were of public roads in Phoenixville, of which were maintained by
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough. crossing
French Creek at the
Gay Street Bridge Phoenixville is served by three state highways:
Pennsylvania Route 23,
Pennsylvania Route 113, and
Pennsylvania Route 29. PA 23 follows a northwest-to-southeast alignment through western and southern sections of the borough via Nutt Road. PA 23 heads northwest to
Elverson and southeast to
King of Prussia. PA 113 follows a southwest-to-northeast alignment through western and northern parts of the borough via Kimberton Road, Nutt Road, Bridge Street, Gay Street, Franklin Avenue, Emmett Street, Dayton Street, Freemont Street and Black Rock Road. PA 113 heads southwest to
Downingtown, and northeast to
Trappe. PA 23 and PA 113 share a short concurrency in the western portion of the borough on Nutt Road. Finally, PA 29 follows a southwest-to-northeast alignment through southern and eastern sections of the borough via Main Street, Manavon Street, Starr Street and Bridge Street. PA 29 heads southwest to
Malvern, providing access to the
Pennsylvania Turnpike, and northeast to
Collegeville, providing access to
U.S. Route 422. Less than a mile northwest of the Phoenixville borough is the eastern terminus of
Pennsylvania Route 724 at an intersection with PA 23. Although not within the borders of the borough, PA 724 provides a connection for the Phoenixville area to
Pottstown.
Public transportation Phoenixville is currently served by two of
SEPTA's
Suburban Division bus routes. The
Route 99 bus connects Phoenixville with the
Manayunk/Norristown Line Regional Rail service at the
Norristown Transportation Center, and the
Route 139 bus connects Phoenixville with the
King of Prussia Mall and
Limerick. Several major railroads once served Phoenixville. The
Reading Company Main Line entered the east side of town via a station above Bridge Street. The line passes under the north side of town in the
Black Rock Tunnel, the third railroad tunnel constructed in the United States. Regular commuter trains last stopped at the
Phoenixville station in 1981, when SEPTA ceased operating non-electrified commuter lines, and the former station is now used as an event space.
Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) currently utilizes the line on a daily basis as part of its
Harrisburg Line. Phoenixville was also where the former
Pickering Valley Railroad joined the Reading. The Pickering Valley was operated as a subsidiary of the Reading that connected Phoenixville to Byers, near
Eagle. In 1906, the railroad was formally merged into the Reading, and became the Pickering Valley Branch of that railroad. The branch was closed in the late 20th century, and most of the track has been removed. The
Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR)
Schuylkill Branch also served Phoenixville. The line enters town crossing the Schuylkill River from neighboring
Mont Clare on a high bridge, north of French Creek. The line passes along the north side of the former
Phoenix Iron Works site. The station southwest of the intersection of Vanderslice and Gay Street, no longer exists. Past the Iron Works, the line splits, with the main fork turning north and passing through the now abandoned
Phoenixville Tunnel, which partially collapsed in the 1990s, and continuing northwest of the town toward
Reading. The other fork, which served as the former Phoenixville Branch of the PRR, turns southwest, continuing along the
Pickering Creek Valley and joining the former
PRR Main Line in
Frazer. A section of the line remains in place, and is currently known as the Phoenixville Industrial Track (owned by Norfolk Southern). Passenger service on the line had ceased by the end of the 20th century, and regular freight service on the line ceased in 2004. During the 2008 replacement of the
Gay Street Bridge, the line was severed at its crossing of Main Street and the rail bridge over Main Street was later raised by 14 inches to allow better access for emergency vehicles. station Beginning in 2000, interest to resume passenger rail service in Phoenixville was spurred by the
Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) project, which would have connected Phoenixville to Reading and
Philadelphia. However, funding for the project was ultimately rejected in 2006. Shortly after, another project called the
Greenline, led by the group Citizens for the Train, was proposed as an alternative to the SVM. It would have utilized the Phoenixville Industrial Track and the former Phoenixville Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad to give Phoenixville a rail connection to
Oaks and
Paoli, which could then be used to connect to Philadelphia via the
Paoli/Thorndale Line of
SEPTA Regional Rail. However, no funding was ever allocated to move the project forward. In mid-2018, Phoenixville began a study to restore SEPTA passenger rail service to connect Phoenixville to
Norristown, which would then connect to Philadelphia. In 2020, PennDOT finalized a study to extend passenger rail service from Norristown to Reading, which would include a stop in Phoenixville. In 2021,
Amtrak revealed a similar plan that would allow rail service from Reading to
New York City, which would also include a stop in Phoenixville. In 2022, the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority was created to advance the project forward, with Phoenixville mayor Peter Urscheler serving as one of three authority members for
Chester County. ==Government==