King of Prussia District & GVF Announce Jerry Sweeney as Chair of King of Prussia Rail Coalition

Transformative project would connect King of Prussia, the largest employment center in suburban Philadelphia, to Center City and University City, Philadelphia via SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line

KING OF PRUSSIA–On Tuesday, October 17, King of Prussia District (KOP-BID) and GVF announced Jerry Sweeney, President and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust, as Chair of the King of Prussia Rail Coalition. The announcement, which took place in the Cira Centre Conference Room in Philadelphia, also included remarks from Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and Rob Wonderling, President of Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, as well as the debut of the King of Prussia Rail Coalition’s endorsement video.

Formed by GVF and KOP-BID, the Coalition seeks to build support from elected officials, employees, commercial property owners, local businesses, residents, visitors, regional economic development and job growth agencies, and chambers of commerce for the proposed extension of SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line into King of Prussia.

During his remarks, Sweeney outlined the extensive economic benefits of the project, and named other key regional leaders who are joining him on the KOP Rail Coalition to help build support for the project, including: John Fry, President of Drexel University; Rob Wonderling, President of Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce; Bernie Dagenais, President of Main Line Chamber of Commerce; Ira Lubert, President of Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds; Gerry Geckle, Vice President of Human Resources at Universal Health Services; Rev. Peter M. Donohue, President of Villanova University; and Pat Eiding, President of Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO. To date, over 600 people and companies have endorsed the project.

“Investments like the King of Prussia Rail project are necessary for our region to maintain its competitive advantage,” said Jerry Sweeney, President and CEO of Brandywine Realty Trust.

Sweeney also addressed Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and SEPTA’s recently released Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). SEPTA will hold public hearings on November 13 and 15 where the public can meet with project team members, view a presentation, and submit comments on the DEIS. In response to discussions with stakeholders, SEPTA is evaluating options that maximize economic benefit while minimizing impacts to the community.

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King of Prussia District (KOP-BID) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, special services organization. KOP-BID engages public and private partners to collaboratively improve the economic environment in King of Prussia by making it more vibrant, attractive and prosperous.

GVF is a not-for-profit organization created to advocate and promote a viable transportation network for the region’s economic vitality. To maximize awareness and develop sustainable support, GVF partners with public and private entities.