PITTSBURGH — Penn Township, Pa., commissioners threatened Monday to take legal action if operators of a high-speed train end up choosing a route through the center of the municipality, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The board’s position on the possible maglev train route is stated near the conclusion of a resolution that members passed unanimously last night. The 5-0 vote drew applause from most of the about 75 residents attending the regular meeting.
“In the event the Port Authority of Allegheny County recommends that (the proposed path through the township’s center) be chosen as the final corridor for the maglev system, the commissioners will take appropriate and necessary legal action to vigorously oppose the choice of said corridor,” the measure states.
The board also instructed Solicitor Les Mlakar that if the route through the township is selected, he is to “take whatever action may be necessary and appropriate in order to fulfill the intent of this resolution.”
Those actions include “hiring of any experts (and) independent legal counsel experienced in the field of transportation litigation to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community,” according to the resolution.
After the meeting, board Chairman Charles Horvat downplayed the role of the courts, although he conceded that if the route through the township is selected, legal action could follow. He said his board wants maglev officials to consider another route through Westmoreland County, one along the existing Harrisburg-to-Pittsburgh railroad corridor.
“We just seem to be at a point that they’re not taking us seriously,” Horvat said. “They continually disregard our input, which tells us they don’t take us seriously.
“Hopefully they will succumb to reason and use the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg corridor.”
Two routes in Westmoreland County are at the forefront of consideration as part of the 47-mile project that would connect Pittsburgh and its international airport with Monroeville, Allegheny County, and a magport, or station, near the Greengate Mall.
The one route, referred to as C2, generally would run through an expansion area of the Valley Landfill, the residential developments of Oak Farms and Campbell Farms estates, Claridge and Shramm’s Farm and Orchard, all in Penn Township. It also would run near the Grandview Fire Hall before cutting through Bashforth Acres in Hempfield Township en route to the mall.
The other route under consideration in Westmoreland County would slice through Murrysville’s business district, running parallel with routes 22 and 66, before connecting with the station near Greensburg.
Three companies known collectively as the MSM Group are considering routes for the train as part of an environmental impact study they are doing under contract for the Port Authority, one of the public entities involved in the project. The routes are expected to be firmed up this summer.
Commissioner Paul Wersing said he also believes Maglev Inc. is not considering the township’s concerns fully.
“I think we had to throw up a roadblock here. We tried to get them to reconsider the C2 route, and every time we’ve only had lip service from them,” he said.
“We presented them with the facts (about the railroad corridor) and none of this really matters to them,” Wersing said.
The resolution cites other reasons why maglev officials should disregard the route through the township. They include the potential for mine subsidence, the effects on agriculture and the limited benefits for Westmoreland County residents.
The board agreed to send copies of the resolution to local, state and federal lawmakers as well as the Federal Railroad Administration.