BOYERTOWN PA – A $10.1 million federal grant to rehabilitate five miles of track along the Colebrookdale Railroad’s popular “Secret Valley Line” is expected to further enhance both its tourism value, and its freight-moving business.
The grant award to rehabilitate about five miles of Colebrookdale track was announced Wednesday (Oct. 21, 2026) by Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman. He also championed the funding, in earlier conversations with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Department of Transportation (USDOT).
Money for the local railroad is part of a total distribution of $42.2 million. Colebrookdale is sharing in the sum with three other rail operators.
“We’re grateful to our federal partners, Senators Fetterman and (David) McCormick, and Congresswoman (Madeleine) Dean, for continuing to invest in the Colebrookdale Railroad and the communities it connects,” Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chair Jamila Winder said.
“This $10 million investment will help strengthen an important piece of our region’s infrastructure while preserving a unique part of Pennsylvania’s history for generations to come,” she added.
Top photo provided by the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board
Other PA Railroad Grant Recipients
Also receiving grants Wednesday under the FRA “Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program” were:
- the Lehigh Valley Rail corridor in Bethlehem, $15.8 million;
- the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad in western PA, $13.6 million; and
- the Everett Railroad in Blair County, 2.26 million.
Fetterman noted the administration’s decision for Colebrookdale was based in part on the railroad’s continuing investment in its Pottstown terminal.
That was made possible during July (2026) by a $25 million grant from the USDOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program. The senator advocated for it, too.
Building Two Businesses
The Colebrookdale Railroad’s rail tour adventures are well-known by residents of Berks, Montgomery, and Chester counties. A 17-mile round trip on its Secret Valley Line between Boyertown and Pottstown is usually available on regular weekly schedules.
Many rides on its restored vintage trains and cars are themed to coincide with holidays and the seasons. Some are accompanied by a meal or snacks.
Its “Autumn Splendor” tours through colorful fall foliage are popular now, with nine excursions available between Thursday (Oct. 22) and Saturday (Oct. 31). Eighteen more foliage ride dates are planned for November.
The railroad also offers guided rail bike adventures to combine exercise with the pleasant scenery.
However, the railroad also operates a growing freight-carrying enterprise, known as the Eastern Berks Gateway Railroad. It began operations around September 2010.
Its July grant from USDOT enables Colebrookdale to install new track that separates local freight operations from the tourist side. The same funding will also rehabilitate more than 2,000 feet of existing track along the corridor. It additionally allows for construction of a new train shed for locomotives and rail cars.
Eastern Berks’ stated goal is to provide services that keeps businesses “competitive, attracts new customers, and takes freight off the highway and puts it on the rail.”
Beyond its own trackage, Eastern Berks connects to the Norfolk Southern Railway at Pottstown for transport nearly anywhere in the nation.
Our local news reporting includes articles about state, county, borough, township, and village government decisions and activities within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. It also includes Traffic articles about private and public transportation issues. Find more government articles here.
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