In 1984, the last train pulled
out of Reading Terminal on Market Street in central Philadelphia.
Regional commuter trains now use the tunnel under Center City, and there
is no longer train service between Philadelphia and Reading. (Though, as
a footnote, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is exploring funding
options for a Schuylkill River light rail that would run 94 miles to
connect the two cities.)
The former Reading train shed became the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The mile-long train trestle, on the other hand, has stood for 20 years
as a weed-grown, litter-strewn relic to a bygone era. It is also a place
for the homeless to rest their heads 20 feet above the city streets.
It is the Reading Viaduct.
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