02/09/2026
Exciting trail update from Kennett Trails Alliance!
This Spring, a long-awaited connection is becoming reality. The Magnolia Crossing will link the western side of Kennett Square Borough to Pennock Park, the Parrish Trail, and the Kennett Bike Park creating a safer, more accessible route for people walking and biking. The project includes an at-grade rail crossing installed by East Penn Railroad, along with a new trail connection to South Mill Road near West Mulberry Street and Magnolia Court installed by the Kennett Trails Alliance.
For the past 10 years, the Kennett Trails Alliance has played a central role in bringing together the many stakeholders needed to solve this complex rail crossing challenge, including East Penn Railroad, Kennett Township, Kennett Square Borough, the Kennett Area Parks & Recreation Board, and local property owners.
For years, an at-grade crossing was considered operationally impossible, with discussions focused on a costly rail underpass that required extensive engineering. In 2024, a new, mutually agreed-upon solution was devised: By relocating train storage outside the Borough through new rail sidings, East Penn Railroad could safely install an at-grade crossing at Pennock Park.
Through a coordinated grant effort led by the Kennett Trails Alliance and East Penn Railroad, the project secured $626,500 from PennDOT Bureau of Rail, Freight, Ports, and Waterways’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program, with Kennett Township contributing $268,500 in matching funds.
Today, the Kennett Trails Alliance continues to serve as the driving force behind projects like Magnolia Crossing, coordinating partners, aligning timelines, and helping ensure that critical access points move from vision to reality.
(This photo used here is not intended to promote walking on the railroads, but to show that trails are needed so that we do not have to walk on the railroad tracks. Please do not walk on the tracks as it is not safe!)
More info: https://www.kennettgreenway.com/magnolia-crossing
