The 13 branches can be divided into those originally owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) (which would become Penn Central), and those of the Reading Company (RDG). Before the Center City Commuter Connection opened in November 1984, the Pennsylvania Railroad commuter lines and the Reading commuter lines were two completely separate railroads. Each had a separate Center City terminal, with the PRR lines terminating at Suburban Station, while the RDG lines terminated at Reading Terminal.
Reading Terminal was replaced by Market East Station, which is part of the Center City Commuter Connection and sits partially under the former Reading Terminal. The Center City Commuter Connection united the two systems by turning the two terminal stations into through-stations, resulting in a more efficient system with most inbound trains from one line continuing on as outbound trains on another line (some limited/express trains terminate on one of the stub-end tracks at Suburban Station.)
Lines
There are 13 lines in the Regional Rail system, with seven on the former PRR side and six on the former RDG side.
Prior to July 25, 2010, each PRR line was paired with a RDG branch and numbered from R1 to R8, except for R4, so that one route number described two lines, one on the PRR side and one on the RDG side. This was found to be less beneficial than originally thought, especially for newer riders, as finding which train, as one had to remember the terminus or direction in addition to the R-number. Along with changes in train dispatching that lead to fewer trains following both sides of the same route, SEPTA decided to drop the R-number route designators. The color-coded designations for each route were also eliminated.[1]
Cynwyd Line: terminates in Bala Cynwyd and operates on weekdays only. Until 1986, trains continued on to Ivy Ridge station in northwestern Philadelphia.
Media/Elwyn Line: terminates in Elwyn. Until 1986, trains continued on to West Chester. SEPTA is considering restoring service to Wawa, about three miles west of Elwyn; however, this project is on hold, pending approval of the Fiscal Year 2011 Capital Budget [2]
Lansdale/Doylestown Line: terminates at Doylestown. On weekdays, approximately half of the local trains terminate at Lansdale while the remainder of the local trains, and some expresses, continue on to Doylestown.
File:SEPTA Regional Rail logo.svgSEPTA Regional Rail logo, displayed on signage at select stations
There are 153 active stations on the Regional Rail system (as of 2006[update]), of which 51 are in the city of Philadelphia, 41 are in Montgomery County, 29 are in Delaware County, 16 are in Bucks County, 10 are in Chester County, and six are outside the state of Pennsylvania. Passenger boardings within Philadelphia account for 61% of all trips on a typical weekday in 2003, with 45% from the three Center City stations and Temple University station.
SEPTA AEM-7 engine 2301 enters the Temple University station.
SEPTA uses a mixed fleet of Budd Company, General Electric and St. Louis Car Company "Silverliner" electric multiple unit (EMU) self-operated cars. SEPTA also uses push-pull equipment consisting of coaches built by Bombardier and hauled by AEM-7 or ALP-44 electric locomotives identical to those used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit (NJT) on its electrifed rail services for express and rush-hour service. The "Silverliner" coaches, first used by the PRR 1958 as the "Pioneer III," for a prototype intercity EMU alternative to the GG1-hauled trains, were purchased by SEPTA in 1963 as "Silverliner II" units for both the PRR and Reading lines and were built by the Budd Corporation in Philadelphia. In 1967, the PRR took delivery of the St. Louis-built "Silverliner III" cars, which featured left-hand side controls (railroad cars traditionally have right-hand side controls) and flush toilets (since removed), and were used primarily for Harrisburg-Philadelphia service. Both the Silverliner II and III cars were designated under the PRR MP85 class.
The bulk of the fleet, the "Silverliner IV", were built by General Electric in Philadelphia and Erie, PA with Budd components, and were delivered in 1974–76, prior to the formation of Conrail. The "Silverliner II", "Silverliner III", and "Silverliner IV" cars are used on all Regional Rail lines, while the Bombardier push-pull equipment is used exclusively for Wilmington/Newark Line, West Trenton Line, Paoli/Thorndale Line, and Trenton Line peak express service. The push-pull equipment is used only for express runs because its slow acceleration, compared to the Silverliner EMU equipment, making it less suitable for local service with close station spacing and frequent stops and starts. Some "Silverliner III" cars were even converted for exclusive Airport Line use – they featured special luggage racks (where the old toilet closets were located, and are still in use to this day), yellow window paintings, and the "PHL" logo used for the Philadelphia International Airport. Currently, all cars, regardless of the model, have a blended red and blue SEPTA window logos, and (required by Amtrak for operations on both the Northeast and Keystone Corridors) flashing "ditch lights," which are switched on at grade crossings and when "deadheading" through stations. SEPTA also owns 2 "Arrow II" EMU cars built by Budd and once operated by New Jersey Transit for its electrified service to and from New York City and Hoboken Terminal. The "Arrow II" car is nearly identical to that of the "Silverliner IV", but lacks the distinctive dynamic brake roof "hump" on the car, and has a "diamond" pantograph instead of the "T" pantograph used on the "Silverliner". The "Arrow II" are used as part of work trains, such as catenary inspection and leaf removal.
With the exception of the "Pioneer III" (Silverliner I) coaches, which have since been retired and (except for one, which is on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in nearby Strasburg, Pennsylvania) scrapped, all three Silverliner models are compatible with one another. SEPTA is currently undergoing the process of retiring the "Silverliner II" and "Silverliner III" cars and replacing them with the "Silverliner V" model.
A total of 120 new "Silverliner V" cars are to be built, with the first three entering service on October 29, 2010.[3] The cost for all 120 cars is $274 million, and they will be constructed facilities in South Philadelphia and South Korea by Hyundai Rotem, with the entire fleet to enter service by the end of 2011.[3][4]
Resembling a "stretched" Market-Frankford Line M-4 car, but sporting a red-colored pantograph instead of third rail shoes, the "Silverliner V" cars will have three doors on each side – four "quarter doors" that will facilitate boarding and unboarding at stations with either high or low-level platforms, two high-level center doors for faster arrivals and departures at the major Center City zone stations (University City, 30th Street, Suburban/Penn Center, Market East, and Temple University), and wider aisles and seats, and dedicated areas for wheelchairs and power scooters. In place of the glass-reinforced plastic placards denoting the train route, the train route and destination will be displayed on new colored LED panels on both the front and sides of the train, and improved public announcement systems will allow the automated system to announce station names. The new trains feature enhanced security, with CCTV cameras that are able to broadcast over a proprietary wireless network to the Command Center at SEPTA's headquarters.
In addition to the new "Silverliner V" cars, the "Silverliner IV" cars have been upgraded with silicone-based transformers (the original transformers used PCBs) and now sport new red-colored pantographs that will allow both the "Sliverliner IV" and "Silverliner V" cars to look aesthetically and functionally more alike.
All current SEPTA equipment is compatible with the power supplies on both the ex-PRR (Amtrak-supplied) and ex-RDG (SEPTA-supplied) sides of the system. The entire system uses 12,000-volt/25 Hz power lines that were erected by the PRR and RDG railroads between 1915 and 1935, with the system "phase break" being located at the northern entrance to the Center City commuter tunnel between the Market East Station and the Temple University Station.
SEPTA's railroad reporting markSEPA is the official mark for their revenue equipment, though it can rarely be found on any noticeable external markings. SPAX can be seen on non-revenue work equipment including boxcars, diesel locomotives, and other rolling stock.
Silverliner II No. 269 still carrying "PENNSYLVANIA" name boards.
Eastbound SEPTA 145 making a station stop in Paoli, in 1993.
Train of Silverliner II and III cars entering the Temple University station in May 2006.
200 series cars are former Pennsylvania Railroad cars, original number sequence 201–219 and 251–269. 9000 series cars are former Reading Railroad cars.
Former Pennsylvania Railroad cars used on what is now the Keystone Service with left-side cabs, instead of standard right-side cabs; 232–239 formerly dedicated cars for the R1 Airport Line.
400-series units are cars renumbered from lower series or from Reading Railroad cars 9018–9031 when PCB transformers were replaced with silicone transformers.
3 of 120 active, 12 to be in service by the end of 2010[3]
62.5/56.8
110
Replacements for 70 older cars; will also add capacity.[4] First three cars entered revenue service October 29, 2010; all to be in service by 2011.[3]
History
GE Silverliner IV at 30th Street Station
SEPTA was created to provide government subsidies to passenger railroads and transit operations, and in 1966 had contracts with the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Reading Company (RDG)to continue commuter rail services in the Philadelphia region.
The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company
The PRR and RDG operated both passenger and freight trains along their tracks in the Philadelphia region. To improve the efficiency of their commuter passenger lines, both companies added electrification to their busiest lines. The system used is an overhead catenary trolley wire that is energized at 11,000 V single-phase AC at 25 Hertz (Hz), very uncommon by today's standards as regular American households use double-phase AC at 60 Hz. The PRR started using this system on the Paoli line in 1915, the Chestnut Hill West line in 1918, and the Media/West Chester and Wilmington lines in 1928. Both the PRR and RDG continued their electrification projects into the 1930s, replacing trains pulled by steam locomotives with electric multiple unit cars and locomotives. PRR electrification reached Trenton and Norristown in 1930. RDG began electrified operation in 1931 to West Trenton, Hatboro (extended to Warminster in 1974) and Doylestown, and in 1933 to Chestnut Hill East and Norristown. The notable exception was the line to Newtown, which was the Reading's only suburban route not electrified.
Carrying passengers had been unprofitable for the railroads since about 1950, due to the rise in automobile ownership and the building of the Interstate Highway System. Because of this, the city of Philadelphia undertook a partnership with the RDG and PRR in the late 50s to subsidize commuter service. This, however, was not enough to counter the deterioration of the railroad infrastructure. The city did purchase new commuter equipment starting in the 1960s, the Silverliners. The railroads were losing money in general and were keen to get rid of their passenger operations so that they could focus on more profitable freight service. Plus, the noticeable neglect of their passenger service was becoming an issue with commuters and local governments.
On February 1, 1968, the PRR merged with the New York Central railroad to become the Penn Central (PC) in an effort to remain solvent. Two years later, on June 21, 1970, PC filed for bankruptcy.
In 1971, the RDG filed for bankruptcy after being unprofitable for several years mostly due to the selling of its minority stakes after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was absorbed by the C & O in the 1960s. The B&O used the Reading's tracks from Philadelphia to Jersey City, New Jersey for its Washington-New York service, but eliminated passenger service north of Baltimore in 1958.
Conrail
In 1976, Conrail took over the railroad-related assets and operations of the bankrupt PRR and RDG railroads, including the commuter rail operations. Conrail provided commuter rail services under contract to SEPTA until 1983, when SEPTA took over.
The SEPTA takeover was overseen by David L. Gunn, general manager from 1979 to 1984. When SEPTA assumed operations of the commuter lines, they attempted to impose transit (bus and subway driver's) pay scales and work rules, which was met by resistance by the BLE (an experiment was already in place on the diesel-only Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line, which used transit employees instead of traditional railroad employees as a bargaining chip). As a result, the BLE called a strike that lasted for 108 days. In the end, SEPTA would treat them as proper railroad workers, but their pay scale is still lower than that of other Northeast commuter railroads, such as NJ Transit. SEPTA's Regional Rail also suffered ridership losses which would take several years to rebuild.
SEPTA's current regional rail system is entirely run with electric-powered multiple unit cars and locomotives. Diesel trains were last run on January 14, 1983 on the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line. This oddity is unique in North America, as all other commuter rail agencies throughout the country (i.e. Metra, MARC Train, New Jersey Transit, Long Island Rail Road) operate with a combination of diesel and electric motive power.
File:Cancellation-sign 7-27-1981.jpgNotice of the cancellation of all diesel trains. Photo taken at Port Kennedy Station in Valley Forge Park on July 27, 1981.
Under contract to SEPTA, Conrail operated three intercity trains and one intracity train throughout the 1970s on the former RDG lines. These services originated from Reading Terminal:
Intercity
Allentown via Bethlehem, Quakertown and Lansdale. Allentown-Quakertown service ended 1979; Bethlehem-Quakertown service ended July 1, 1981; Quakertown-Lansdale service ended July 27, 1981.
Fox Chase-Newtown service initially ended July 1, 1981; it was re-established on October 5, 1981 as the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line, which then ended on January 14, 1983.
The primary factor for the cancellation of diesel trains was the Reagan Administration's policy abolishing federal operating subsidies for mass transit. Though funds could still be utilized for the purchase of new equipment, none could be used towards operating costs.[6]
Another factor was the omission of ventilation fans in the design of the Center City Commuter Tunnel that opened in 1984. The Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers (DVARP) advocated for the inclusion of ventilation fans that would allow diesel exhaust fumes to exit tunnels and stations: SEPTA refused this option throughout both the planning and construction process.[6]
DVARP later characterized the termination of the diesels as "SEPTA's worst railroad mistake." The end of diesel service resulted in over 150 route miles lost, much of it through regions whose populations exploded throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[7]
Expansion and cutbacks in the 1980s
Map of Transit and Commuter Rail Lines in the Philadelphia Area. Most of the broken gray lines represent former SEPTA-sponsored Conrail commuter rail service prior to July 1981, with the Fox Chase-Newtown section being discontinued in January 1983 and service cutbacks on the electrified West Chester and Ivy Ridge lines in 1986.
Expansion
In November 1984, the Center City Commuter Connection opened for service. The tunnel, which had been first discussed in the 1950s, is an underground connection between PRR and RDG lines; previously, PRR commuter trains would terminate at Suburban Station and RDG at Reading Terminal. The connection converted Suburban Station into a through-station and rerouted RDG trains down a steep incline and into a tunnel which turns sharply west near the new Market East Station. Converting the terminals into through stations was seen as increasing efficiency and reducing the number of tracks needed for the trains.[8]
On April 28, 1985, the Airport Line opened, providing service from Suburban Station via 30th Street Station to the Philadelphia International Airport. This line runs along Amtrak's NEC to a bridge which carries it over the NEC and onto Reading trackage which passes close to the airport. At the airport, a new bridge carries it over Interstate 95 and into the airport terminals between the baggage claim in arrivals and the check-in counters in departures.
Shrinking service
The end of diesel trains between 1979 and 1983 was the beginning of SEPTA's downsizing era. A lack of operating funds, coupled with SEPTA's desire to avoid maintaining lines in need of significant maintenance[9], resulted in additional service cutbacks throughout the 1980s:
R3 West Chester service was truncated to Elwyn on September 19, 1986 due to unsatisfactory track conditions west of Elwyn.File:West Chester 1986.jpgWest Chester-Media shuttle at West Chester Station, August 2, 1986. SEPTA ended passenger service between Elwyn and West Chester six weeks later.
R6 Ivy Ridge service was truncated to Cynwyd on May 17, 1986, due to concerns about the Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill River.
R8 diesel service between Fox Chase and Newtown ended on January 14, 1983 due to failing diesel train equipment SEPTA was not interested in rehabilitating. Though this service was initially terminated on July 1, 1981 (along with diesel services to Allentown and Pottsville), SEPTA reinstated service on October 5, 1981, using operators from the city transit division (the service was known as the experimental Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line). This caused a rift in unions within the organization, adding to the disastrous 1983 strike lasting 108 days.[10]
Criticism
SEPTA management was criticized for the severe cutbacks the agency deemed necessary at the time. Noted international transit expert and University of Pennsylvania professor Vukan Vuchic (who also designed the former R-numbering system for SEPTA) commented that he had never seen a city the size of Philadelphia "cut transit services quite as drastically as SEPTA. For a system that is already obsolete, any more cutbacks would be disastrous—and likely spell doom for transit in the Philadelphia region."[11]
DVARP also accused SEPTA of purposely shrinking their commuter lines:
Suspension of rail service to points like Newtown and West Chester was first said to be temporary but become more permanent with each passing day. Restoration of rail service to Pottstown and Quakertown is no more than a few token lines in a capital plan. While dozens of other cities in North America expand their rail services, SEPTA is the only one continuing to cut and cut and cut. The only difference between SEPTA and its railroad and transit predecessors is that SEPTA eliminates services to avoid rebuilding assets, while its predecessors (PRR, RDG and Conrail) kept service running while deferring maintenance.[9]
Noted local transit expert John Pawson, author of Delaware Valley Rails: The Railroads and Rail Transit Lines of the Philadelphia Area, commented that due to the excessive contraction of SEPTA's commuter network, its official name should be "SEPTA Semi-Regional Rail".[12]
RailWorks
As a result of decades of deferred maintenance on the Reading Viaduct between the Center City Commuter Connection and Wayne Junction, SEPTA undertook a 10-month, $354 million project to overhaul the viaduct in 1992 and 1993. Labeled "RailWorks," by SEPTA, the project, spurred by an emergency bridge replacement project in 1983 shortly after the tunnel opened, resulted in the replacement of several dilapidated bridges, the installing of new continuous-welded rail and overhead catenary, the construction of new rail stations at Temple University and North Broad Street, and the upgrading of signals.
Built by the Reading Company and opened in 1898 along with Reading Terminal, the Reading Viaduct is a series of bridges and embankments that allows trains to run on elevated railroad tracks, separated from road traffic and pedestrians. The 1983 bridge replacement, over Columbia (now Cecil B. Moore) Avenue near Temple University, was in such poor condition that the bridge inspector actually saw the structure sag every time a train passed over the bridge; further inspection revealed that the bridge was in imminent danger of collapsing. The viaduct was completely shut down during each phase, with the R6 Norristown, R7 Chestnut Hill East, and R8 Fox Chase lines suspended during the shutdown. Other Reading lines only came as far into the city as the Fern Rock Transportation Center, where riders had to transfer to the Broad Street Subway. The number of subway trains needed to carry both regular Broad Street Subway riders, as well as passengers transferring to the subway because of RailWorks, exceeded the capacity of the above-ground two-track stub-end Fern Rock Station of the Broad Street line. In 1993 a loop track was added around the Fern Rock Yard which northbound trains use to approach the station from the rear. The loop avoids a switch which had caused the bottleneck.
During RailWorks, SEPTA ran a few diesel trains during peak-hours from the Reading side branches, along non-electrified Conrail trackage, to 30th Street Station. Upon the completion of RailWorks, the Reading Viaduct became the "newest" piece of railroad owned by SEPTA, although other projects have since allowed improved service on the ex-Reading side of the system.
Original route numbering plan
The original Regional Rail plan with R1 to R7
From 1984 to 2010, the regional rail lines were numbered from R1 to R8, with the notable omission of R4. The reasons for this were rather complicated, going back to the original planning stages.
Part of the planning for the Center City Commuter Connection was to decide on how trains would be routed through the tunnel and which branches would be paired up.
The original plan for the system was made by University of Pennsylvania professor Vukan Vuchic, based on the S-Bahncommuter rail systems in Germany. Numbers were assigned to the PRR-side lines in order from south (Airport) to northeast (Trenton), and the RDG-side matches were chosen to roughly balance ridership, to attempt to avoid trains running full on one side and then running mostly empty on the other. The following lines were recommended:[13]
R1 Airport to West Trenton
R2 Marcus Hook to Warminster
R3 Media/West Chester to Chestnut Hill West
R4 Bryn Mawr (on the same tracks as the R5 Paoli) to Fox Chase
R5 Paoli to Lansdale/Doylestown – express from Center City to Bryn Mawr, with R4 running local
R6 Ivy Ridge to Norristown
R7 Trenton to Chestnut Hill East
In addition to the Center City Commuter Connection, it was assumed that SEPTA would build one more connection, the Swampoodle Connection. This would allow PRR-side trains from Chestnut Hill West to join the RDG Norristown line instead of the PRR mainline at North Philadelphia station. The Chestnut Hill West line and the Norristown line run adjacent to each other at that point, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Swampoodle. The Swampoodle Connection was never built, leading (among other factors) to the following changes:
R3 could not go to Chestnut Hill West, so R3 trains from Media/West Chester instead went to West Trenton along the R1. Service to Chestnut Hill West was picked up by the R8.
R4 was dropped; The R5 Paoli runs local along its entire length most of the time, and Fox Chase became half of the R8.
R8 was added for Fox Chase to Chestnut Hill West service, using the former R4-Fox Chase and R3-Chestnut Hill West halves.
One of the assumptions in this plan was that ridership would increase after the connection was open. Instead, ridership dropped after the 1983 strike. While recent rises in oil prices have resulted in increased rail ridership for daily commuters, many off-peak trains run with few riders. Pairing up the rail lines based on ridership is less relevant today than it was when the system was implemented.
At a later time, R1 was applied to the former RDG tracks, shared with the R2 and R5 lines to Glenside, and R3 to Jenkintown, and R1-Airport trains ran to Glenside rather than becoming R3 trains to West Trenton. In later years, SEPTA became more flexible, and now a decent number of trains change route designations downtown to cope with differences in ridership on various lines.
After the original service patterns were introduced, the following termini changed:
R2 – Marcus Hook was extended to Wilmington and Newark
R3 – West Chester was cut back to Elwyn
R5 – Paoli was extended to Downingtown and Parkesburg, then later cut back to Downingtown, and later re-extended to Thorndale
R6 – Ivy Ridge was cut back to Cynwyd
Ridership
SEPTA Regional Rail Division Ridership
When Conrail handled operations on SEPTA's behalf, overall ridership peaked in 1980 with over 373 million unlinked trips per year. The Regional Rail Division carried over 32 million passengers in 1980, a level which was not to be exceeded again for decades. Regional Rail ridership subsequently declined sharply after SEPTA assumed operations in 1983, hitting a new low of just under 13 million passengers. There were several factors that contributed to this severe drop:
a drawn-out strike by the railroad unions
discontinuing service to many stations (over 60) and outlying points
increased fares during a period of decreasing gasoline prices increasing automobile usage
SEPTA management's unfamiliarity with operating a commuter railroad (a point loudly promoted by displaced Conrail employees after the 1983 takeover)[14]
In 1992, ridership dipped again due to economic factors and due to SEPTA's RailWorks project, which shut down half of the railroad over two periods of several months each in 1992 and 1993. A mild recession in 1992–94 also dampened ridership, but a booming economy in the late 1990s helped increase ridership to near the peak level of 1980.
In 2000, ridership started a slight decline due to the slow economy, but in 2003 ridership started increasing again. The average weekday passenger counts have not increased at the same rate as the total annual passenger counts, which may mean that weekend ridership is increasing.
In 2008, Regional Rail ridership hit an all time high of over 35 million. In 2009, it was down 1% of this high.
The ridership on the Railroad Division per fiscal years 1979–2008:
Since SEPTA assumed full regional rail operations from Conrail in 1983, critics have accused SEPTA management of willfully having little understanding of traditional railroad operations or ridership. Rail proponents, such as DVARP and the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC), added that SEPTA tends to view its commuter rail operations in transit terms rather than than something different, as it should be. The operation of the currently derelict Fox Chase-Newtown segment of the Fox Chase Line as a transit operation from 1981–1983—utilizing City Transit personnel instead of members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)—was the most notable example of "transitizing" a traditional railroad line.
In the early 2000s, SEPTA resisted the conventional, more effective commuter rail model used throughout North America when designing the ill-fated Schuylkill Valley Metro project, initially preferring a light rail alternative for the 62-mile line and then shifting to an unprecedented "Metrorail" model when fatal flaws were found in the light rail plan. The bias against conventional commuter rail on shared track forced project costs over $2 billion and led to the eventual predictable failure of the project when it was rejected by the Federal Transit Administration as being too costly.
The repercussions of the managerial approach taken by SEPTA executives persist as of 2010:
[E]specially in comparison with the New York roads (Long Island Rail Road, Metro North Railroad, New Jersey Transit). The New York roads could more or less accept the status quo, contract-wise, since they had a much larger (and more captive) ridership base. SEPTA could not afford to maintain the status quo, and they were willing to do what was necessary to get unit labor costs under control. Not only did that result in bad feelings, it also caused a lot of crew members to exercise seniority and go back to Conrail or Amtrak in the following years, leading to crew shortages and a much younger and less experienced workforce than the other roads. The SEPTA crews did not look like or think like the old hands at the other roads, nor were they paid the same way as those on the other roads, so they were not seen as "real railroaders" whether or not they did professional-grade work.
Equally important is the fact that SEPTA was the only system to put transit managers in charge of the railroad. The New York agencies all maintained separate railroad companies with their own management, while MBTA and MARC Train contracted out to Amtrak and CSX Transportation. Again, some of the "not real railroaders" attitude held against them was based on a predisposition against outsiders and outside ideas, but the managers made some inappropriate attempts to fit square pegs into round holes and deserved a good share of the criticism.[14]
Prior to the 1983 takeover of commuter operations, SEPTA considered running the former Reading Company side of the system from traditional railroad operations to transit-type operations, but dismissed it as unfeasible for the short term. If transitized, the regional rail system would operate outside of the U.S. railroad network, freeing it from most railroad-oriented federal regulations, including railroad work rules, federal safety equipment inspection requirements, and Railroad Retirement.[17]
PA Rail
In 1995, several proposals were drafted by state legislators to create a state rail passenger service authority that would oversee all commuter rail operations throughout the commonwealth. The goal was to relieve SEPTA of its management duties while the commonwealth concentrated on growing the currently constrained Regional Rail network. SEPTA's services would be utilized to operate the trains only. Nothing came of these proposals.[18]
Rail Trail controversy
File:July09walnuthilltrail.jpgFox Chase/Newtown Line. All of SEPTA's suspended commuter lines were converted in some form to trails starting in 2008. Walnut Hill Station site along Fox Chase/Newtown Line, now the site of the Pennypack Trail Extension.File:Ivy RidgePRR 1018001826a.jpgCynwyd Line: high-level station (one of SEPTA's few) at Ivy Ridge.File:Center valley -after.jpgBethlehem/Quakertown Line: Bethlehem/Quakertown line in Center Valley, Pennsylvania after trackage removal for the Saucon Rail Trail.
Beginning in 2005, SEPTA started to convert many derelict railway lines under their ownership into walking trails. Rusting trackage has been dismantled with the unused railroad right-of-ways being leased to local townships in the area. Within a two-year period starting in June 2008, nearly every line whose service was either "temporarily" suspended or is owned by SEPTA has or will be been dismantled. Rail proponents have argued that the trails were hastily constructed—such as the Pennypack Trail Extension (gravel vs. pavement, single access points)—in order to erase any presence of a railway. Other lines, like the double track Bethlehem/Quakertown line, was quickly ripped up even though the trail slated for line (Saucon Rail trail) has no source of funding and no time line for completion (as of Summer 2010)[19]:
Fox Chase/Newtown Line: single track in Abington Township section of Fox Chase-Newtown Line dismantled June 2008 for Pennypack Trail Extension. Service originally suspended: January 14. 1983.
Cynwyd Line: double track between Cynwyd and high-level Ivy Ridge Station dismantled between June 2009 – June 2010 for Cynwyd Heritage Trail[20] and Ivy Ridge Trail, respectively.[21]Service originally suspended: October 25, 1986.
Bethlehem/Quakertown: double track between Coopersburg and Hellertown dismantled October 2008 for the Saucon Rail trail.[19]Service originally suspended: July 1, 1981.
Chester Creek Branch: single track between Lenni and Chester, last operated by the Penn Central in 1972. Ownership on the line transferred to SEPTA in 1978 for future transporation use. Tracks will soon be dismantled for the Chester Creek Rail Trail.[22][23](SEPTA did not operate passenger on this line at any time.)
As traffic congestion in the Delaware Valley grew throughout the 1990s, resuming passenger service on SEPTA's derelict lines was seen as a tool to battle the trend. No other transit agency in North American has converted their derelict rail lines into trails in the capacity that SEPTA has. Public transit advocates—most notably PA-TEC—voiced their opposition to the removal of the tracks as there are no notable instances in the U.S. of a rail trail converting back to rails.
Suggestions to convert the lines into rails with trails were seen by SEPTA officials as a safety hazard.[24]
The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia also agreed that while trails serve a good purpose, the railroad should take priority if both cannot coexist:
We believe that there is sufficient right-of-way available to support both future rail service and maintain trail usage. If there is insufficient right-of-way within the corridor to do both, then a relocation or rerouting of the trail to preserve the non-motorized route is necessary.[25]
John Pawson, author of Delaware Valley Rails: The Railroads and Rail Transit Lines of the Philadelphia Area, has questioned why SEPTA is heavily involved with rail trails instead of public transit. Pawson, who was head of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Regional Citizens Committee until February 2011, sent a letter to its members in October 2010 stating the following:
The designation "Pennypack Trail" was placed on a section of the dormant Fox Chase-Newtown passenger rail line, and the rails were lifted for some 2.4 miles and a gravel path substituted. This relatively cheap and quick process may have been expedient, but cheapness is its only advantage. The trail as built essentially runs from nowhere to nowhere. In the lower half of its length, it is distant from the creek and the north end of the Philadelphia section of the trail. A relatively high-grade piece of infrastructure has been diverted (temporarirly, one would hope) to a relatively low-grade purpose. It's like taking over an expressway to use for someone's driveway.
It would be much better all around to link the Philadelphia section at Pine Road via existing trails, sidewalks, and some new construction on publicly accessible property to form a continuous and scenic path near the creek over the full 18-mile length of the Trail as originally conceived. Montgomery County has the means to do so; it should not satisfy itself with the poorly located segment on the rail grade. There is no need to pull up any more track. This real creek-side Pennypack Trail through Montgomery County and the restoration of the rail line in that county and beyond could be considered as a single valid political issue. Various groups including rail and trail proponents and others should work together for a joint project.[12]
SEPTA Rejects Security Measures for Preserving Railways converted to Rail Trails
In March 2011, PA-TEC requested SEPTA to consider demarking the rail line in Abington Township where the Pennypack Trail exists on SEPTA property. PA-TEC's request was based on a Federal study completed by the National Transportation Research Board in 2007.[26] SEPTA rejected PA-TEC's request, citing the following:
The benefit of your proposed signage was deemed non-existent, since SEPTA's rights to the out-of-service Newtown Branch right-of-way (ROW) are clearly protected as matters of real estate/railroad law, as well as the individual lease with the County. The same would apply to any other recreational trails presently being used by municipalities over SEPTA out-of-service railroad ROW's. Therefore, any expense incurred by the Authority (no matter how small) in the fabrication, installation and maintenance of signage for the sole purpose of demarcating SEPTA's otherwise well established legal ownership rights in the ROW, cannot be financially justified. As such, it was believed that your proposed signage is unwarranted and unnecessary under the circumstances.[27]
PA-TEC responde with the following:
Since SEPTA terminated rail service, the authority has been abhorrent to maintaining the rail corridor, and preserving it with some form of train activity. Going against their enabling legislation per Pennsylvania State Law[28], SEPTA has dismantled the corridor, allowed other parties to remove infrastructure, and in an act resembling Pontius Pilate, has washed their hands of the line by refusing to associate their name with it in public.[27] Without any analysis, SEPTA has rejected a taxpayer funded federal study that provides specific recommendations that best preserve dormant railways.[27]
1974–1976: SEPTA orders and takes delivery of Silverliner IV M.U.s
1976: Conrail takes over bankrupt railroads and continues providing commuter services for SEPTA.
1979: Diesel service between Bethlehem-Allentown is discontinued.[29] R2 Naamans Road Station closes.
1980: 52nd Street Station closes. Service extended from Cynwyd to new high-level station at Ivy Ridge.
July 1, 1981: Diesel service from Fox Chase-Newtown, Quakertown-Bethlehem and Norristown-Pottstown/Reading/Pottsville is discontinued due lack of funding from PennDOT, approved by Governor Dick Thornburgh.[29] R2 Baldwin Station closes. R5 Exton Station opens. Fares increased.
July 29, 1981: Lansdale-Quakertown diesel shuttle discontinued.[29]
January 1, 1983: SEPTA assumes full operation of commuter lines from Conrail.[29]
January 14, 1983: Diesel service from Fox Chase-Newtown—SEPTA's last diesel operated line—is "temporarily" discontinued due to failing train equipment; service replaced with busses until electrification is completed (as of 2010, electrification has not occurred).[29] R5 Downingtown Station opens. R8 Westmoreland Station closes. BLET calls a strike that lasts 108 days.
November 6, 1984: Service to Reading Terminal ends in anticipation of the opening of the Center City Commuter Connection six days later.[8]
November 16, 1984: The Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue) bridge near old Temple University Station found to be unsafe, putting all four tracks out of service north of Market East Station.[8]
December 1984: Temporary bridge opens, allowing service to resume north of Market East Station.[8]
May 17, 1986: R6 service between Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge is "temporarily" discontinued.[29]
September 16, 1986: R3 service between Elwyn-West Chester is "temporarily" discontinued.[29]
1990: R5 service extended from Downingtown to Coatesville and Parkesburg.
1990: Reading-era "Blueliner" and PRR-era Pioneer III/Silverliner I M.U.s retired.
March 12, 1992: New Fern Rock Station opens, replacing both the old Fern Rock and Tabor stations.
1992: First phase of RailWorks, a project to reconstruct several bridges and viaducts on the former Reading Company's main line in North Philadelphia, shuts down the railroad between Market East and Fern Rock stations for six months.
May 2, 1993: Second and last phase of Railworks begins.
September 9, 1993: Second and last phase of Railworks ends.
November 10, 1996: R5 service to Parkesburg is truncated to Downingtown. Fellwick, Fishers, Fulmor, and Shawmont Stations close.
March 21, 1997: Parking added to Exton Station, adding 116 spaces at a cost of $300,000.
1997: Eastwick Station opens on the R1 Airport line.
2002: SEPTA announces the planned building of 104 new "Silverliner V" m.u. cars to replace aging Budd-built "Silverliner II" and St. Louis Company-built "Silverliner III" cars. New cars, identical to the GE-built "Silverliner IV" cars, will have wider seats and a center-opening door for easier boarding or departing at high-level platform stations in Center City.
2003: R2 Lamokin and R7 Wissinoming stations close.
2006: SEPTA approves contract for Hyundai Rotem to build 104 new "Silverliner V" cars. SEPTA also started negotiations with Wawa Food Markets to purchase land in Wawa, Pennsylvania to build a new Park-and-Ride facility for a planned restoration of service between Elwyn and Wawa on Media/Elwyn Line.
July 2008: single track in Abington Township section of "temporarily" suspended Fox Chase-Newtown line is removed for Pennypack Trail Extension.
October 2008: double track between Coopersburg and Hellertown section of derelict Quakertown-Bethlehem line is dismantled for a trail.
June 2009: double track between Cynwyd and Pencoyd Viaduct section of "temporarily" suspended Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge line is dismantled for Cynwyd Heritage Trail.[20]
February 2010: First three Silverliner V cars arrive in Philadelphia, as well as nine shells to be assembled at the Hyundai Rotem plant.
June 2010: double track between Pencoyd Viaduct and high-level Ivy Ridge Station along "temporarily" suspended Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge line is dismantled for Ivy Ridge Trail.[21]
July 25, 2010: R-numbering system is dropped and each branch is named after its primary termini.[30]
October 29, 2010: First set of Silverliner V cars begin revenue service, following a press event at Suburban Station.[31]
^ abMitchell, Matthew (April 1992). "SEPTA Budget for Fiscal 1993: Continued Rail Retrenchment". The Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers.
^ abcdefghWilliams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys and Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company, Inc. ((cite book)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
