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* '''R8''' diesel service between '''Fox Chase''' and '''Newtown''' ended on January 14, 1983 due to failing [[Budd Rail Diesel Car|diesel train equipment]] resulting in low ridership. Though this service was initially terminated in July 1981 along with diesel services to Allentown and Pottsville, SEPTA reinstated service in October 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.
* '''R8''' diesel service between '''Fox Chase''' and '''Newtown''' ended on January 14, 1983 due to failing [[Budd Rail Diesel Car|diesel train equipment]] resulting in low ridership. Though this service was initially terminated in July 1981 along with diesel services to Allentown and Pottsville, SEPTA reinstated service in October 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.


SEPTA received heavy criticism for the 1980s cutbacks the agency deemed at the time were "necessary." Noted international transit expert [[Vukan Vuchic]] criticized SEPTA in 2004, saying that has never seen a city the size of Philadelphia "cut transit services quite as drastically as SEPTA. For a system that is already obselete, any more cutbacks would be disasterous—and likely spell doom for transit in the Philaldelphia region."<ref name=Vuchic/>
SEPTA received heavy criticism for the 1980s cutbacks the agency deemed at the time were "necessary." Noted international transit expert [[Vukan Vuchic]] criticized SEPTA in 2004, saying that has never seen a city the size of Philadelphia "cut transit services quite as drastically as SEPTA. For a system that is already obselete, any more cutbacks would be disasterous—and likely spell doom for transit in the Philaldelphia region."<ref name=Vuchic/> Despite the criticism, SEPTA has made little effort to reinstate service on the commuters lines shut down in the 1980; most lines were converted in [[rail trails]] in the late 2000s (see ''1980s Cutbacks = 2000s Rail-to-Trail Conversions'' section below)


=== RailWorks ===
=== RailWorks ===

Revision as of 21:19, 26 October 2010

  SEPTA Regional Rail
SEPTA Regional Rail system map
Overview
Stations called at153
Headquarters1234 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Reporting markSEPA (revenue equipment), SPAX (non-revenue and MOW equipment)
LocaleDelaware Valley
Dates of operation1983–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The SEPTA Regional Rail Division provides commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight. The core of the Regional Rail system is the Center City Commuter Connection composed of three Center City stations in the "tunnel" corridor: the above-ground upper level of 30th Street Station; and the underground Suburban Station; and Market East Station. All trains stop at these Center City stations, and most also stop at Temple University station on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia.

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. 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 Pennsylvania Railroad lines terminating at Suburban Station, while the Reading 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 Reading Company side.

Prior to July 25, 2010, each PRR line was paired with a Reading 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 Reading 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]

The former Pennsylvania Railroad lines
The former Reading Company lines

Stations

File:SEPTA Regional Rail logo.svg
SEPTA Regional Rail logo, displayed on signage at select stations

There are 153 active stations on the Regional Rail system (as of 2006), 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.

County Stations Boardings in 2003 Boardings in 2001
Philadelphia 51 60 967 61 970
Montgomery County 41 17 228 18 334
Delaware County 29 8 310 8 745
Bucks County 16 5 332 5 845
Chester County 10 5 154 5 079
Outside Pennsylvania 6 2 860 3 423
total 153 99 851 103 396

Fleet

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.

The new cars, designed and with the first three (3) prototypes to be built in South Korea by Hyundai Rotem, with final assembly of the remaining 117 cars taking place in South Philadelphia at 2400 Weccacoe Avenue selected for its proximity to the Port of Philadelphia, will have new features that will allow both increased capacity and ADA compliance.

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 P/A systems will allow the automated system to call out stations 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-Reading (SEPTA-supplied) sides of the system. The entire system uses 12,000-volt/25 Hz power lines that were erected by the PRR and Reading 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 mark SEPA 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.
    Silverliner II No. 269 still carrying "PENNSYLVANIA" name boards.
  • Eastbound SEPTA 145 making a station stop in Paoli, in 1993.
    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.
    Train of Silverliner II and III cars entering the Temple University station in May 2006.
Year Make Model Numbers Total Hp Tare
(Ton/t) 		Seats Remarks
1963 Budd Silverliner II 201-209, 211-219,
251-256, 258-264, 266-269,
9001-9017 		52 of 56 active 624 50.7/46.1 124-127 200 series cars are former Pennsylvania Railroad cars, original number sequence 201-219 and 251-269. 9000 series cars are former Reading Railroad cars.
1967 St. Louis Car Silverliner III 220-223, 225-239 19 of 20 active 624 50.7/46.1 122 (232-239 seat 90) 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.
1974-76 GE Silverliner IV 101-188, 306-399,
417-460 (married pairs)
276-305, 400-416
(single cars) 		231 of 232 active Not known 62.5/56.8 125 400-series units are cars renumbered from lower series or from Reading Railroad cars 9018–9031 when PCB transformers were replaced with silicone transformers.
1987 EMD AEM7 2301–2307 7 7,000 101/91.9 Locomotive Locomotives for push-pull trains
1987 Bombardier SEPTA I 2401-2410 (cab cars)
2501-2516 (trailers) 		10 cab cars
25 trailers 		Push-pull 50/45.4 118
(cab cars)
131
(trailers) 		Push-pull coaches hauled by locomotives.
1995 ABB ALP-44 2308 1 7000 99.2/90.2 Locomotive Locomotive for push-pull trains. Delivered as a result of a settlement agreement for late delivery of N-5 cars.
1999 Bombardier SEPTA II 2550–2559 10 trailers Push pull 50/45.4 117 These cars have a center door, and are used in push-pull service.
2008 Pullman Standard Comet I 2460–2461(cab cars)
2590–2595 (trailers) 		2 cabs, 6 coaches Push pull 50/45.4 118
(cab car)
131
(trailers) 		Push-pull cars originally built c. 1971 for NJDOT for service on the Erie Lackawanna's commuter trains. Purchased from NJ Transit for added seating.
2010- Rotem Silverliner V 701-736 Single Cars (Double Ended), 801-884 Married Pair Units 120 62.5/56.8 110 Replacements for 1963 Budd and 1967 St. Louis Car MU cars.

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 and the Reading Company to continue commuter rail services in the Philadelphia region.

The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company

The Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Pennsy", or PRR) and the Reading Company (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.

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. Only two years later, PC filed for bankruptcy on June 21, 1970.

In 1971, the RDG filed for bankruptcy after being unprofitable for several years, mostly due to the selling, by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad (now CSX) of its minority stakes in the Reading system after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was absorbed by the C & O in the 1960s. The B & O used the Reading's (and its Jersey Central Railroad subsidiary) tracks from Philadelphia to Jersey City, New Jersey for its Washington-New York service, but eliminated passenger service north of Baltimore, and hence to Jersey City, 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.

Main article: Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line

The end of diesel routes

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 Railroad) operate with a combination of diesel and electric motive power.

Main article: Commuter rail in North America

In the 1970s, Conrail (under contract to SEPTA) operated diesel-hauled trains on the former Reading lines from Philadelphia's Reading Terminal to:

Most trains were either Budd Rail Diesel Cars, or locomotive-hauled push-pull trains with former Reading F7's.

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.

In November 1984, the Center City Commuter Connection, an underground connection between the Pennsy and Reading lines, along with a new station at Market East, opened. Previously, Pennsy commuter trains would terminate at Suburban Station and Reading trains at Reading Terminal. The connection converted Suburban Station into a through-station and rerouted Reading trains down a steep incline and into a tunnel which turns sharply west near the new Market East Station. Converting terminals into through station increases the efficiency of and reduces the number of tracks needed for the trains.[3]

On April 28, 1985, the R1 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 I-95 and into the airport terminals between the baggage claim in arrivals and the check-in counters in departures.

Declining ridership and a lack of operating funds resulted in additional service cutbacks in the 1980s:

  • R3 West Chester service was cut back to Elwyn on September 19, 1986 due to unsatisfactory track conditions west of Elwyn.
  • R6 Ivy Ridge service was cut back 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 resulting in low ridership. Though this service was initially terminated in July 1981 along with diesel services to Allentown and Pottsville, SEPTA reinstated service in October 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.

SEPTA received heavy criticism for the 1980s cutbacks the agency deemed at the time were "necessary." Noted international transit expert Vukan Vuchic criticized SEPTA in 2004, saying that has never seen a city the size of Philadelphia "cut transit services quite as drastically as SEPTA. For a system that is already obselete, any more cutbacks would be disasterous—and likely spell doom for transit in the Philaldelphia region."[4] Despite the criticism, SEPTA has made little effort to reinstate service on the commuters lines shut down in the 1980; most lines were converted in rail trails in the late 2000s (see 1980s Cutbacks = 2000s Rail-to-Trail Conversions section below)

RailWorks

Because 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, and along with further inspection, saw 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

For many years, 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-Bahn commuter 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:[5]

  • 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

Overall ridership on SEPTA 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 exceed again for decades. Regional Rail ridership subsequently declined to a low of just under 13 million passengers in 1983, partly due to a drawn-out strike by the railroad unions, partly due to discontinuing service to many stations and outlying points, and partly due to increased fares during a period of decreasing gasoline prices increasing automobile usage.

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.[6]

The ridership on the Railroad Division per fiscal years 1979–2008:

Fiscal year Ridership [7]
1979 31,539,688
1980 32,194,460
1981 27,109,824
1982 21,826,854
1983 12,856,207
1984 15,960,307
1985 18,788,437
1986 22,522,596
1987 22,932,834
1988 23,797,289
1989 24,143,591
1990 24,381,416
1991 23,312,199
1992 21,128,888
1993 19,185,111
1994 20,875,493
1995 22,558,492
1996 22,545,896
1997 23,012,000
1998 24,805,000
1999 25,088,000
2000 29,437,000
2001 28,671,000
2002 28,300,000
2003 28,058,200
2004 28,234,986
2005 28,632,658
2006 30,433,000
2007 31,712,000
2008 35,454,000 [8]

Criticism

Transit mindset

Since SEPTA assumed full regional rail operations from Conrail in 1983, critics have accused SEPTA management of willingfully having little understanding of traditional railroad operations or ridership. Rail proponents, such as the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers (DVARP) and the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC), added that SEPTA has great difficulty viewing its commuter rail operations in transit terms rather than than something different. The operation of the currently derelict Fox Chase-Newtown segment of the Fox Chase Line as a transit operation—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 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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

1980s Cutbacks=2000s Rail-to-Trail Conversions

File:July09walnuthilltrail.jpg
Fox 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.jpg
Cynwyd Line: high-level station (one of SEPTA's few) at Ivy Ridge.
File:Center valley -after.jpg
Bethlehem/Quakertown Line: Bethlehem/Quakertown line in Center Valley, Pennsylvania after trackage removal for the Saucon Rail Trail.

Beginning in 2008, SEPTA started to promote the idea of converting their derelict commuter lines 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 "temporarily" suspended in the 1980s has 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)[12]:

  • Fox Chase/Newtown Line: single track in Abington Township section of Fox Chase-Newtown Line dismantled June 2008 for Pennypack Trail Extension. The hastily-constructed project is not a through trail, and abruptly dead-ends in both directions. 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[13] and Ivy Ridge Trail, respectively.[14] Service originally suspended: October 25, 1986.
  • Bethlehem/Quakertown: double track between Coopersburg and Hellertown dismantled October 2008 for the Saucon Rail trail.[12] Service originally suspended: July 1, 1981.

Traffic congestion in the Delaware Valley grew to unimaginable heights throughout the 1990s and resumed passenger service on SEPTA's derelict lines was seen as a tool to battle the trend. Public transit advocates 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, even in cases like SEPTA's where the line is being leased and has not been formally abandoned (like most rail trails). The 1980s cutbacks on the aforementioned lines was seen a low point in SEPTA's management of their regional rail lines. Noted international transit expert Vukan Vuchic criticized SEPTA in 2004, saying that every time SEPTA follows through on a cutback, they "not only leave thousands of Philadelphians without transportation, but could also destroy any chance of turning what [Vuchic] considers an inadequate system into a good one in the future. The riders lost when the cutbacks were made might never be regained." Vuchic added that "the city would suffer a wave of other bad side effects, from overcrowded highways to a massive loss of tourism."[4]

Suggestions to convert the lines into rails with trails were seen by SEPTA and local town officials as a safety hazard.[15] 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.[16]

Timeline

  • 1966: SEPTA begins contracts with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company to subsidize commuter lines.
  • 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.[17] R2 Naamans Road Station closes.
  • 1980: 52nd Street Station closes. Service extended from Cynwyd to new high-level station atIvy Ridge.
  • July 1, 1981: Diesel service from Fox Chase-Newtown, Quakertown-Bethlehem and Norristown-Pottstown/Reading/Pottsville is discontinued due to controversy regarding lack of funding from PennDOT, approved by Governor Dick Thornburgh.[17] R2 Baldwin Station closes. R5 Exton Station opens. Fares increased.
  • July 29, 1981: Lansdale-Quakertown diesel shuttle discontinued.[17]
  • October 5, 1981: Diesel service between Fox Chase-Newtown resumes as the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line.[17]
  • January 1, 1983: SEPTA assumes full operation of commuter lines from Conrail.[17]
  • 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).[17] 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.[3]
  • November 12, 1984: The Center City Commuter Connection opens.[3]
  • 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.[3]
  • December 1984: Temporary bridge opens, allowing service to resume north of Market East Station.[3]
  • April 28, 1985: R1 service to Philadelphia International Airport begins.[3]
  • May 17, 1986: R6 service between Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge is "temporarily" discontinued.[17]
  • September 16, 1986: R3 service between Elwyn-West Chester is "temporarily" discontinued.[17]
  • 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.[18]
  • 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.[19]
  • July 25, 2010: R-numbering system is dropped and each branch is named after its primary termini to reduce confusion.

References

  1. ^ SEPTA to change regional rail designations Accessed March 5, 2010
  2. ^ septa.org/reports
  3. ^ a b c d e f pennways.com
  4. ^ a b Hyland, Tim (2004-12-09). "SEPTA in need of new ideas, more funding" (PDF). Penn Current. Retrieved 2010-10-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ pennways.com/
  6. ^ examiner.com
  7. ^ SEPTA 1997 Ridership Census, Annual Service Plans FY 2001 through 2007.
  8. ^ FY 2008 SEPTA annual report
  9. ^ railroad.net accessdate=22 July 2010
  10. ^ Williams, Gerry (August 1998). "SEPTA Scene". Railpace Newsmagazine.
  11. ^ Williams, Gerry (September 1995). "SEPTA Scene". Railpace Newsmagazine.
  12. ^ a b Saucon Rail Trail update 2010
  13. ^ Cynwyd Heritage Trail
  14. ^ Ivy Ridge Green
  15. ^ railroad.net
  16. ^ Bicycle Coalition's Position on SEPTA rail trail initiative
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, 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)
  18. ^ Cynwyd Heritage Trail
  19. ^ Ivy Ridge Green
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