SEPTA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
Locale	Delaware Valley
Transit type	Interurban Regional rail Rapid transit Tram Transit bus
Operator(s)	SEPTA (some routes in Chester Co. contracted)

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional quasi-public state agency that operates various forms of public transit — bus, subway and elevated rail, regional rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus — that serve 3.8 million people in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SEPTA also manages construction projects that repair, replace, and expand infrastructure and rolling stock.

SEPTA serves the combined city and county of Philadelphia, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and Chester County. SEPTA also serves New Castle County in Delaware, and Mercer County in New Jersey.

SEPTA has the fifth-largest transit system in the United States, with 280 active stations, over 450 miles of track, 2,295 revenue vehicles, 196 routes, and about 306.9 million annual unlinked trips. Average weekday ridership across the system is about 1,000,000 passengers. SEPTA also manages Shared-Ride services in Philadelphia and ADA services across the region. These services are operated by third-party contractors.

SEPTA employs more than 9,000 people. Its headquarters is located at 1234 Market Street in Center City Philadelphia.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 1970 Expansion 1.3 2005 Strike 1.4 Transfer Disputes 1.5 Retired Bus Fleet as of Feb. 2008 1.5.1 Bus 1.5.2 Train 1.6 Neoplan Order History 2 Governance 3 Routes and ridership 3.1 Rapid transit 3.2 Trolley and light rail 3.3 Bus 3.4 Commuter rail 4 SEPTA divisions 4.1 City Transit Division 4.2 Suburban Division 4.2.1 Victory District 4.2.2 Frontier District 4.2.3 Suburban contract operations 4.3 Regional Rail division 5 SEPTA roster 5.1 Buses 5.2 Subway 5.3 Light Rail 5.4 Regional Rail 5.5 Maintenance of way vehicles 6 Maintenance facilities 7 Upcoming purchase 8 Connecting transit agencies in the Philadelphia region 8.1 Local services 8.2 Regional services 8.3 National services 9 Trivia 10 References 11 See also 12 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

SEPTA was created by Pennsylvania state charter on August 17, 1963, to coordinate government subsidies to various transit and railroad companies in southeastern Pennsylvania.

On November 1, 1965, SEPTA absorbed two predecessor agencies:

• The Passenger Service Improvement Corporation (PSIC), which was created on January 20, 1960 to work with the Reading Company and Pennsylvania Railroad to improve commuter rail service and help the railroads maintain otherwise unprofitable passenger rail service.
• The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Compact (SEPACT), created on September 8, 1961, by the city of Philadelphia and the counties of Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester to coordinate regional transport issues.

By 1966, the Reading Company and Pennsylvania Railroad commuter railroad lines were operated under contract to SEPTA. On February 1, 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central railroad to become Penn Central, only to file for bankruptcy on June 21, 1970. Penn Central continued to operate in bankruptcy until 1976, when Conrail took over its assets along with several other bankrupt railroads, including the Reading Company. Conrail operated commuter services under contract to SEPTA until January 1, 1983, when SEPTA took over operations and acquired track, rolling stock, and other assets to form the Railroad Division.

[edit] 1970 Expansion

SEPTA acquired the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) on September 30, 1968, which included bus, trolley, and trackless trolley routes, and the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line in the City of Philadelphia. This became the City Transit Division. (Established as the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company in 1907 by the merger of a group of then independent transit companies operating within the city and its environs, the system became the PTC in 1940.)

On January 30, 1970, SEPTA acquired the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, also known as the Red Arrow Lines, which included the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W) route now called the Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100), the Media and Sharon Hill Lines (Routes 101 and 102), and several suburban bus routes in Delaware County. Today, this is the Victory Division, though it is sometimes referred to as the Red Arrow Division. In 1976, SEPTA acquired the Schuylkill Valley Lines, which is today the Frontier Division.

[edit] 2005 Strike

SEPTA's contracts with its transit operators expired in April and May, 2005. The Transport Workers Union Local 234 and the United Transportation Union Local 1594 set a strike deadline effective October 31, 2005 at 12:01 am. The reason the strike occurred was due to disagreement between SEPTA management and union leadership regarding employees' contributions to healthcare.

Before the strike, SEPTA tried to negotiate with the union, offering them a new deal whereby SEPTA union employees would pay 5% of their salary towards healthcare costs. The SEPTA union refused the offer, arguing that when cost of living increases and inflation are factored in, its members would actually make less money than before. Negotiators walked out of contract negotiations minutes before that deadline when they failed to come to a conclusion. SEPTA management was not required to pay any of their own healthcare costs. It is also noted that because of overhead, SEPTA has as many middle management jobs as it has union jobs. This could be a result of nepotism and patronage.

All employees in the City, Victory, and Frontier Divisions walked off the job, resulting in a complete suspension of service on all bus, trolley, and subway lines. Service on the regional rail division continued according to contingency plans, with service added to certain stations to help transport displaced city and suburban division passengers. This work stoppage stranded approximately 400,000 riders daily, impacting around 1,000,000 rides daily, forcing commuters to car-pool, walk, or arrange other alternative methods of transportation. In addition, over 27,000 public school students who receive free or subsidized transit tokens were forced to miss school completely or have their days cut short due to transportation issues.

In the early morning of November 7, 2005, a preliminary agreement had been reached between SEPTA management and union leadership. Service on all affected transit lines was fully restored by the late afternoon. This agreement was due in large part to the intervention by former Philadelphia mayor, and current Pennsylvania governor, Ed Rendell.

[edit] Transfer Disputes

In 2007, as part of a new budget-balancing proposal, SEPTA proposed eliminating bus transfers. This would have resulted in an 80% fare increase for many riders. Because SEPTA has been unable to provide a statistical need for the elimination, they have been forced to hold off.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Retired Bus Fleet as of Feb. 2008

[edit] Bus

• 1986-89 Neoplan USA An440-DK-EZ series (Not retired but will be in winter of 08)
• 1984 Neoplan USA An435-BP
• 1982-85 Neoplan An440 AK-CD series
• 1979 American General/Flyer 10240-T Trackless Trolleys
• 1971-1976 Flxible New Looks
• 1963-1970General Motors Fishbowls
• 1980 General Motors RTS II's (T8W603/T8J603 are 40 footers, T7W603 is the 35 foots
• 1984 Volvo B-10m Articulated buses (known to philadelphians as "Catapiller bus")
• 1947 J.G. Brill and Company TC-44 Trackless Trolleys
• 1955-1957 General Motors Old Looks

[edit] Train

• 1960 Budd M3s
• 1927 to 1929 J.G. Brill and Company Strafford Cars
• St. Louis Car Company Ex-CTA Cars
• 1932 to 1933 J.G. Brill and Company Master Unit Cars
• 1940 J.G. Brill and Company Brillliners
• 1926 J.G. Brill and Company Center Door
• 1949 St. Louis Car Company Interurbans
• 1941 St. Louis Car Company Liberty Liners
• 1940 to 1942 PCC Air Cars
• 1946 to 1948 PCC All Electrics

[edit] Neoplan Order History

In 1982, SEPTA made its largest-ever order of buses: the Neoplan USA order, which was at the time also the company's largest order. Over the years, these buses have made their way all around the system. SEPTA changed their specifications on their new bus order each year. The Neoplan AK’s (8285-8413) which was SEPTA’s first order of Neoplans had longitudinal seating: all their seats face towards the aisle. However, their suburban counterparts (8411-8434) had longitudinal seating only in the rear of the bus. The back door has a wheelchair ramp, which forced SEPTA to limit their use and specify wheelchair-lift operations on their next order of coaches. These units also sported a nine-liter 6v92 engine and Allison HT-740 transmission.

By the early 1990s, SEPTA had 1,092 Neoplan An440 coaches in active service, making the Philadelphia operation the largest transportation authority in North America with the fleet mainly manufactured by Neoplan USA. These buses dominated the streets of Philadelphia through late 1997, when the earlier fleet of AK/BD (8285-8581) was replaced by the 40-foot version of the NABI SEPTA.

[edit] Governance

SEPTA is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors.

• The City of Philadelphia appoints two members: one by the Mayor, the other by the President of the Philadelphia City Council. The representatives from Philadelphia can veto any item that comes before the full board due to a formula based on population and ridership that only applies to the City of Philadelphia; the veto may be overridden by the full board within 30 days.

• Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County appoint two members each. These members are appointed by the County Commissioners in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery County and by the County Council in Delaware County.

• The majority and minority leaders of the two houses of the Pennsylvania State Legislature (the Senate and the House of Representatives) appoint one member each, for a total of four members.

• The Governor of Pennsylvania appoints one member.

The day-to-day operations of SEPTA are handled by the General Manager, who is appointed and hired by the Board of Directors. The General Manager is assisted by nine department heads called Assistant General Managers.

The present General Manager is Joseph M. Casey, who had served as the authority's Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer until his appointment in 2008. Past General Managers include Faye L. M. Moore, Joseph T. Mack, John "Jack" Leary, Lou Gambaccini, and David L. Gunn. Past acting General Managers include James Kilcur and Bill Stead.

[edit] Routes and ridership

[edit] Rapid transit

• Market–Frankford Line (Blue Line): subway and elevated line from the Frankford Transportation Center (rebuilt in 2003) in the Frankford section of Philadelphia to 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, via Center City Philadelphia. Weekday ridership averaged 178,715 in 2006^[1].
• Broad Street Line and Broad–Ridge Spur (Orange Line): subway line along Broad Street in Philadelphia from Fern Rock Transportation Center to Pattison Avenue/Sports Complex, via Center City Philadelphia. Weekday ridership averaged 114,816 in 2006^[2].

[edit] Trolley and light rail

• Subway–Surface Trolley Lines (Green Line): five trolley routes - 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 - that run in a subway in Center City and fan out along on street-level trolley tracks in West and Southwest Philadelphia. Daily ridership averaged 55,463 in 2006.^[3]
• Route 100 (Norristown High-Speed Line): formerly known as the Philadelphia & Western (P&W) Railroad, this interurban rapid transit is considered a light rail line. Daily ridership averaged 8,801 in 2006.^[4]
• Routes 101 and 102 (Suburban Trolley Lines): two trolley routes in Delaware County which run mostly on private rights-of-way but also have some street running. Daily ridership averaged 7,132 in 2006.^[5]
• Routes 15, 23, and 56: Three surface trolley routes that were "temporarily" suspended in 1992. Routes 23 and 56 are currently operated with buses. Trolley service on Route 15 resumed as of September 2005. Route 23 has long been SEPTA's most heavily traveled surface route, with daily ridership averaging 20,113 in 2006^[6].
• Trackless trolley (Trolleybus): As of 2008, all five of SEPTA's trackless trolley routes are operated with buses. Routes 29, 59, 66, 75, and 79 were run with trackless trolleys until diesel buses replaced them in 2002 and 2003. There are plans to acquire new trackless trolley vehicles and resume trackless trolley operations on the 59, 66, and 75. The first pilot trackless trolley arrived in June 2007. Trackless trolley operation resumed on route 66 on May 21, 2008^[7].

[edit] Bus

SEPTA lists 121 bus routes, not including over 50 school trips, with most routes in the City of Philadelphia proper. Currently, SEPTA generally employs lettered, one and two-digit route numbering for its City Division routes, 90-series and 100-series numbers routes for its Victory ("Red Arrow") Division (Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties) and its Frontier Division (Montgomery and Bucks Counties), 200-series routes for its Regional Rail connector routes (Routes 201, 204, 205 and 206 in Montgomery & Chester Counties), 300-series routes for other specialized and/or third-party contract routes, and 400-series routes for limited service buses to schools within the city of Philadelphia.

[edit] Commuter rail

SEPTA's commuter rail service is run by the SEPTA Regional Rail division. This division operates 13 lines serving more than 150 stations covering most of the five county southeastern Pennsylvania region. It also runs trains to Newark, Delaware, Trenton, New Jersey, and West Trenton, New Jersey. Daily ridership averaged over 100,000 in 2006^[8], with 1/3 of ridership on the R5 route between Thorndale, Paoli, Lansdale, and Doylestown.

[edit] SEPTA divisions

SEPTA has three major operating divisions: City Transit, Suburban, and Regional Rail. These divisions reflect the different transit and railroad operations that SEPTA has assumed.

[edit] City Transit Division

The City Transit Division operates routes mostly within the City of Philadelphia, including buses, subway-surface trolleys, the Market-Frankford Line, and the Broad Street Line. Some of its routes extend into Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties. This division is the descendant of the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC). There are seven depots in this division: five of these depots only operate buses, one is a mixed bus/streetcar depot, one is a streetcar-only facility.

Bus and trackless trolley routes

• SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes

Light rail routes

• SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines
• SEPTA Route 15
• SEPTA Route 34

Garages

• Callowhill Depot (buses and streetcars)
• Elmwood Depot (streetcars only)
• Frankford Depot (buses and trackless trolleys; as of 2008, trackless trolley routes run with diesel buses)
• Comly Depot (buses only)
• Midvale Depot (buses only)
• Allegheny Depot (articulated buses only)
• Southern Depot (buses only. SEPTA Voted to not have the trackless trolley's return to South Philly)
• Germantown Depot (buses only/contract operations)

For latest info on Garages

[edit] Suburban Division

[edit] Victory District

The Victory District operates suburban bus and trolley (or light rail) routes that are based at 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby in Delaware County. Its routes include the Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) light rail line that runs from 69th Street Terminal to Norristown and the SEPTA Surface Media and Sharon Hill Trolley Lines (Routes 101 and 102). This district is the descendant of the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, also known as the Red Arrow Lines. Most residents of the Victory District operating area still refer to this district as the "Red Arrow Division."

Light rail routes

• SEPTA Route 100
• SEPTA Routes 101 and 102

Bus routes

• SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes

[edit] Frontier District

Main article: SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes

The Frontier District operates suburban bus routes that are based at the Norristown Transportation Center in Montgomery County and bus lines that serve eastern Bucks County. This district is the descendant of the Schuylkill Valley Lines in the Norristown area. SEPTA began operating the Bucks County routes in the 1980s.

[edit] Suburban contract operations

Main article: SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes

[edit] Regional Rail division

Main article: SEPTA Regional Rail

The Regional Rail Division (RRD) operates 13 commuter railroad routes that begin in Central Philadelphia and radiate outwards, terminating in intra-city, suburban, and out-of-state locations.

This division is the descendant of the six electrified commuter lines of the Reading Company (RDG), the six electrified commuter lines of Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR, later Penn Central: PC) railroads, and the new Airport line constructed by the City of Philadelphia between 1974 and 1984.

With the construction and opening of the Center City Commuter Connection Tunnel in 1984, lines were paired such that a former Pennsylvania Railroad line was coupled with a former Reading line. Seven such pairings were created and given route designations numbered R1 through R8 (with R4 not used). As a result, the routes were originally designed so that trains would proceed from one outlying terminal to Center City, stopping at 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and Market East Station, then proceed out to the other outlying terminal assigned to the route. Since ridership patterns have changed since the implementation of this plan, numerous exceptions exist, e.g. R6 Cynwyd line trains from Cynwyd terminate at Suburban station and do not proceed to Norristown, while R6s from Norristown often continue through center city as R2s.

The out-of-state terminals offer connections (and potential connections) with other transit agencies. For example, the R7 Trenton line offers connections in Trenton, New Jersey to NJ Transit (NJT) or Amtrak for travel to New York City. Plans exist to restore NJT service to West Trenton, New Jersey, thus offering a future alternate to New York via the R3 West Trenton line and NJT. Another plan offers a connection for travel to Baltimore and Washington DC via MARC, involving extensions of the SEPTA R2 from Newark, Delaware, an extension of MARC's Penn service from Perryville MD, or both.

SEPTA's railroad reporting mark SPAX can be seen on non-revenue work equipment including boxcars, diesel locomotives, and other rolling stock.

[edit] SEPTA roster

[edit] Buses

Year	Make	Model	Length (ft / mm)	Width (in / mm)	Numbers	Engine	Transmission
1989	Neoplan	AN440EZ (soon to be retired)	40 /12,192 6V92TA	96 / 2,438	3372, 3374, 3395-3396, 3416, 3418-3420, 3422-3423, 3425-3434, 3437, 3440, 3443, 3446, 3481-3484, 3486, 3490 (30 Remain)	Detroit Diesel series 6V92TA	ZF 4HP-590
1996	American Ikarus	416.08TA	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5001-5255 (253 in service)	Detroit Diesel series 50	Allison B400
1997	NABI	416.08TA	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5256-5400 (153 in service)	Detroit Diesel series 50	Allison B400
1998	Neoplan	AN460OQ	60 / 18,288	102 / 2,591	7101	Detroit Diesel series 50	Allison B500
1999	Neoplan	AN460OQ	60 / 18,288	102 / 2,591	7102	Detroit Diesel series 50	Allison B500
2000	Neoplan	AN460OQ	60 / 18,288	102 / 2,591	7103-7255	Detroit Diesel series 50	Allison B500
2001	New Flyer	D40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5401-5500	Detroit Diesel series 50/	Allison B400
2001	ElDorado	Transmark RE29	29 / 8,839	96 / 2,438	4501-4580 (80 in service)	Cummins ISB	Allison B300
2002	New Flyer	D40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5501-5600	Detroit Diesel series 50/	Allison B400
2002	New Flyer	DE40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5601H-5612H	Cummins ISL	Allison E drive
2003	New Flyer	D40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5613-5712	Detroit Diesel Series 50/Cummins ISL	Allison B400
2004	New Flyer	D40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5713-5831, 5851-5950	Detroit Diesel series 50/Cummins ISL	ZF6HP-592
2004	Champion	Defender	27 / 8,230	96 / 2,438	2070-2097 26 in active service	Cummins ISB	Allison 1000
2004	New Flyer	DE40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	5832H-5850H	Cummins ISL	Allison E drive
2005	New Flyer	D40LF	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	8000-8119	Cummins ISL	ZF 6HP-592
2007	Champion	Challenger	27/8,230	96/2,438	2098-2099 to replace buses from the 2070-2097 batch lost to fire	Cummins ISB	Allison 1000
2007	New Flyer	E40LFR	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	800	Cummins QSB 4.5 (emergancy backup)	Vossloh Kiepe Propulsion Equipment
2008	New Flyer	E40LFR	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	801-821 (17!! to be delivered)	Cummins QSB 4.5 (emergancy backup)	Vossloh Kiepe Propulsion Equipment
2008-12	New Flyer	DE40LFR	40 /12,192	102 / 2,591	TBA	TBA	TBA

[edit] Subway

Year	Make	Model	Length (ft / mm)	Width (in / mm)	Gauge	Numbers
1981-1982	Kawasaki	B-IV single-ended	67.5 / 20,574	121.5 / 3,086	Standard gauge	501-576
1982	Kawasaki	B-IV double-ended	67.5 / 20,574	121.5 / 3,086	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)	651-699
1999-2000	Adtranz	M4	55 / 16,764	110 / 2,974	5 ft 2½ in (1,588 mm)	1001-1220

[edit] Light Rail

Year	Make	Model	Length (ft / mm)	Width (in / mm)	Gauge	Numbers
1947 (rebuilt 2003)	St. Louis Car	PCC II	46 / 14,021	96 / 2,438	5 ft 2½ in (1,588 mm)	2320-2337
1981	Kawasaki	K-Car Suburban LRV	53 / 16,154	102 / 2,591	5 ft 2½ in (1,588 mm)	100-129
1981	Kawasaki	K-Car Subway-Surface LRV	49 / 14,935	102 / 2,591	5 ft 2½ in (1,588 mm)	9000-9111
1993	ABB	N-5 Norristown	65 / 19,812	107 / 2,718	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)	130-155

[edit] Regional Rail

Year	Make	Model	Numbers	Total	Hp	Tare (Ton/t)	Seats	Remarks
1963	Budd	Silverliner II	201-209, 211-219, 251-264, 266-269, 9001-9017	54 of 56 active	624	50.7/46.1	124-127	200 series cars are former Pennsylvania Railroad cars. 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. These cars have left-side cabs, instead of standard right-side cabs.
1975	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	Loco-motive	Locomotives for push-pull trains
1987	Bombardier	Comet II	2401-2410 (cab cars) 2501-2516 (trailer)	10 cab cars 25 trailers	Push-pull	50/45.4	118 (cab cars) 131 (trailers)	Push-pull coaches hauled by locomotives.
1996	ABB	ALP-44	2308	1	7000	99.2/90.2	Loco-motive	Locomotive for push-pull trains. Delivered as a result of a settlement for late delivery of N-5 cars.
2000	Bombardier	Shoreliner III	2550-2559	10 trailers	Push pull	50/45.4	117	These cars have a center door, and are used in push-pull service.
2007-	Rotem	Silverliner V	Numbers not yet known	120	Not known	62.5/56.8	110	Replacements for Budd and St. Louis Car railcars.

[edit] Maintenance of way vehicles

• C-145 snow sweeper 1923
• Harsco Track Technologies Corporation work car
• PCC work car 2194
• SEPTA Railroad OPS-3161 work car
• W-56 work Car
• W-61 work Car
• 1033-1034 Market Frankford line Work Cars

[edit] Maintenance facilities

• 69th Street Yard (Market-Frankford Line)
• Allegheny Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
• Berridge Shops (formerly Wyoming Shops) (Bus Maintenance and Overhauls)
• Callowhill Depot (City Transit Division/Bus and Streetcar)
• Comly Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
• Elmwood Depot (City Transit Division/Streetcar)
• Fern Rock Yard (Broad Street Line)
• Frankford Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
• Frazer Yard (Regional Rail Push and Pull sets)
• Frontier Depot (Suburban Transit Division/Bus)
• Germantown Brakes Maintenance Facility (Bus Maintenance/Contract Operations)
• Midvale Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
• Overbrook Maintenance Facility (Regional Rail)
• Powelton Yard (Regional Rail)
• Roberts Yard (Regional Rail)
• Southern Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
• Woodland Maintenance Facility (Streetcar Overhaul and Repairs)
• Victory Depot (69th Street) (Suburban Transit Division/Bus and Rail)
• Bridge Street Yard (Market-Frankford Line)

[edit] Upcoming purchase

SEPTA has made a purchase to buy 400 New Flyer Hybrid buses to replace the Nabi Ikarus buses in their 12 year life span. A pilot bus is scheduled to be delivered in March of 2008 and a production bus in July of 2008. SEPTA has also gone with the decision to purchase 38 Trackless Trolleys from New Flyer to replace routes 29, 59, 66, 75, and 79 from a long "bustitution." There may be a chance that SEPTA will restore routes 29 and 79 down in South Philadelphia. Another future plan is to purchase 120 silverliner V's made and manufactured by Rotem. They will sport one double door and one single door that will not be at the ends of each vehicles. The Silverliner V's will replace the aging Silverliner II's and III's. Rotem announced that they will build a factory in south Philadelphia to manufacture the future order of trains in Philadelphia and the trains that will be ordered later on form other transit agencies around the US. Routes 29 and 79 will not be restored.^[9][10][11]

[edit] Connecting transit agencies in the Philadelphia region

[edit] Local services

• The PATCO Speedline is a rapid transit line that runs from Center City Philadelphia to Camden, New Jersey and terminates in Lindenwold, New Jersey. At the 8th and Market Streets, one can transfer to the Market-Frankford Line and Broad-Ridge Spur with an additional transfer fare. Paid transfers are also available at PATCO's 12th-13th Street Station and 15th-16th Street Station with SEPTA's Broad Street Line Walnut-Locust Station. The PATCO Speedline crosses over the Delaware River via the Ben Franklin Bridge. It is owned by the Delaware River Port Authority.
• Krapf's Transit runs regularly scheduled buses between Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, and West Chester in the western Philadelphia suburbs. They also provide contract services to SEPTA.
• Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (formerly known as Pottstown Urban Transit) operates five bus routes in the northwestern Philadelphia suburbs within Pottstown Borough and the neighboring townships of Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove, and West Pottsgrove in Montgomery County and North Coventry Township in Chester County.

[edit] Regional services

• NJ Transit runs buses from Philadelphia to New Jersey points. Many NJT buses stop at the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal, which is immediately north of Market East Station, or at other locations in Center City Philadelphia. NJT also operates the River Line light rail line between Camden and Trenton, the Northeast Corridor Line between Trenton and New York, and the Atlantic City Line between 30th Street Station and Atlantic City. Both the Northeast Corridor Line and River Line connect with SEPTA's R7 Trenton Regional Rail line at the Trenton train station.
• DART First State provides bus service in Delaware. This service connects with SEPTA's R2 Wilmington-Newark Regional Rail line in Wilmington and Newark.

[edit] National services

• Amtrak provides rail service between Philadelphia (at 30th Street Station) and points beyond SEPTA's range, including Lancaster and Harrisburg to the west, Baltimore and Washington, DC to the southwest, and New York and Boston to the northeast. Amtrak's service overlaps to some degree with the R2, R5, and R7 lines. In addition to 30th Street Station, shared Amtrak/SEPTA Regional Rail stations include Wilmington and Newark on the R2, Ardmore, Paoli, Exton, and Downingtown on the R5, and North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights, and Trenton on the R7. Amtrak is faster than SEPTA, but significantly more expensive, particularly for services along the Northeast Corridor.
• Greyhound and a variety of interregional bus operators, most of which are part of the Trailways system, stop at the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal. In addition to being adjacent to Market East Station, the terminal is one block from the Market-Frankford Line 11th Street station and various SEPTA bus routes. Major destinations served with one seat rides to/from the terminal include Allentown, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Newark (NJ), New York, Pittsburgh, Reading, Scranton, Washington, and Wilmington.

[edit] Trivia

SEPTA has been one of one of the most vocal proponents of removing the $1 bill from circulation in favor of the $1 coin.

The Philadelphia-based synth-pop musician Atom and His Package wrote a song entitled "Head of Septa, Nose of Me" about his belief that SEPTA was not responsive to him after he injured his nose inside a SEPTA station. The song appears on the album Making Love.

Philadelphia-based band The American Dream (http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/7572862.html) wrote the song "Frankford El" on their self-titled album in the late 1960s. The refrain went You can't get to Heaven on the Frankford El, 'cause the Frankford El goes straight to Frankford, and the second refrain went You can't get to Heaven on the Frankford El, 'cause the Frankford El goes straight to Hell.

Philadelphia-based concert-booking organization R5 Productions take their name from the R5 Regional Rail line.

A Red SEPTA bus can be seen in the Philadelphia level in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. On the PC version, it can also be seen in the unlockable THPS1 San Francisco level, as well as the hidden test level Freeway, in which the bus rises up out of the ground and floats away into the heavens.

A SEPTA New Flyer D40LF appears in the 2004 film National Treasure, running on route 108, which runs from 69th Street Terminal to Philadelphia International Airport. What is notable is that in the film this route appears to run right next to Independence Hall, which is incorrect as route 108 does not run anywhere near Independence Hall but rather in southwestern Philadelphia.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of rapid transit systems
• List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
• Commuter rail in North America

[edit] External links

Official:

• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority - Official Website

Fares:

• General Fares
• Regional Rail Fares
• Train Tickets Fares
• Train Tickets Vic Center City
• Travel On SEPTA & NJ Transit

Enthusiast:

• SEPTA bus and rail pictures Fansite bustitution
• Philadelphia Transit Forums Septa and other TA Fan site
• Philadelphia Transit Vehicles Fan Site
• Philly NRHS SEPTA History
• Philadelphia Transit Fan Discussion Boards
• Philly Trolley Tracks
• SEPTA Transit stops mapped onto Google Maps
• SEPTA Photo Pages-Stan's Railpix
• Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley; Or, A Short History of Route 34

v • d • e SEPTA City Transit Division Market–Frankford Line • Broad Street Line • Subway–Surface Trolley Lines • Route 15 (Girard Avenue Trolley) • City surface routes Suburban Division Route 100 (Norristown High-Speed Line) • Routes 101 and 102 (Media–Sharon Hill Line) • Suburban bus routes Regional Rail R1 • R2 • R3 • R5 • R6 • R7 • R8 Major stations Frankford Transportation Center • Market East Station • Norristown Transportation Center • Olney Transportation Center • Suburban Station • 30th Street Station • 69th Street Terminal

v • d • e Mass transit in the Delaware Valley Bus lines SEPTA: Philadelphia • Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties Reading: Berks Area Reading Transit Authority New Jersey Transit: Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County suburban service • Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County local service • Long-distance local routes from Philadelphia DART First State: New Castle County Commuter/heavy rail lines SEPTA: Regional Rail • Market–Frankford Line Broad Street Line New Jersey Transit: Atlantic City Line • Atlantic City-NYC express (future) Camden County-Philadelphia: PATCO Speedline Light rail lines SEPTA: Subway–Surface trolleys • Route 15 • Route 100 • Routes 101 and 102 New Jersey Transit: River Line

v • d • e Currently operating light rail and streetcar systems in the United States AR River Rail Streetcar AZ Old Pueblo Trolley CA Muni Cable Car, F Market & Wharves, and Metro lines · LACMTA Metro Blue, Metro Green and Metro Gold lines · Sacramento RT · San Diego Trolley · SPRINTER · VTA CO Fort Collins Municipal Railway · TheRide · Platte Valley Trolley FL TECO Line Streetcar System · JTA Trolley LA New Orleans Streetcars MA Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line · MBTA Green Line MD Baltimore Light Rail MN Como–Harriet Streetcar Line · Hiawatha Line MO / IL St. Louis MetroLink NJ Hudson–Bergen Light Rail · Newark Light Rail · River Line NY Buffalo Metro Rail NC LYNX Rapid Transit Services · Charlotte Trolley OH RTA Blue and Green Lines OR MAX Light Rail · Portland Streetcar · Portland Vintage Trolley PA Pittsburgh Light Rail · SEPTA Routes 15, 100, 101, 102, and Subway–Surface Lines TN MATA Trolley TX DART Light Rail · Galveston Island Trolley · METRORail · M-Line UT UTA TRAX WA South Lake Union Streetcar · Tacoma Link WI Kenosha Transit