R7 (SEPTA)
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| Amtrak Northeast Corridor services |
|---|
| The Acela brand |
| Acela Express |
| Northeast Regional (including Virginia and NHV-SPG) |
| Former services: Clocker - Metroliner |
| Other Amtrak trains on the NEC: Cardinal - Carolinian - Crescent Keystone - Palmetto - Pennsylvanian Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Vermonter |
| Commuter services on the NEC: MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line - SLE MNRR New Haven Line - NJT NEC Line SEPTA R7 - SEPTA R2 - MARC Penn Line |
The SEPTA R7 is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail (commuter rail) system. One end of the route serves the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with service in Bucks County along the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey, and the other end serves the northwestern section of Philadelphia with service to Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. The route uses Amtrak's Northeast Corridor between Trenton and Philadelphia, and SEPTA trackage to Chestnut Hill. It is one of two lines that serve Chestnut Hill, the other being the R8 Chestnut Hill West.
As of 2005, most weekday R7 service continues through downtown. Some weekday and all weekend trains terminate downtown.
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[edit] R7 Trenton
The R7 Trenton section uses Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, a 4-track railroad, from 30th Street Station via the Philadelphia Zoo (without stopping there,) then across North Philadelphia, before running parallel to I-95 for several miles. It crosses the Delaware River at Trenton, New Jersey before making its final stop at Trenton Rail Station, which is also served by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains. Electrified service between Philadelphia and Trenton was opened on June 29, 1930.
The R7 Trenton line usually has two push-pull electric-locomotive-hauled trains on the morning express runs and two on the evening express runs. Each train is usually made up of 6 coach trailers made by Bombardier.
Those wishing to travel from Philadelphia to New York could formerly have taken Amtrak's Clocker service, but can still take its Regional. The R-7 Trenton service is coordinated with New Jersey Transit's (NJT) Northeast Corridor Service. This has proven to be a popular option for people travelling between Philadelphia and New York City, although the trip time is far more lengthly that Amtrak Regional service, the cost is a fraction of what Amtrak charges. NJT offfers through ticketing from stations along the NEC to SEPTA stations, and NJT maintains a Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) at the SEPTA concourse in the 30th Street Station that sells the joint NJT/SEPTA tickets. However, while joint NJT/SEPTA tickets can be purchased at NJT staffed stations, they cannot at SEPTA staffed stations.
[edit] List of stations
Stations that have existed on this line include:
| Zone | Milepost | Station | Boardings | City/Township | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 4.7 | North Philadelphia | 216 | Philadelphia | including R8 aerial |
| 1 | Frankford Junction | 0 | station closed | ||
| Frankford | 0 | station closed | |||
| 2 | 10.2 | Bridesburg | 131 | ||
| 11.0 | Wissinoming | 28 | station closed | ||
| 12.1 | Tacony | 131 | |||
| 13.1 | Holmesburg Junction | 436 | |||
| 3 | Torresdale | 863 | |||
| Andalusia | 0 | Bensalem Township, Bucks County |
station closed | ||
| Cornwells Heights | 1104 | Some Amtrak trains stop here | |||
| 4 | Eddington | 38 | |||
| Croydon | 293 | Bristol Township, Bucks County | |||
| Bristol | 277 | Bristol | |||
| 5 | Levittown | 532 | Tullytown | ||
| 6 | 33.6 | Trenton | 1290 | Trenton, New Jersey | New Jersey Transit, Amtrak. |
[edit] Ridership
Ridership on the Trenton line has increased 29% from 1995 to 2005. From SEPTA Annual Service Plans:
| Fiscal year | Average weekday | Annual passengers |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2005 | 9,369 | 2,852,245 |
| FY 2004 | 10,772 | 3,023,668 |
| FY 2003 | 10,450 | 3,142,500 |
| FY 2001 | n/a | 3,193,000 |
| FY 2000 | n/a | 3,059,000 |
| FY 1999 | n/a | 2,504,000 |
| FY 1997 | n/a | 2,578,875 |
| FY 1996 | n/a | 2,641,296 |
| FY 1995 | 8,473 | 2,603,757 |
| FY 1994 | 8,494 | 2,547,411 |
| FY 1993 | 8,127 | 2,565,586 |
| Note: n/a = not available | ||
[edit] R7 Chestnut Hill East
The R7 Chestnut Hill East section uses the Reading Company right-of-way, which was originally constructed by the Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown (PG&N) railroad before the American Civil War. The PG&N intended to build a railroad from Philadelphia to Norristown but stopped when construction reached Germantown due to the hilly nature of the terrain west of Germantown and along the Wissahickon Creek, which they would have had to cross to reach Norristown. The PG&N decided to change course and build another railroad line close to the Schuylkill River. This line would become the R6 Norristown line. The original railroad line that ended in Germantown was then extended north with a sharp right hand turn and then northwest to its present terminus in Chestnut Hill (where the R8 Chestnut Hill West also has a terminus only a few hundred yards away). The line was elevated in 1930. Electrified service to Chestnut Hill (and to Norristown) was opened on February 5, 1933.
[edit] List of stations
All of the stations on this line are within the City of Philadelphia. Stations on this line include:
| Zone | Milepost | Station | Boardings | City | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0.8 | Spring Garden Street | 0 | Philadelphia | station closed |
| 2.1 | Temple University | 1988 | moved to its present location in 1992 | ||
| 1 | 4.0 | Tioga | 0 | station closed | |
| 4.3 | Nicetown | 0 | station closed | ||
| 5.1 | Wayne Junction | 749 | R1, R2, R3, R5, R7 and R8 | ||
| 5.7 | Fishers | 0 | station closed | ||
| 6.1 | Wister | 78 | |||
| 6.8 | Germantown | 101 | |||
| 2 | 7.8 | Washington Lane | 140 | ||
| 8.6 | Stenton | 385 | |||
| 8.9 | Sedgwick | 227 | |||
| 9.3 | Mount Airy | 231 | |||
| 10.0 | Wyndmoor | 500 | |||
| 10.3 | Gravers | 118 | |||
| 10.8 | Chestnut Hill East | 213 | Station two blocks from R8 Chestnut Hill West station |
[edit] Ridership
Ridership on the Chestnut Hill East line has declined 7% from 1995 to 2005. This line was shut down in 1992 and 1993 for the RailWorks project. From SEPTA Annual Service Plans:
| Fiscal year | Average weekday | Annual passengers |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2005 | 4,481 | 1,258,100 |
| FY 2004 | 3,937 | 1,105,040 |
| FY 2003 | 4,027 | 1,290,700 |
| FY 2001 | n/a | 1,321,000 |
| FY 2000 | n/a | 1,373,000 |
| FY 1999 | n/a | 1,292,000 |
| FY 1997 | n/a | 1,248,242 |
| FY 1996 | n/a | 1,329,326 |
| FY 1995 | 4,388 | 1,353,094 |
| FY 1994 | 4,598 | 932,917 |
| FY 1993 | 3,547 | 602,621 |
| Note: n/a = not available | ||
[edit] External links
- Schedule
- phillyhistory.org—search on keywords "Wyndmoor Station" to see some photos from the 1930 elevation project
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