105-645: Jefferson Station (formerly named Market East Station ) is an underground SEPTA Regional Rail station located on Market Street in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . It is the easternmost of the three Center City stations of the SEPTA Regional Rail system and is part of the Center City Commuter Connection , which connects the former Penn Central commuter lines with the former Reading Company commuter lines. In 2014,
210-405: A 2.5% incline towards the elevated Temple University station . SEPTA Regional Rail The SEPTA Regional Rail system ( reporting marks SEPA , SPAX ) is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area . The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , its suburbs and satellite towns and cities . It
315-629: A bicycle sidepath. The HIA recommends making an extension of the Broad Street Line a priority, and recently, the extension has garnered much support. A report in the 1940s proposed an extension of the Locust St. subway to West Philadelphia. This line would have run under one of the streets presently served by the subway-surface system. Presumably, the current subway-surface lines would have been converted to bus operation and would have been used to feed this line. It appears that this proposal
420-469: A day until it was eliminated in 1991; it was reinstated on June 20, 2014, for Friday and Saturday overnights only on a trial basis. It was made permanent on October 8, 2014, due to the line successfully carrying an extra 10,000 riders on the Broad Street Line during the weekend overnight periods. This was eliminated again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The local portion of
525-744: A desire to avoid maintaining deteriorating lines, SEPTA cut various services throughout the 1980s. R3 West Chester service was truncated to Elwyn on September 19, 1986, due to unsatisfactory track beyond. R6 Ivy Ridge service was truncated to Cynwyd on May 17, 1986, due to concerns about the Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill River . Service to Cynwyd ended altogether in 1988, but fierce political pressure brought resumed service. R8 diesel service between Fox Chase and Newtown ended on January 14, 1983, after SEPTA decided not to repair failing diesel train equipment . The service
630-604: A frequency of 25 Hz. The system on the former PRR side is owned and operated by Amtrak , part of the electrification of the Northeast Corridor. The electrification on the Reading side is owned by SEPTA . The Amtrak system was originally built by the PRR between 1915 and 1938. The SEPTA-owned system was originally built by the Reading starting in 1931. The two systems are not electrically connected. After construction of
735-550: A major design element throughout the station's concourse, with large color tile murals depicting the four seasons adorning the walls. The upper seating area contains benches facing windows that look down onto the tracks. These windows admit light from the street down to track level much like a clerestory , although this natural light only fills a small portion of the station. On the track level, Jefferson has two 35-foot (11 m) wide island platforms and four tracks. Each 850-foot (260 m) platform, long enough for ten railcars,
840-582: A major line involved hearings before the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), the predecessor to the Surface Transportation Board , which moved at a glacial pace and was capricious in the matter of approval, requiring one railroad to continue operating a local train on a route covered by four other trains while allowing another to discontinue a well-patronized train that had no competing lines. In response,
945-506: A state agency operated as a leg of its corresponding Department of Transportation, SEPTA is not a state agency and is beholden primarily to the five local governments which comprise it. Williams questioned why there has never been any massive public push to force SEPTA to "clean up its act." He concluded that the crisis within SEPTA "merely reflects the broader problems of local provincialism and petty political squabbles which are so rampant within
1050-520: A survey report, prepared in 1948, discussing a need for an extension of the Broad Street line from Erie Avenue to the vicinity of Pennypack Circle (see Roosevelt Boulevard ). Subway car destination signage even included station and terminus names for major streets along Roosevelt Boulevard such as Rhawn Street, in the newer "South Broad" cars. An expansion into another part of the City could better use
1155-439: A train terminates at Walnut–Locust or NRG station. Additionally, SEPTA stated they would pilot neighborhood maps in stations and prioritize the deployment of real-time information signage and on mobile apps. Both the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA have studied extending the Broad Street Line along Roosevelt Boulevard, in order to serve a growing population in the northeast section of the city. The city government's archives contain
SECTION 10
#17327806763841260-509: A tunnel between the former Suburban Station and an existing viaduct near Temple University station and unified commuter rail service in Philadelphia. The tunnel included provisions for an "11th Street Station." During planning stages, the station was named Market East, a name sometimes used to refer to the retail corridor on Market Street east of City Hall . During construction in May 1984,
1365-668: A tunnel shell running south under 8th Street then west under Locust Street to 18th Street (reusing parts of the never-completed Center City loop constructed in 1917) was completed in 1933 but not outfitted for service. Bridge Line service from 8th and Market to Camden began on June 7, 1936, sharing the Ridge Spur platforms at 8th and Market and splitting off from the Ridge Spur just south of Chinatown station. Beginning in June 1949, Ridge Spur and Bridge Line trains were through-routed at 8th and Market. The unused Locust Street tunnel
1470-418: A typical weekday, with 45% from the three Center City stations and Temple University station. SEPTA uses a mixed fleet of General Electric and Hyundai Rotem " Silverliner " electric multiple unit (EMU) cars, used on all Regional Rail lines. SEPTA also uses push-pull equipment: coaches built by Bombardier , hauled by ACS-64 electric locomotives similar to those used by Amtrak . The push-pull equipment
1575-491: A waiting room, as well as a 600-car parking garage. The station is expected to see 500 commuters on a typical weekday, as it will sit next to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and serve the nearby corporate headquarters of convenience store chain Wawa. Bus service will connect the station to Painters Crossing and Concordville, Pennsylvania. Between 1979 and 1983, diesel locomotives were phased out. With insufficient operating funds and
1680-401: Is actually the northbound express track. The extension in 1973 to Pattison station (now called NRG station) continued this arrangement. Space exists under the western half of Broad Street for the construction of the western half of the tunnel, which would include the remaining 2 tracks and additional island platforms for southbound local and express trains. The resulting infrastructure would match
1785-428: Is an underground connection between PRR and Reading lines; previously, PRR commuter trains terminated at Suburban Station and Reading at Reading Terminal. The connection converted Suburban Station into a through-station and rerouted Reading trains down a steep incline and into a tunnel that turns sharply west near the new Market East Station (now Jefferson Station). The conversion was meant to increase efficiency and reduce
1890-548: Is compatible with the power supplies on both the ex-PRR (Amtrak-supplied) and ex-Reading (SEPTA-supplied) sides of the system; the "phase break" is at the northern entrance to the Center City commuter tunnel between Jefferson Station and Temple University Station . SEPTA has five major yards and facilities for the storage and maintenance of regional rail trains: SEPTA was created to prevent passenger railroads and other mass transit services from disappearing or shrinking in
1995-513: Is divided into "A" and "B" sections so that two different Regional Rail trains may utilize the same track at the same time. To the west, the tracks have a set of cross-over tracks that allow trains to change tracks before they reach Suburban Station, located about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) west at 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard . To the east, there is a sharp curve north where trains are limited to about 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h), and then another set of cross-overs before climbing
2100-533: Is entirely underground except for the northern terminus at Fern Rock, has four tracks in a local/express configuration from Fern Rock to Walnut-Locust and two tracks from Lombard-South to the southern terminus at NRG station. It is one of only two rapid transit lines in the SEPTA Metro system overall alongside the Market–Frankford Line , though Center City Philadelphia is also served by four stations of
2205-641: Is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019. The core of the Regional Rail system is the Center City Commuter Connection , a tunnel linking three Center City stations: the above-ground upper level of 30th Street Station , the underground Suburban Station , and Jefferson Station . All trains stop at these Center City stations; most also stop at Temple University station on
SECTION 20
#17327806763842310-472: Is the official mark for their revenue equipment, though it is rarely seen on external markings. SPAX can be seen on non-revenue work equipment, including boxcars, diesel locomotives, and other rolling stock. The Silverliner coaches were first built by Budd in Philadelphia and used by the PRR in 1958 as a prototype intercity EMU alternative to the GG1 -hauled trains. Similarly designed cars were purchased in 1963 as
2415-471: 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, Reading and Conrail) kept service running while deferring maintenance." On November 16, 1984, the Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Avenue) bridge near old Temple University Station
2520-529: Is used primarily for peak express service because it accelerates slower than EMU equipment, making it less suitable for local service with close station spacing and frequent stops and starts. As of 2012, all cars have a blended red-and-blue SEPTA window logo and "ditch lights" that flash at grade crossings and when "deadheading" through stations, as required by Amtrak for operations on the Northeast and Keystone Corridors . SEPTA's railroad reporting mark SEPA
2625-728: The 13th Street and 15th Street on the Market–Frankford and subway–surface lines, as well as City Hall on the Broad Street Line . Jefferson Station is located adjacent to multiple surface bus routes operated by both SEPTA and NJ Transit . Additionally, the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal was located immediately north of the station across Filbert Street. However on June 26, 2023, Greyhound relocated its Philadelphia terminal to 6th and Market. Stainless steel and large plate-glass windows are
2730-678: The Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Camden connect to it, then proceeds south under 8th Street. At its southern terminus at 8th and Market streets , passengers may transfer to the Market–Frankford Line and the PATCO Speedline . The spur operates Mondays through Saturdays from 6 am to 9 pm, running two-car trains (though platforms can fit five cars). Ridge Spur service to 8th and Market streets began on December 21, 1932. As part of that project,
2835-509: The Center City Commuter Connection . Spring Garden station , by then exit-only, was closed on September 10, 1989, due to safety concerns. Never drawing high ridership, the spur has been proposed for closure on several occasions. The 2014 closure of the Gallery Mall , adjacent to 8th and Market station, caused ridership on the spur to drop by 25%. All stations are located in the city of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Stations on
2940-756: The Fern Rock Transportation Center in North Philadelphia through Center City Philadelphia to NRG station at Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia ; the latter station provides access to the stadiums and arenas for the city's major professional sports teams at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex , about a quarter mile away. It is named for Broad Street , under which the line runs for almost its entire length. The line, which
3045-549: The Media/Wawa Line , which previously ran to West Chester. On August 21, 2022, service was restored to Wawa Station, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Elwyn station. The project included new track, catenary, signals, and communications equipment; and new structures, including a new station at Wawa with a large park and ride facility. The Wawa Station is ADA-compliant with high platforms, a ticket office, ticket vending machines, and
3150-467: The PATCO Speedline rapid transit line which runs from Center City Philadelphia through Camden, New Jersey to Lindenwold, New Jersey . With about 115,000 boardings on an average weekday in 2019, it is the second busiest route in the SEPTA system. The line and its trains were leased to SEPTA in 1968 after it assumed operation of the city transit systems from the former Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC). Broad Street Line subway cars bear both
3255-411: The "Reading" side. This connection was never built, leading (among other factors) to the following changes: 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
Jefferson Station (SEPTA) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-466: The 1970s, all of which originated from Reading Terminal. The Allentown via Bethlehem , Quakertown , and Lansdale service was gradually cut back. Allentown–Bethlehem service ended in 1979, Bethlehem-Quakertown service ended July 1, 1981, and Quakertown–Lansdale service ended July 27, 1981. Pottsville line service to Pottsville via Reading and Norristown , also ended July 27, 1981. West Trenton service previously ran to Newark Penn Station ; this
3465-524: The Airport Line, was once paired with a former Reading line 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 ultimately deemed more confusing than helpful, so on July 25, 2010, SEPTA dropped the R-number and color-coded route designators and changed dispatching patterns so fewer trains follow both sides of
3570-640: The Broad Ridge Spur ranges from 7 minutes during peak hours to 20 minutes off-peak. A two-track spur of the Broad Street Line, known as the Broad–Ridge Spur , diverges from the main line at Fairmount . Originally known as the Ridge–8th Street subway , the line follows Ridge Avenue, southeastward from the intersection of Broad Street, Ridge and Fairmount Avenues to a two-level junction beneath 8th and Race Streets, where tunnels leading to and from
3675-422: The Broad Street Line carries a headway of 8 minutes or less during the daytime all day weekdays, 10–12 minutes all day on weekends and major holidays, and 12 minutes in the evenings. Weekend night service consists of a 20-minute frequency, while owl bus service early weekday mornings utilize a 15-minute frequency. The express portion of the line ranges from seven minutes during peak hours to 12 minutes off-peak, while
3780-635: The Broad Street subway system's stations have been closed. The Spring Garden station on the Ridge Avenue spur line was closed in 1989. The Franklin Square station on the PATCO route was closed in 1953, reopened in 1976 for the US Bicentennial, then closed again in 1979. It is scheduled to reopen (after a major renovation) in 2024. The Broad Street Line is one of only two rapid transit lines in
3885-735: The Broad Street subway was the B-1 cars built in 1926–27 by the J.G. Brill Company . The Pressed Steel Car Company supplied an additional set in 1938 collectively known as the B-2's. The JG Brill Company also built and delivered 26 deluxe art-deco streamlined subway cars to the Delaware River Joint Commission in early 1936 for use on its Bridge Line from 8th and Market into Camden, NJ via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. These cars were designed to be compatible with
3990-549: The Center City Commuter Connection, the two electrical systems now meet near Girard Avenue at a “phase break,” a short section of unpowered track, which trains coast across. The gap is necessary because the two electrical systems are not kept in synchronization with each other. The entire system uses 12 kV / 25 Hz overhead catenary lines that were erected by the PRR and Reading railroads between 1915 and 1938. All current SEPTA equipment
4095-626: The EPA. In December 2001, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission supported extending the Broad Street Line along Roosevelt Blvd. to Bustleton Avenue, where it would be joined by the Market–Frankford Line , extended from its Frankford terminal (now the rebuilt Frankford Transportation Center ). The estimated cost had ballooned to $ 3.4 billion. Currently, the Broad Street Line terminates southbound at NRG station at Pattison Avenue and three major stadiums. With
4200-474: The Fern Rock portal/shops to just south of Olney, and from Girard to their terminus just north of Lombard South. To close the gaps, the two inner express tracks were laid from Erie to Girard in 1959, and again from Olney to Erie in 1991. From Lombard-South station south to Snyder, the tunnel was constructed differently – only the eastern half of the line was built. The track currently used for southbound trains
4305-665: The Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line on January 14, 1983, as personnel were paid higher salaries for traveling a considerable distance to operate trains based in Newtown. SEPTA, however, settled with the transit union shortly before its strike deadline, a move that rail unions took as a betrayal. The rail unions had hoped that with both the railroads and City Transit shut down, the unions could extract whatever settlement they desired. The railroad strike lasted 108 days, and service did not resume until July 3, 1983, when
Jefferson Station (SEPTA) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-606: The Jefferson Station name is five years, with the option to keep it for an additional four years for $ 3.4 million. This was SEPTA's second naming rights sale; Pattison station was renamed AT&T station in 2010, and is now named NRG station . The station is connected to the concourse level of Fashion District Philadelphia , a shopping mall that replaced the Gallery at Market East mall in September 2019. The station
4515-479: The Lombard-South station entered service in 1932. Service from that point south to Snyder Avenue began on September 18, 1938. Service to a new park-and-ride station built next to the Fern Rock shops began in 1956, and the line was extended further south to Pattison Avenue in 1973 to serve the recently completed Sports Complex . The total cost of the original segment, "Olney Avenue to South Street,"
4620-601: The Market Street cars built for what ultimately became the Market–Frankford Line . Although the line was a host for the UMTA's State of the Art Car program , real replacements for the Broad Street cars did not come until late 1982, when SEPTA introduced new "B-IV" cars built by Kawasaki , which are currently the only cars operating the line. The cars are 67ft 6in long, 10ft 1.5in wide, and 12ft 3in tall. A local trip along
4725-462: The PRR and Reading to continue commuter rail services in the Philadelphia region. The PRR and Reading operated both passenger and freight trains along their tracks in the Philadelphia region. Starting in 1915, both companies electrified their busiest lines to improve the efficiency of their passenger service. They used an overhead catenary trolley wire energized at 11,000 volts single-phase alternating current at 25 Hertz (Hz). The PRR electrified
4830-708: The PRR's northeast corridor to New York City. Subsequently, the city purchased new trains. The success of the PSIC subsidy program resulted in its expanding throughout the five-county suburban area under the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Compact (SEPACT) in 1962. In 1966, SEPTA began contracts with the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company to subsidize their commuter lines. Still,
4935-718: The Paoli line in 1915, the Chestnut Hill West line in 1918, and the Media/West Chester and Wilmington lines in 1928. Both railroads continued electrifying lines into the 1930s, replacing trains pulled by steam locomotives with electric multiple unit cars and locomotives. PRR electrification reached Trenton and Norristown in 1930. Reading 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
5040-472: The Pennsylvania and Reading trains had terminated in their respective terminals. Besides making transfers difficult, this led to congestion and reduced capacity. With the opening of the tunnel, Pennsylvania trains would run through the tunnel on to matched Reading lines, and vice versa. This would reduce congestion at the downtown stations, as very few trains would terminate or originate at them, and reduce
5145-403: The Philadelphia and Reading lines with an urban tunnel was first adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission in 1960, under the leadership of Edmund Bacon . Such a tunnel would improve the connectivity of the network. The tunnel was constructed between 1976 and 1984 at a cost of $ 330 million. As part of the tunnel project SEPTA implemented a diametrical mode of operation. Heretofore
5250-513: The R3 and R4 would short turn at Wayne Junction or Suburban Station (as would some R7 trains), which cut against the diametrical principle. To correct this, Vuchich proposed the construction of a connection in the Swampoodle neighborhood between the ex-Pennsylvania Chestnut Hill West Line and the ex-Reading trunk line west of Wayne Junction as part of Stage 2, moving the Chestnut Hill West line to
5355-564: The Reading and PRR to subsidize service on both Chestnut Hill branches. This was not enough to reverse the deterioration of the railroad infrastructure. By 1960, the PSIC assisted with services reaching as far as the city border in all directions. PSIC subsidized trains to Manayunk on the PRR's Schuylkill Branch to Shawmont on the Reading Norristown line, to Fox Chase on the Reading Newtown line, and as far as Torresdale on
SECTION 50
#17327806763845460-475: The Reading lines and the heavily patronized PRR Paoli line . Full service was gradually restored over the next several weeks. The unions then surprised SEPTA on March 15, 1983, by going on strike, still without contracts, in an action timed to coincide with an expected City Transit Division strike. At the time, the City Transit Division was chafing at SEPTA for discontinuing diesel service on
5565-568: The Regional Rail system. Through the Fashion District mall, Jefferson Station is connected to SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line and Broad–Ridge Spur subway lines, as well as the PATCO Speedline . The Market–Frankford Line has two adjacent stops at 11th Street and 8th Street , the latter of which is shared with the Ridge Spur and PATCO lines. Through the Downtown Link concourse, there are also underground corridors connecting to
5670-553: The SEPTA Rail Transit network. Part of the proposal, SEPTA proposed rebranding their rail transit service as "SEPTA Metro", in order to make the system easier to navigate. Under this proposal, services along the Broad Street Line will be rebranded as the "B" lines with an orange color. Each service utilizing the trunk would receive a numeric suffix. Local service would be known as the B1 Broad Street Local,
5775-479: The SEPTA logo and the seal of the City of Philadelphia to reflect the split ownership-operation arrangement. Service on the northern half of the Broad Street Line, between City Hall and Olney Avenue , opened on September 1, 1928. While the original subway tunnel had been finished to just north of the present-day Lombard-South station, service to the Walnut-Locust station did not begin until 1930, and
5880-758: The Silverliner II, in 1967 as the Silverliner III, and the Silverliner IV in 1973. The Silverliner V, a more modern version of the railcar was introduced in 2010. A total of 120 cars were purchased for $ 274 million, and they were constructed in facilities located in South Philadelphia and South Korea by Hyundai Rotem . The cars were built with wider seats and quarter point doors for easier boarding or departing at high-level stations in Center City. The Silverliner V cars represent one-third of SEPTA's regional rail fleet. In late 2014, and
5985-759: The United States outside of New York City to use separate local and express tracks for a significant length, the other being Chicago's North Side Main Line from Armitage north, used by Purple Line express trains. During early 2020, the line operated "Lifeline Service" due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania . From April 2020, trains bypassed the Logan , Wyoming , Susquehanna–Dauphin , Fairmount , Spring Garden , Chinatown , Lombard–South , and Tasker–Morris stations. All stations were reopened by July 2020. In September 2021, SEPTA proposed updating wayfinding across
6090-465: The bankrupt PRR and Reading railroads, including the commuter rail operations. Conrail provided commuter rail services under contract to SEPTA until January 1, 1983, when SEPTA assumed operations. The Regional Rail SEPTA inherited from Conrail and its predecessor railroads was almost entirely run with electric-powered multiple unit cars and locomotives. However, Conrail (the Reading before 1976) operated four SEPTA-branded routes under contract throughout
6195-687: The beginning of early 2015, SEPTA began the "Rebuilding for the Future" campaign that will replace all deteriorated rolling stock and rail lines with new, modernized, equipment, including ACS-64 locomotives, bi-level cars, and better signaling. The ACS-64 locomotives for push-pull trains arrived in 2018. SEPTA passenger rolling stock includes: Unit 304 repainted to Conrail heritage livery. Unit 276 repainted to Pennsylvania Railroad heritage livery. Unit 401 repainted to Penn Central heritage livery. All lines used by SEPTA are electrified with overhead catenary supplying alternating current at 12 kV with
6300-602: The campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia . Operations are handled by the SEPTA Railroad Division . Of the 13 branches, six were originally owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) (later Penn Central ), six by the Reading Company , while one was constructed under SEPTA in 1985. The PRR lines terminated at Suburban Station; the Reading lines at Reading Terminal . The Center City Commuter Connection opened in November 1984 to unite
6405-520: The capacity of the four-track trunk line. In 1964, the city proposed a nine-mile (14 km), $ 94 million extension of the Broad Street line along Roosevelt Blvd. in conjunction with a new Northeast Expressway to be built by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Development was limited to the building of one subway station by Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1967, at its complex on Roosevelt Boulevard at Adams Avenue, at
SECTION 60
#17327806763846510-457: The check-in counters in departures. In 1990, R5 service was extended from Downingtown to Coatesville and Parkesburg. However, on November 10, 1996, R5 service to Parkesburg was truncated to Downingtown. In 2006, SEPTA 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
6615-450: The configuration built in the northern half of the line. Provisions for flying junctions exist in the tunnels at three locations: north of Olney station, north of Erie station, and between Tasker-Morris and Snyder stations. These were to connect to planned but never built extensions to the north, northeast, northwest and southwest. Tracks were laid in the upper levels of the flying junctions north of Olney and Erie; these have been used over
6720-644: The convention center first opened in 1993, a new entrance to the station was built into the Reading Terminal headhouse at the northeast corner of 12th and Market streets. In July 2012, Amtrak identified Market East as its preferred Philadelphia station for a future high-speed rail line along the Northeast Corridor between Boston South Station and Washington Union Station . The new corridor would be built with fewer curves, allowing for trains to achieve much higher speeds and eventually reach
6825-608: The cost of $ 1 million, in anticipation of future service. This station was destroyed when the facility was demolished in October 1994. Ultimately the Northeast Expressway was never built, due to lack of funds, and the subway extension remained a paper concept. On September 10, 1999, SEPTA filed a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Northeast Extension with
6930-420: The entire line takes about 35 minutes. Trains run from approximately 5:00 am to 1:00 am, with a timed transfer at 12:30 am at City Hall station to connect with the Market Frankford Line based on final trains. The Broad Street Owl bus service replaces the subway throughout the night Monday through Friday mornings, stopping at the same locations as the subway trains. The line itself ran 24 hours
7035-399: The era. Commuter service requires large amounts of equipment, large numbers of employees to operate equipment and station sites, and large amounts of maintenance on track that see extremely heavy usage for only six hours a day, five days a week. Meanwhile, the rise in automobile ownership and the building of the Interstate Highway System chipped away at the steady patronage as population in
7140-454: The express and special service as the B2 Broad Street Express and B2 Express Sport Special, and the Broad–Ridge Spur as the B3 Broad–Ridge Express. Following public feedback, SEPTA revised the Wayfinding Master Plan. Rather than being referred to as the B Lines, the current Broad Street Line would become the B Line. Express and special services would be consolidated into the B2 Broad Street Express, with signage letting riders know whether
7245-501: The former R-numbering system for SEPTA, said 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. This city would be the first in the world to do that." DVARP said that SEPTA purposely truncated service and that while other commuter railroad counterparts "in North America expand their rail services, SEPTA
7350-424: The goal of a 37-minute trip between Philadelphia and New York Penn Station . Rumors first circulated in August 2014 that the station would be renamed. On September 4, 2014, SEPTA announced the station's renaming from Market East to Jefferson, after Jefferson Health – whose Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is a few blocks from the station – purchased the naming rights. The length of the $ 4 million contract for
7455-425: The last holdout union agreed to a contract to settle from the other rail unions. In the end, SEPTA would treat the rail unions workers as railroad workers rather than transit operators, but their pay scale remains lower than that of other Northeast commuter railroads, such as NJ Transit and the Long Island Rail Road . The strike resulted in lower ridership, which took over 10 years to rebuild. The idea of linking
7560-462: The most inept of all the major transit agencies, though getting a handle on what exactly was the cause of its ills was historically difficult. Railpace Newsmagazine contributor Gerry Williams commented that understanding what routinely transpires in SEPTA upper management rarely made itself clearly known to the general public. Frequently, there were various hidden agendas working in the background, often working at cross purposes with one another. This
7665-472: The new year. SEPTA had spent most of December 1982 preparing riders for the likelihood of no train service come the new year. Even with the unions' offers to continue working, SEPTA insisted that a brief shutdown of service would still be necessary, arguing that it would not know until the eleventh hour how many Conrail employees would actually come to work for SEPTA. In addition, SEPTA claimed that these employees would have to be qualified to work on portions of
7770-511: The number of potential passenger transfers as each train reached more destinations. 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 Pennsylvania lines in order from south (Airport) to northeast (Trenton); the Reading line matches were chosen to balance ridership,
7875-418: The number of tracks needed. On April 28, 1985, the Airport Line opened, providing service from Suburban Station via 30th Street Station to Philadelphia International Airport . This line runs along Amtrak's NEC, then crosses over onto Reading tracks that pass 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
7980-646: The original service patterns were introduced, the following termini changed: On July 25, 2010, the R-numbering system was dropped and each branch was named after its primary outer terminals. The 1980s and 1990s were difficult times for SEPTA. While the agency has spent most of its 50-year history staggering from crisis to crisis, the 1980s were a particularly low point. The era was defined by crippling strikes, engineer shortages, drastic service cuts and an abundance of mismanagement. State and local officials, commuters, and general observers were quick to brand SEPTA as
8085-641: The other Broad Street cars, and could run in multiple with them. After the Bridge Line became part of the PATCO Lindenwold Hi-Speedline in late 1968, 23 of these former "Bridge Line" cars were sold to the City of Philadelphia in 1969 to be used on the Broad Street subway, and were designated as the B-3's, until they were retired by early 1984. The first set has had the second longest lifespan of any subway car in Philadelphia, after that of
8190-443: The physical characteristics of the lines, and the location of yards. An additional consideration was avoiding crossovers on the trunk lines. and to attempt to avoid trains running full on one side and then running mostly empty on the other. Vuchic recommended seven lines: Stage 1, which represented the state of affairs when the tunnel opened in 1984, was hampered by an "imbalance" between the Pennsylvania lines and Reading lines. Both
8295-499: 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 Reading side, shared with the R2 and R5 lines to Glenside station , and R3 to Jenkintown , and R1-Airport trains ran to Glenside station rather than becoming R3 trains to West Trenton. In later years, SEPTA became more flexible in order to cope with differences in ridership on various lines. After
8400-519: The railroads made commuting unpleasant for passengers by neglecting the upkeep of equipment. Faced with the possible loss of commuter service, local business interests, politicians, and the railroad unions in Philadelphia pushed for limited government subsidization. In 1958, the city enacted the Philadelphia Passenger Service Improvement Corporation (PSIC), which consisted of a partnership with
8505-609: The redevelopment of the Philadelphia Naval Yard directly to the south, a Health Impact Assessment report was issued in March of 2012 to determine if extending the line to the Naval Yard would be a viable option for commuters. It determined that extending the line to the Naval Yard would more than halve the number of private cars commuting back and forth, with the remainder taking the proposed subway line and/or using
8610-482: The region. Passenger rail service was previously provided by for-profit companies, but by the 1960s the profitability had eroded, not least because huge growth of automobile use over the previous 30 years had reduced ridership. SEPTA's creation provided government subsidies to such operations and thus kept them from closing down. For the railroads, at first it was a matter of paying the existing railroad companies to continue passenger service. In 1966 SEPTA had contracts with
8715-405: The region." Williams later commented that "unfortunately, there does not seem to be any group out there influential enough to bring shame on SEPTA, and SEPTA just may be beyond shaming anyway." Service to Reading Terminal ended on November 6, 1984, in anticipation of the opening of the Center City Commuter Connection , which opened on November 12, 1984. The tunnel, first proposed in the 1950s,
8820-904: The same route. Former Pennsylvania Railroad lines Former Reading Company lines [REDACTED] There are 154 active stations on the Regional Rail system (as of 2016), including 51 in the city of Philadelphia , 42 in Montgomery County , 29 in Delaware County , 16 in Bucks County , 10 in Chester County , and six outside the state of Pennsylvania (two in Mercer County, New Jersey and four in New Castle County , Delaware ). In 2003, passengers boarding in Philadelphia accounted for 61% of trips on
8925-454: The station saw approximately 26,000 passengers every weekday. Jefferson Health , whose Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is a few blocks away, purchased the naming rights to the station in September 2014. The health system's logo, a silhouette of the former president, appears alongside the station's name in most locations. Market East Station was built as part of the $ 300-million Center City Commuter Connection project, which constructed
9030-576: The subsidies could not save the big railroads. The PRR attempted to stay solvent by merging with the New York Central Railroad on February 1, 1968, but the resulting company, Penn Central , went bankrupt on June 21, 1970. The Reading filed for bankruptcy in 1971. Between 1974 and 1976, SEPTA ordered and accepted the delivery of the Silverliner IVs. In 1976, Conrail took over the railroad-related assets and operations of
9135-511: The suburbs grew. When the Philadelphia suburbs were small towns, people lived close enough to a train station to walk to and from the trains. When the suburbs expanded into what had been fields and pastures, the trip to the station required an automobile, leading commuters to remain in their cars and drive all the way into the city as a matter of convenience. Both railroads shed a few minor money-losing routes, but more major pruning efforts ran into public opposition and government regulation. Ending
9240-534: The system unfamiliar to them. A lawyer who regularly commuted from Newtown on the Fox Chase Rapid Transit line filed a class action lawsuit against SEPTA to force the agency to keep trains running. The judge who heard the case, while agreeing that SEPTA probably would not be able initially to operate a full schedule, ordered the agency to keep as much train service running as possible. This resulted in limited service after January 1, 1983 on all
9345-497: The tunnel suffered minor damage due to an above-ground fire in an abandoned building on 10th Street. The station opened on November 10, 1984, replacing the 1893-built Reading Terminal which had closed four days earlier. Part of the station actually sits below the Reading Terminal building, which still houses Reading Terminal Market and also now includes part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center . When
9450-538: The two systems, turning the two terminal stations into through-stations. Reading Terminal was replaced by the newly built underground Market East Station (now Jefferson Station). Most inbound trains from one line continue on as outbound trains on another line. Some trains, including all trains on the Cynwyd Line , terminate on one of the stub-end tracks at Suburban Station . Service on most lines operates from 5:30 a.m. to midnight. Each former PRR line, as well as
9555-419: The years to store out-of-service trains and as layover points for express and Ridge Spur trains. The NRG Station contains a lower level platform (very narrow compared to the very wide upper level platform), built to accommodate additional trains for large crowds at sporting events. Seldom used for passenger service in recent years, these tracks are most often used to store rolling stock and work trains. Two of
9660-584: Was a turbulent one. SEPTA attempted to impose lower 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 City Transit Division employees instead of traditional railroad employees as a bargaining chip). As the January 1, 1983 deadline approached, the unions stated they agreed to work even if new union contracts were not in place by
9765-422: Was completed on February 15, 1953; Bridge Line trains were extended to a new terminus at 15th–16th Street station with two intermediate stops, while Ridge Spur trains reverted to running between 8th Street and Girard. In January 1954, due to low ridership, off-peak service and Saturday again began operating between Girard and Camden, with a shuttle train operating between 8th and 16th stations. Sunday service
9870-474: Was connected to the Gallery II (the mall's 1984 expansion) section of the mall, and the design of the new mall preserved the connection to Jefferson Station. Jefferson Station is served by all Regional Rail lines except the limited-service Cynwyd Line , which terminates at Suburban Station . In FY 2005, the average total weekday boardings at this station was 11,848, making it the second busiest station in
9975-564: Was cut back to West Trenton on July 1, 1981, with replacement New Jersey Transit connecting service continuing until December 1982. The final service, Fox Chase-Newtown service, initially ended on 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. Most train equipment was either Budd Rail Diesel Cars , or locomotive-hauled push-pull trains with former Reading FP7s . The diesel equipment
10080-469: Was found to be unsafe, putting all four tracks out of service north of Market East Station. In December 1984, a temporary bridge opened, allowing service to resume north of Market East Station. Nonetheless, the results of decades of deferred maintenance on the Reading Viaduct between the Center City Commuter Connection and Wayne Junction continued to threaten the right-of-way. In 1992, the bridge
10185-518: 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. Broad%E2%80%93Ridge Spur The Broad Street Line ( BSL ), currently rebranding as the B , is a rapid transit line in the SEPTA Metro network in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States. The line runs primarily north-south from
10290-470: Was initially terminated on July 1, 1981 (along with diesel services to Allentown and Pottsville) and reinstated on October 5, 1981, using operators from the city transit division. This experimental Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line caused a rift in unions within the organization, adding to the March 1983 strike that lasted 108 days. SEPTA management was criticized for the cuts. Vukan Vuchic, the transit expert and University of Pennsylvania professor who designed
10395-515: Was maintained at the Reading Company/Conrail owned Reading Shops , in Reading, PA. The services were phased out due to a number of reasons that included lack of ridership, a lack of funding outside the five-county area, withdrawal of Conrail as a contract carrier, a small pool of aging equipment that needed replacement, and a lack of SEPTA-owned diesel maintenance infrastructure. The death knell for any resumption of diesel service
10500-507: Was often the result of the city (Philadelphia)/Suburban (Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery) split. The city government had historically been Democratic, the four suburban counties Republican until 2019, when all four suburban counties elected Democratic leadership. This factor is regularly influenced by the changing political winds at the state capital in Harrisburg. In addition, unlike all other U.S. railroad commuter agencies which are
10605-644: Was replaced by the extension of the subway portion of the subway-surface system in the 1950s. The same report also proposed a northwest extension. This would have branched off at the North Philadelphia station and would have taken over the Pennsylvania Railroad 's Chestnut Hill Branch which is still operated today as part of the SEPTA Regional Rail system as the Chestnut Hill West Line . The first set of rail cars for
10710-423: Was stated at $ 102 million. Although the Broad Street Line was originally planned in the 1920s to be a 4-track facility for its entire length (Fern Rock portal to Snyder), the tunnel was built with provision for 4 tracks only from the portal to just north of Lombard-South. At the time of opening, the outer 2 tracks were built along this length, whereas the inner 2 express tracks were built only in two sections, from
10815-490: Was suspended at that time due to minimal usage. Ridge Spur service was suspended from August 23 to 27, 1968, as tracks were switched to a new upper-level terminal platform at 8th Street station to allow conversion of the 8th–Locust Street subway into the Lindenwold High-Speed Line (PATCO Speedline). The Ridge Spur was closed from February 1981 to September 6, 1983, during construction of
10920-523: Was the Center City Commuter Connection tunnel project, which lacks the necessary ventilation for exhaust-producing locomotives. Service from Cynwyd was extended to a new high-level station at Ivy Ridge in 1980, and the 52nd Street Station closed in the same year. The transition from Conrail to SEPTA, overseen by General Manager David L. Gunn (who later became President of the New York City Transit Authority and Amtrak ),
11025-414: Was the line to Newtown, the Reading's only suburban route not electrified. While the PRR expanded electrification throughout the northeast (ultimately stretching from Washington, D.C. to New York City ), the Reading never expanded electric lines beyond the Philadelphia commuter district. By the late 1950s, commuter service had become a drag on profitability for the PRR and Reading, like most railroads of
#383616