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bikentransit wrote:NPT is a total disaster, from what I hear. I wonder if SEPTA will deploy it next summer so that it makes using the system that much more difficult for visitors. SEPTA should buy some spatulas to peel all the egg off their face once the key has gone into the slot.
R3 Passenger wrote:I wasn't referring to only RRD. And yes I have been to Dilworth several times. A few random NPT turnstiles, yes. EVERY SEPTA vehicle, orange line station, blue line station, and all back end processing, etc? Based on SEPTA's track record on this project to date I'm more than skeptical. A major internal staff issue was resolved but the prime vendor is a major issue from I've been told by those involved.Clearfield wrote:Where did you get the idea that NPT will be up and running in 8 months?Regional Rail is not the only rail transportation in Philadelphia. We have trolleys, subways, elevated, and a rare interurban line too!
Have you checked out the new Dilworth Park concourse entrance yet, Mr. Clearfield? Or noticed some random NPT turnstiles popping up at a few el stations? Visitors have to get from their city-based hotels to the Parkway somehow.
afiggatt wrote:I stand partially corrected. http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/110/167/Amt ... 14-089.pdfClearfield wrote: AMTRAK is closing one of the Hudson tubes in 2015 for superstorm Sandy related repairs.Amtrak is not closing one of the Hudson tunnels in 2015 for Sandy repairs. The plan is to close the two damaged East River tunnels, one at a time, maybe starting in late 2015. With four East River tunnels, the impact on Amtrak, LIRR, and NJT operations is manageable. The hope is that the major rebuild work to the existing Hudson river tunnels requiring the tunnel to be shut down for a year or longer can be postponed until after the 2 new tunnels are built and operating. Which will take 8-10 years if the funds can somehow be assembled in the next several years although that will be quite difficult to do.
The number of slots in and out of NYP will be reduced.
Don't count on NJT to provide service from NYP to PHL in any rail mode on the NEC. AMTRAK will have enough trouble getting its own trains through.
Try not to pick the colors of the new benches at an unbuilt station.
Clearfield wrote:But here are some questions to ponder.Clearfield: Answering your question - NO - NPT will NOT be probably even close to being ready to be used on the CTD in eight months time and people like R3 must remember that one equipped NPT station does not even come close to what SEPTA must do to implement the Key Cards and the other NPT hardware...Maybe at this time next year perhaps we will see significant change to paying SEPTA fares and we also know that the Regional Rail system is now not slated to be converted to NPT until sometime in 2016 at the earliest...
Will NPT be ready for the Pope's visit, and what are the implications of the existing system in place vs. NPT being up, running and working properly?
I feel that SEPTA should offer a special commemorative unlimited use pass for transit access during the Papal Visit - I will again mention this because it may be a good move for SEPTA to offer this option and make it as easy as possible for users to access SEPTA during this period...
Stevek wrote:How about ............drum roll ................wait for it ...................... PAPAL PASS?Would its users be called PASStors?
MACTRAXX wrote:Everyone: After doing some research on the 2015 World Meeting of Families event which will begin on Monday September 21st I will noteClearfield wrote:But here are some questions to ponder.Clearfield: Answering your question - NO - NPT will NOT be probably even close to being ready to be used on the CTD in eight months time and people like R3 must remember that one equipped NPT station does not even come close to what SEPTA must do to implement the Key Cards and the other NPT hardware...Maybe at this time next year perhaps we will see significant change to paying SEPTA fares and we also know that the Regional Rail system is now not slated to be converted to NPT until sometime in 2016 at the earliest...
Will NPT be ready for the Pope's visit, and what are the implications of the existing system in place vs. NPT being up, running and working properly?
I now think - remembering that one of the large venues used during Pope John Paul's 1979 Philadelphia visit was JFK Stadium - that one of the prime places to hold a large event will be Lincoln Financial Field - and one thing that could help is having passenger rail access to the nearby Greenwich Yard similar to what once operated there for Army-Navy Games run today by Amtrak,NJT and SEPTA...The Broad Street Line therefore would become the primary rail transit service to access the Sports Complex area during the Papal Visit...
I feel that SEPTA should offer a special commemorative unlimited use pass for transit access during the Papal Visit - I will again mention this because it may be a good move for SEPTA to offer this option and make it as easy as possible for users to access SEPTA during this period...
MACTRAXX
Philadelphia, June 16, 2015 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter, City and agency officials announced preliminary information about public transportation options during the World Meeting of Families convening, September 22-25, 2015, and the weekend of the Papal Visit, September 26-27, 2015.
“At this point, we are about three months away from hosting the largest event in this City’s history,” said Mayor Nutter. “We wanted to begin sharing information with residents and business owners as soon as possible so that they can begin making arrangements for this week, whether they plan to attend any of the World Meeting of Families events or just need to go about their daily routines. Make no mistake, the City of Philadelphia will have the world’s attention, and we are doing our part to be as prepared and coordinated as possible.”
With more than 1.5 million people expected for the Papal Visit on Saturday and Sunday, and substantial crowds for the World Meeting of Families convening during the week, it is critical for visitors and residents to understand the logistics involved in getting into Center City Philadelphia. Travelers should keep in mind:
Be prepared to walk to your destination after debarking transit—up to a couple of miles
Private vehicles will not be a viable transportation option
Public transportation routes and schedules will be vastly altered for efficiency and capacity
Continue to check WorldMeeting2015.org for transportation updates and sign up to receive the Papal Visit Playbook, a guide for residents and visitors to navigate Center City neighborhoods during the event.
SEPTA
During the World Meeting of Families convening, September 22-25, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will operate all services on normal weekday schedules. During the Papal Visit on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, service will be truncated drastically throughout the rail network to accommodate the events and maximize operational efficiency.
SEPTA will reduce the number of stations that will be used from the usual 282 to 31 on its Regional Rail, Market-Frankford Line subway/elevated, Broad Street Line subway, trolley lines and Norristown High Speed Line. (The 31 stations are boarding locations only and are shown as blue dots on the SEPTA system map attached.) Event drop-off locations in Center City will be announced at a later date.
City officials urge those who will take SEPTA to plan ahead. Regular riders who rely on SEPTA for daily commuting will likely be severely impacted by the adjustments made to accommodate event attendees and should plan accordingly.
A special $10, three-day SEPTA transit pass, valid from Saturday, September 26 through Monday, September 28, will be sold for travel on subways, buses and trolleys. Standard SEPTA passes and tokens can also be used on these transit modes. For Regional Rail, a one-day special event pass valid for Saturday, and another valid for Sunday, will be sold for $10 each in advance. Only those riders with the pre-purchased special event passes will be permitted to ride Regional Rail. Quantities for sale will be limited to the number of riders SEPTA can carry on the vehicles in operation. No passes will be sold on the day of the event.
The following is a summary of the major service adjustments SEPTA is planning to make for the weekend of the Papal Visit, September 26-27:
Regional Rail: SEPTA will maximize service capabilities by shrinking the railroad. The number of stations served will be significantly reduced and trains will operate express-type, pick-up only service to the event from 18 select outlying stations. Similarly, post-event service will express from Center City Philadelphia to the selected outlying stations.
At this time, SEPTA plans to operate pick-up only service at these specific stations:Market-Frankford Line: Similar to Regional Rail, pick-up only service will be available westbound from Frankford Transportation Center and the Girard Avenue Station; eastbound pick-up only service will operate from 69th Street Transportation Center and 52nd Street Station, with drop-offs at yet-to-be-determined Center City stations. After the event, service will express back to the outlying stations. Riders will not be able to board or exit the Market-Frankford Line from any other stations.
- Paoli/Thorndale Line - Paoli and Radnor Stations
Norristown/Manayunk Line - Norristown Transportation Center
Chesnut Hill West Line - Chestnut Hill West Station
Lansdale/Doylestown Line - Lansdale and Fort Washington Stations
Warminster Line - Warminster Station
West Trenton Line - Woodbourne Station
Fox Chase Line - Fox Chase Station
Trenton Line - Croydon and Cornwells Heights Stations
Media/Elywn Line - Media and Primos Stations
Wilmington/Newark Line - Wilmington and Marcus Hook Stations
Airport Line - Terminals C & D, Terminal B and Eastwick Station
Broad Street Line: Pick-up service will operate northbound from AT&T Station only; southbound pick-up service will be available at Fern Rock Transportation Center and the Cecil B. Moore Station, with drop-offs at yet-to-be-determined Center City stations. Riders will not be able to board or exit the Board Street Line from any of the other stations.
Trolley: Operating normal service: Route 15 Service from 63rd & Girard; Route 11 and 13 service from Darby Transportation Center; Route 34 Trolley service from 61st & Baltimore; Route 36 Service from 60th & Eastwick. There will also be service from a limited number of stations on the Norristown High Speed Line and Route 101 Media and Route 102 Sharon Hill Trolley Lines.
Bus: At least 26 buses in the Center City and surrounding areas will be on detours due to street closures. Select bus routes will operate on weekday schedules throughout the weekend to accommodate ridership increases.
SEPTA will provide complete service information and updates on its website, http://www.septa.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
PATCO
The Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) will provide express, non-stop service westbound to Center City Philadelphia on September 26-27 between each of the following four New Jersey stations and 9th/10th & Locust Streets station:
- Lindenwold
Woodcrest
Ferry Avenue
Broadway/Camden/ Walter Rand Transportation Center
Passengers can board only at these four stations and all passengers will disembark at 9th/10th & Locust Streets station in Philadelphia. There will be no PATCO service or operations at any station other than those above.
For the return trip eastbound to New Jersey, trains will depart 9th/10th & Locust Streets station and stop only at the stations listed above.
Special fares will be in effect on September 26-27. A one-day pass will cost $5.00 and a two-day pass will cost $10.00. Customers who have FREEDOM cards will be able to pay $2.50 for a one-way single ride. FREEDOM card one-day and two-day passes can be purchased prior to the dates of travel, beginning in mid-July.
There are spaces for approximately 3,300 cars at the PATCO Lindenwold station, 1,900 spaces at PATCO Ferry Avenue station and 2,700 spaces at PATCO Woodcrest station. PATCO does not offer parking spaces at the PATCO Broadway station in Camden. Passengers should expect parking spaces to fill quickly. Broadway-Camden serves as the transfer point for New Jersey Transit buses and the RiverLINE at Walter Rand Transportation Center.
PATCO will provide complete service information and updates on its website, http://www.ridepatco.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
bikentransit wrote:Sounds like those who work in center city will be SOL that week.Service truncation will only be on weekend, but it should still be pretty bad during the week...
