Trains to Pottsville and Allentown, c. 1979 (John Pawson)

In the middle of 1982 there was test schedule of Pottsville - Philadelphia service. The train from Pottsville was scheduled to arrive in Reading five minutes after the the train to Philadelphia departed.
I was on Conrail's Reading extra operator/traveling representative list for a few months at that time and felt frustrated by this, working Oley tower.

I believe that the main reason why SEPTA discontinued rail service to Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Lancaster Counties, had a lot more to do with ridership. First of all, a lot of people were using cars to get to and from work, so ridership wasn't just low around the Phila area, but also NYC, Boston, Chicago, and even SF. And while the MTA, NJT, Metra, MBTA, MTA Maryland and the VRE, and Caltrain was able to provide commuter rail service within their respective communities and cities, SEPTA cut rail service such as West Chester, Reading, and Allentown. I don't believe it had anything to do with low ridership. And the fact that SEPTA didn't want to run diesel trains through the Center City Commuter Tunnel yet NJT diesel trains run through a tunnel in Manhattan to Penn Station throws out the notion that diesel trains are ineffiecient and slow. I just wish SEPTA would stop making so many excuses and complaints about diesel service and do it's job and provide service to the Lehigh Valley, PA Dutch Country, and West Chester!!!

NJT does not run diesels through the tunnel. Everything is electric that goes into Penn Station. Dual-Modes are often used and running on the Electric function. Perfect example: Montclair-Boonton Line which uses Dual-Mode ALP's.

wanderer34 wrote:I believe that the main reason why SEPTA discontinued rail service to Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Lancaster Counties, had a lot more to do with ridership. First of all, a lot of people were using cars to get to and from work, so ridership wasn't just low around the Phila area, but also NYC, Boston, Chicago, and even SF. And while the MTA, NJT, Metra, MBTA, MTA Maryland and the VRE, and Caltrain was able to provide commuter rail service within their respective communities and cities, SEPTA cut rail service such as West Chester, Reading, and Allentown. I don't believe it had anything to do with low ridership. And the fact that SEPTA didn't want to run diesel trains through the Center City Commuter Tunnel yet NJT diesel trains run through a tunnel in Manhattan to Penn Station throws out the notion that diesel trains are ineffiecient and slow. I just wish SEPTA would stop making so many excuses and complaints about diesel service and do it's job and provide service to the Lehigh Valley, PA Dutch Country, and West Chester!!!

IIRC, the cuts came from a loss of federal subsidy.