Railroad Forums 

  • SEPTA Rebuilding for the Future Updates

  • Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.
Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.

Moderator: AlexC

 #1483656  by mcgrath618
 
I noticed that this thread didn’t exist before and I figured I would make one. This is for discussion of any projects relating to SEPTA’s “Rebuilding for the Future” improvement program.
Official Website: http://www.septa.org/rebuilding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I noticed today that it looks like the Ardmore parking garage seems to be underway. Can anyone confirm that it isn’t some other development?
 #1483716  by ekt8750
 
mcgrath618 wrote:I noticed that this thread didn’t exist before and I figured I would make one. This is for discussion of any projects relating to SEPTA’s “Rebuilding for the Future” improvement program.
Official Website: http://www.septa.org/rebuilding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I noticed today that it looks like the Ardmore parking garage seems to be underway. Can anyone confirm that it isn’t some other development?
Did some digging and found an update on the Wawa Extension: http://septa.org/rebuilding/pdf/elwyn-t ... update.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1483736  by mcgrath618
 
ekt8750 wrote:
mcgrath618 wrote:I noticed that this thread didn’t exist before and I figured I would make one. This is for discussion of any projects relating to SEPTA’s “Rebuilding for the Future” improvement program.
Official Website: http://www.septa.org/rebuilding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I noticed today that it looks like the Ardmore parking garage seems to be underway. Can anyone confirm that it isn’t some other development?
Did some digging and found an update on the Wawa Extension: http://septa.org/rebuilding/pdf/elwyn-t ... update.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Looks like progress is moving along smoothly now that funding and finalized plans have been procured.
 #1484229  by ChesterValley
 
I will refer you to the West Chester form for that last post, viewtopic.php?f=72&t=162492&hilit=west+Chester But we have heard this song and dance before, in 2004 viewtopic.php?f=72&t=2389&p=17052 and another one from 2004 viewtopic.php?f=72&t=4231 and I'm sure there are some old Usenet boards from the 90's about this floating around somewhere.

Maybe one day...
 #1484234  by mcgrath618
 
ChesterValley wrote:I will refer you to the West Chester form for that last post, viewtopic.php?f=72&t=162492&hilit=west+Chester But we have heard this song and dance before, in 2004 viewtopic.php?f=72&t=2389&p=17052 and another one from 2004 viewtopic.php?f=72&t=4231 and I'm sure there are some old Usenet boards from the 90's about this floating around somewhere.

Maybe one day...
I think that this is one of those rare times that SEPTA was right in canceling a service. With only 120 riders past Elwyn, and a very close by Exton station, it didn't make any sense to take the 1 hour 45 minute ride to Philadelphia when you could shave 45 minutes off at Exton. Now however, West Chester U and the city itself have become so much larger, and I think it justifies having a regional rail connection.
 #1484258  by njtmnrrbuff
 
I'm for restoration of Septa RRD to West Chester but the question is before it happens, officials will have to make sure that taking the train directly to West Chester would be time competitive with driving. I have never ridden the West Chester Scenic Railroad nor have seen any of the right of way west of Elwyn in person but having studied it many times on a map, it looks like it is curvy-this could really add to travel time. It looks like as the crow flies, it is about 25 miles from West Chester to Center City but many of the highways, mileage wise, take in the mid 30s. I am not too surprised that many people who live in West Chester would drive to Exton for the train or even Malvern. Let's compare a trip on Septa when it ran from W Chester, Pa to a Philadelphia verses riding NJT from Dover to NYP. The hour and forty-five minute trip on Septa from West Chester to Philadelphia, given the distance as the crow flies is huge. If you take a local train from NYP to Dover, probably a little under 40 miles as the crow flies, the local trains take just over an hour and a half and that's not cool among many people. The old Lackawanna is known to be a curvy railroad, even where NJT presently operates on it, especially west of Morristown.
 #1484362  by ExCon90
 
Not only is the line very curvy beyond Media, the number of local stations between Media and Univ. City would make the route intolerably slow for someone riding it twice a day. Given unlimited equipment and crews (!), a possible expedient could speed things up:
1. No need to restore all stops between Elwyn and WC;
2. Run trains from WC express from Media, making perhaps Swarthmore and one other (Secane? Primos?), followed immediately by a local originating in Media, provided the local can get clear at Arsenal in time to avoid slowing down the next following express.
 #1484458  by njtmnrrbuff
 
Yes, the current stretch of the Elwyn Line has too many stops and if Septa were to run all the way to West Chester, they would have to do some sort of express service. In my other post, I compared the length of running time of a local train to West Chester over taking a weekend NJT local train to Dover from NYP, actually an hour and 35 minutes since every other train skips Mountain Station when the other train stops at Highland Avenue. Now let me mention about a Midtown Direct express train to Dover-the fastest one does the trip from Dover to NYP in 1 hour and 15 minutes. These trains run nonstop from NWK Broad to Summit. That's ok in terms of saved travel time bit still not great though. It's just as fast as taking Lakeland Bus. Now back to the proposed service to W. Chester-yes, if there is no point in restoring every station along the route, don't. In the end, it will add time to the schedule. The trains still have to slow down for their stops.

Septa's Great Valley Flyer from Exton to Suburban Station takes 45 minutes and that is very good time right there. Even taking a local from Exton still will save you time if you live in W. Chester. The ride on the local takes about an hour.
 #1484467  by ChesterValley
 
I realize this has gone very off topic, I should point out something.
njt/mnrrbuff wrote: Septa's Great Valley Flyer from Exton to Suburban Station takes 45 minutes and that is very good time right there. Even taking a local from Exton still will save you time if you live in W. Chester. The ride on the local takes about an hour.
Remember, whatever time savings you have can be offset by how long it takes to get home. I know people who park and ride at Radnor from King of Prussia whose trips can very massively by the local traffic at rush hour. If the Schuylkill or Blue Route has a problem, all bets are off on the back roads especially with Waze redirecting traffic. These days backroads really don't seem to work like they used to. Personally I'd rather walk to the station, a one seat stop without a car would be better.

Here's another thread on the backround of why the R3 was truncated in the first place.
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=88630
 #1485440  by Woodcrest295
 
West Chester to Center City can easily take an hour off peak. 202 and 76 are always jammed as well as I95. There is no direct expressway between the western burbs and Center City. Just looking now at 1 pm its 56 mins.. and thats just with some light rain. Train service can be very competitive especially with express service.
 #1485442  by mcgrath618
 
Woodcrest295 wrote:West Chester to Center City can easily take an hour off peak. 202 and 76 are always jammed as well as I95. There is no direct expressway between the western burbs and Center City. Just looking now at 1 pm its 56 mins.. and thats just with some light rain. Train service can be very competitive especially with express service.
Agreed. I know I've even seen them run Push-Pulls on the line a few times. They could just send a sprinter and some Comets and park them at Lenni overnight.
 #1487667  by nova08
 
Initial plan for new Conshohocken station was released during a town council meeting this week. Anything is an improvement than the current station, but includes no plan for increased parking, which is contradictory to PennDOT's plan for I76 congestion and directing drivers to the train. Also no bridge/tunnel is planned to cross the tracks and using the very busy train crossings in the area as pedestrian walkway's is less than ideal.

https://morethanthecurve.com/septa-prop ... ak-street/
 #1488213  by jonnhrr
 
Did the CBTC for routes 101/102 complete and have their been any improvements in operation as a result?
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