by JeffK
It's January 1, 2006 and the Philadelphia Transportation Company has been operating (if you could call it that) for four months. The PTC name and logo were resurrected last August when Mayor Street formally severed the city's association with the now-defunct SEPTA. The PTC receives only minimal state funding and the city is unable to provide much help either. The PTC runs what it calls its "4-5-6-7" service, charging a $4 base fare, with service operating 5 days a week from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Only a small portion of what once was a huge transit system remains - the BSS and MFSE, plus about a dozen feeder bus lines. Even the subway-surface trolleys now sit idle for want of money to keep them running.
Things came to a head in early 2005 when the state legislature and Governor Rendell played "chicken" but no one blinked. Republican leaders said that if the region really felt public transit was needed, Philadelphia and the suburban counties would find a way to pay. Gov. Rendell tried a band-aid fix by shifting some federal money to SEPTA but om June the state Supreme Court ruled that action was illegal. Bickering among the SEPTA board members led to a refusal by the suburban representatives to fund any service running into the city. As a result, in July the western side of the R5 (now called the Paoli Local again) was cut back to Overbrook, with riders being forced to transfer to a bus if they wanted to continue into the city. On the old Reading side, the R3 and R5 now end at Fern Rock, while the R2, R6, R7 and R8 are shut down entirely.
Three of the city's largest employers have announced plans to move out, despite previously-agreed tax incentives. Ace Ltd. is heading for Radnor, Comcast is looking at a new building in Conshohocken, and Towers Perrin will be consolidating all operations at its New Jersey facilities. The Gallery remained open on Saturdays during the 2005 Christmas holidays but effective today it will be closed on weekends. Over a dozen small merchants have already gone out of business and there are doubts about the viability of at least one major retailer. Business Week highlighted the situation in a cover story titled "Philly - Dying, or Already Dead?"
Delaware and Montgomery Counties jointly agreed to try to keep weekday operations on the 100, 101 and 102 rail lines going, although at reduced levels. The 101 line is still serving Springfield Mall, but with no direct transportation to places like Willow Grove and King of Prussia, those malls' operators have had to set up their own shuttle services to ferry workers to and from the nearest operating rail lines. Willow Grove has already eliminated Sunday hours; King of Prussia closes at 5 on Saturday and is only open from 12 to 4 on Sundays. They too may shut down on Sundays if post-Christmas traffic is not adequate. Sales are already off by about a quarter over 2004 and the malls' reduced tax revenue may force the surrounding municipalities to raise property taxes by as much as 17%.
And no one lived happily ever after.
Things came to a head in early 2005 when the state legislature and Governor Rendell played "chicken" but no one blinked. Republican leaders said that if the region really felt public transit was needed, Philadelphia and the suburban counties would find a way to pay. Gov. Rendell tried a band-aid fix by shifting some federal money to SEPTA but om June the state Supreme Court ruled that action was illegal. Bickering among the SEPTA board members led to a refusal by the suburban representatives to fund any service running into the city. As a result, in July the western side of the R5 (now called the Paoli Local again) was cut back to Overbrook, with riders being forced to transfer to a bus if they wanted to continue into the city. On the old Reading side, the R3 and R5 now end at Fern Rock, while the R2, R6, R7 and R8 are shut down entirely.
Three of the city's largest employers have announced plans to move out, despite previously-agreed tax incentives. Ace Ltd. is heading for Radnor, Comcast is looking at a new building in Conshohocken, and Towers Perrin will be consolidating all operations at its New Jersey facilities. The Gallery remained open on Saturdays during the 2005 Christmas holidays but effective today it will be closed on weekends. Over a dozen small merchants have already gone out of business and there are doubts about the viability of at least one major retailer. Business Week highlighted the situation in a cover story titled "Philly - Dying, or Already Dead?"
Delaware and Montgomery Counties jointly agreed to try to keep weekday operations on the 100, 101 and 102 rail lines going, although at reduced levels. The 101 line is still serving Springfield Mall, but with no direct transportation to places like Willow Grove and King of Prussia, those malls' operators have had to set up their own shuttle services to ferry workers to and from the nearest operating rail lines. Willow Grove has already eliminated Sunday hours; King of Prussia closes at 5 on Saturday and is only open from 12 to 4 on Sundays. They too may shut down on Sundays if post-Christmas traffic is not adequate. Sales are already off by about a quarter over 2004 and the malls' reduced tax revenue may force the surrounding municipalities to raise property taxes by as much as 17%.
And no one lived happily ever after.
