The End Of Trackless Trolleys in Philadelphia?

That wouldn't be a good compromise. Right now, they're both trackless non-trolleys; to further invest in wire modifications and put electric buses on there (as well as pave over the tracks) would be a waste, especially since the trolley infrastructure is extant and maintained...cheaper to buy new trolleys and put them on there.

I'm with Mr. Irish.

Turning old trolly routes into TT routes is like trading in your 2004 Mercedes for a 1970 Toyota.

Not only would it be nos tcost effective it would insult Philadelphia.


... Now, turning diesel bus lines to TT...

Flyermike wrote:

With the problems restoring the #15 Trolley route.. it doesn't seem SEPTA will restore trolleys to 23 & 56... maybe the 56 & 23 could be converted to trackless trolleys as a compromise, and a way to expand the system

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Forget the 56, the wires are currently being dropped as part of the Torresdale Avenue repaving project (repaving over the rails that is)!

Repaving over trolley tracks ought to be a crime.

... too bad the city is in SEPTA's pocket and no one seems to care.

As for it being a crime, if it's on paper that SEPTA promised to restore trolley service, then perhaps filing a lawsuit over that would push them in the right direction. Would have to ask Mr. Mitchell if any of the pro-rail lobbies concerned would have the resources available to engage in such...?

Irish Chieftain wrote:As for it being a crime, if it's on paper that SEPTA promised to restore trolley service, then perhaps filing a lawsuit over that would push them in the right direction. Would have to ask Mr. Mitchell if any of the pro-rail lobbies concerned would have the resources available to engage in such...?

I don't think such a suit would have much chance of succeeding. The law gives pretty broad discretion to the SEPTA Board (and by extension management) to do whatever they think is in the best interest of the system, so a court challenge might get you good publicity, but it won't change what ought to be changed. See for example the fare increase case around 1990 (injunction granted by a municipal judge and then overturned by Commonwealth Court, who scolded the lower court judge for not following the law), and more recently the suit over the MTA's budget in New York last year.

Now where a legal action, or the threat thereof, has had some impact is when there's a law or tariff or regulation being violated (stuff like reports not being made public or changing the criteria for a contract award while it is out for bid). I don't see such an opportunity in this case.