When Will SEPTA Change Their Maps?

As most SEPTA fans out there know, the system's "SUBURBAN & URBAN" maps are basically outdated, because SEPTA hasn't printed out new ones since the Fall of 2001. Also, these old maps do not have the "NEWLY OPENED, BUT SUSPENDED" # 15 PCC trolley route and I was pretty interested in seeing that put in there by SEPTA. Do any of the SEPTA fanatics have any type of information, Maybe SEPTA might print up new maps updated for with the new routes or information, in the near future? Thanks!

When will Septa get new maps? ...
Right about the time the Silverliner V's arrive.

I think they gave up on maps....every time they publish new ones they close more stations and the map is instantly obsolete. More closings are coming this fall so I don't think map-making is on their agenda.

To jfrey40535's quote concerning about the closing of stations, Are those rail, subway-surface, or MFL/BSS stations? And, where do you think I could find a list of those station closings? Thanks

Most of the closures are on the regional rail (SEPTA's favorite). The only closure on the BSS is the Spring Garden station on the Ridge Ave spur. There is another thread here on the SEPTA forum that recently listed all of the station closures on the regional rail system.

If you want to look at a really old map, go to the 15th Street Subway surface station. There's an old map from the '70's there. Its amazing how much was hacked out over the years.

Where exactly is the map at the 15th st station? I'll have be in the area tommorow and have some free time and I'm thinking about checking it out.

It is on the eastbound trolley platfrom which is accessible from the 15th street turnstiles under the clothespin statue. There is also one outside of fare control near the Ritz's employee enterance on the concourse. The fastest way to reach it from the surface is to go to the main enterance to the ritz on broad street imediately south of city hall and there will be a subway enterance right in front of it. Go down and follow the tunnel around the corner. The Ritz's employee enterance is on the left and then up ahead on right is the map. Both locations also include an old map of the concourse network. Have fun.

Sean@Temple

p.s. I think it is funny that the ritz's employee enterance is underground. The help is not to be seen.

A side note...
Several years ago, Septa updated many of its system maps at its Regional Rail stations by laminating the new map over the old. Since then, time and ambitious vandals have scratched and chipped away at some of these to the point that the "new" map is all but gone. It is not uncommon, for example, to find maps still proudly proclaiming Barmouth, Manayunk, and Ivy Ridge as stops on the R6 Cynwyd line.

NJTKid01 wrote:To jfrey40535's quote concerning about the closing of stations, Are those rail, subway-surface, or MFL/BSS stations? And, where do you think I could find a list of those station closings? Thanks

RRD. See the "Statistics on SEPTA closures" thread for a comprehensive list.

There's also an old system map visible at the train shelter in Exton, if anyone ever finds themselves up that way.

don't get me started. When the new 15 trolley(?) maps came out, I picked one up and looked at the map on the back showing the route the 15 took. I found it curious that the 76 bus was still listed as a connection running down 34th street from the Zoo. Of course, the 76 was axed a few years ago, but nobody at SEPTA had the responsibility to update the map. And of course, since it is nobodys responsibility, nobody did a darn thing. Nor did anyone loose their job over it. So here goes SEPTA, printing at least ten schedules since the 76 was axed printing yet another schedule with this error on it.

Small problem in a system that has bigger ones? You bet. But it is indicitave of the larger problems that are festering away at 1234.

I complained to the CAC guys and they said that they're always harping on SEPTA to fix up their maps but this was one they didn't know about. Their response was that SEPTA didn't seem to interested and that they'd "look into it".

I'll be looking at the new schedule to see if anything changes.

jsc wrote:I complained to the CAC guys and they said that they're always harping on SEPTA to fix up their maps but this was one they didn't know about. Their response was that SEPTA didn't seem to interested and that they'd "look into it".

I'm a CAC member and never heard about it.

Clearfield wrote:

jsc wrote:I complained to the CAC guys and they said that they're always harping on SEPTA to fix up their maps but this was one they didn't know about. Their response was that SEPTA didn't seem to interested and that they'd "look into it".

I'm a CAC member and never heard about it.

Maybe that complaint was before you were appointed to CAC. We were harping on SEPTA about maps when I was on CAC in 1990.

Clearfield wrote:I'm a CAC member and never heard about it.

Well, I communicated with some of the philly reps (of whom there ain't enough) and their big concern right now is that the mayors office for whatever reason isn't interested in making more appointments to the CAC. I've asked several times to be appointed but the mayors office ain't interested and only he can make the appointments.

I told them about the map on the 15 and they said they'd bring it up in their meeting, but that was last month I think. Since there's a meeting tomorrow, you can be the hero and bring it up. Those meetings seem more like love-ins to me, where everyone talks about how wonderful a job SEPTA is doing and nobody talks about things like how the subways smell like p1$$ or how the trains are the slowest of any major comuter railroad and can't even make that lesurely schedule or any of the things that keep riders away. Frankly, I don't think that topics covered in those CAC meetings are the things that keep riders away. Riders want more frequent trains, faster trains and subways that don't turn their stomachs. Quite honestly, nobody probably much notices the map error on the 15 schedule (im sure others have similar problems) because those maps mostly benefit new users to the system and SEPTA doesn't attract many of those. For that to really matter, SEPTA has to run quality transit services, by which I mean, fast, clean and frequent. None of their services really quite fit that bill and so that is why Philadelphians (and their suburban neighbors) don't rely on SEPTA as a primary means of transport and that is part of why Philadelphia is shrinking and the suburbs are sprawling.

Sorry, didn't mean to turn that into a rant. I'm going to miss tomorrows meeting as well because it is my wifes birthday and that is a lot more important to me than listening to someone tell me that SEPTA does a wonderful job after I get to the meeting late because my train was late. I'm not holding my breath waiting for an appointment to be handed down from the Mayors office to the CAC either but if it does manage to happen, I suppose I'll see you on a somewhat regular basis and I'll even try to be positive and keep my sarcastic bile to myself.

Why put the 15 on the map? The 23 or the other trolley lines were never on the map. It's a transit route, that's why when 10 11 13 34 36 come out of the tunnel, they disapear from the map.

They need to make the maps permanent instead of a sticker. But they don't need to change them every time they close a station. The reason that stations are closed are because nobody uses them... So who will notice if they're on the map after closing? Besides, a black permanent marker will do the job. SEPTA has better things to spend its money on.