SEPTA Regional Rail facts for kids

Quick facts for kids SEPTA Regional Rail
Silverliner V SEPTA-811-philadelphia-22-6-2012-fws.jpg
Info
Owner	Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
Transit type	Regional rail
Number of lines	13
Number of stations	155
Headquarters	1234 Market Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107
Operation
Began operation	Assumed operations in 1976, officially established 1983
Reporting marks	SEPA, SPAX
Number of vehicles	404 revenue vehicles as of 2015[update]
Technical
System length	Total: 280 mi (450 km) SEPTA: 151 mi (243 km) Amtrak: 108 mi (174 km) CSX: 15 mi (24 km) City of Philadelphia: 6 mi (9.7 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC: Amtrak's 25 Hz traction power system SEPTA's 25 Hz traction power system
Route map

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a train network. It is owned by SEPTA. This system helps people travel around the Philadelphia area. It has 13 different train lines. There are over 150 active stations. These stations are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its nearby towns.

This train system is the sixth busiest in the United States. It is the busiest outside of the New York, Chicago, and Boston areas. In 2016, about 132,000 people rode these trains every day. By 2019, this number was about 118,800 daily riders.

The main part of the Regional Rail system is the Center City Commuter Connection. This is a tunnel that connects three stations in downtown Philadelphia. These stations are 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and Jefferson Station. All trains stop at these downtown stations. Most trains also stop at Temple University station. This station is on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia. The SEPTA Railroad Division manages all train operations.

Out of the 13 train lines, six used to belong to the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). Six others belonged to the Reading Company. One line was built by SEPTA in 1985. The PRR lines used to end at Suburban Station. The Reading lines ended at Reading Terminal. The Center City Commuter Connection tunnel opened in November 1984. It joined these two separate systems. This made the old end stations into "through" stations. Reading Terminal was replaced by the new underground Market East Station. This station is now called Jefferson Station. Most trains coming into the city continue as trains going out on a different line. Some special or express trains end at Suburban Station. Trains usually run from 5:30 AM to midnight.

Train Lines and Routes

Each old PRR line and the Airport Line used to be paired with an old Reading line. They were numbered from R1 to R8 (except R4). So, one number described two lines. This system was confusing. On July 25, 2010, SEPTA stopped using the R-numbers. They also changed how trains were sent out. Now, fewer trains follow both sides of the same route.

Former Pennsylvania Railroad Lines

• Airport Line: This line goes to the Philadelphia International Airport. Service on this line started in 1985.
• Chestnut Hill West Line: This line ends in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia.
• Cynwyd Line: This line ends in Cynwyd. It runs only on weekdays.
• Media/Wawa Line: This line ends at Wawa. Service was brought back to Wawa on August 21, 2022.
• Paoli/Thorndale Line: Trains on this line end at Malvern or Thorndale. Some extra trains during busy hours end at Bryn Mawr or Paoli. SEPTA plans to extend this line to Coatesville.
• Trenton Line: This line goes to Trenton, New Jersey. It uses Amtrak's Northeast Corridor tracks. You can connect to NJ Transit trains at Trenton to go to New York City.
• Wilmington/Newark Line: This line goes to Wilmington, Delaware. Some weekday trains continue to Newark, Delaware. This line also runs on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

Former Reading Company Lines

• Chestnut Hill East Line: This line ends in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia.
• Fox Chase Line: This line ends in the Fox Chase area of Philadelphia.
• Lansdale/Doylestown Line: This line ends at Doylestown. Many trains end at Lansdale on weekdays.
• Manayunk/Norristown Line: This line ends at Elm Street in Norristown.
• Warminster Line: This line ends in Warminster.
• West Trenton Line: This line ends at the West Trenton station in Ewing, New Jersey.

Train Stations

There are 154 active train stations on the Regional Rail system. As of 2016, 51 stations are in Philadelphia. 42 are in Montgomery County. 29 are in Delaware County. 16 are in Bucks County. 10 are in Chester County. Six stations are outside Pennsylvania. These are two in Mercer County, New Jersey and four in New Castle County, Delaware.

In 2003, 61% of daily trips started in Philadelphia. 45% of these trips were from the three downtown stations and Temple University station.

Train Cars and Locomotives

A SEPTA Silverliner IV train at Fern Rock Transportation Center in Philadelphia A SEPTA Silverliner V train approaching Hatboro station A SEPTA ACS-64 910 leads a train out of Hatboro station

SEPTA uses different types of electric train cars. These are called "Silverliner" cars. They are used on all Regional Rail lines. SEPTA also uses "push-pull" trains. These trains have coaches built by Bombardier. They are pulled by ACS-64 electric locomotives. These locomotives are similar to those used by Amtrak.

Push-pull trains are mostly used for express service during busy times. This is because they are slower to speed up. This makes them less good for local service with many stops.

All train cars have a red and blue SEPTA logo. They also have "ditch lights" that flash at crossings. These lights also flash when trains pass through stations without stopping. This is required by Amtrak. SEPTA's official railroad code is SEPA for its passenger trains. SPAX is used for work trains.

The first Silverliner cars were built in 1958. Newer versions, like the Silverliner II, III, and IV, were built later. The Silverliner V, a more modern train car, was introduced in 2010. 120 of these cars were bought. They were built in Philadelphia and South Korea. These cars have wider seats and special doors. This makes it easier to get on and off at high-level stations. Silverliner V cars make up one-third of SEPTA's regional rail trains.

In late 2014, SEPTA started a project called "Rebuilding for the Future." This project aims to replace old trains and tracks. It will bring in new equipment, like ACS-64 locomotives and bi-level cars. It will also improve signals. The ACS-64 locomotives arrived in 2018.

Electric Train Cars (EMUs)

Push-Pull Passenger Cars

Locomotives

How Trains Get Power

All SEPTA train lines use overhead wires called catenary. These wires supply electricity to the trains. The power is 12,000 volts alternating current at 25 Hz. The system on the old PRR lines is owned by Amtrak. It is part of the Northeast Corridor's power system. The system on the old Reading lines is owned by SEPTA.

The Amtrak system was built by the PRR between 1915 and 1938. The SEPTA-owned system was built by the Reading Company starting in 1931. These two electrical systems are not connected. They meet near Girard Avenue at a "phase break." This is a short section of track with no power. Trains coast across this section. This gap is needed because the two electrical systems are not perfectly in sync.

All current SEPTA trains can use power from both systems. The "phase break" is at the northern entrance to the Center City commuter tunnel. This is between Jefferson Station and Temple University Station.

Train Yards and Repair Shops

SEPTA has four main places to store and fix regional rail trains:

• Frazer Yard: This is in Frazer, Pennsylvania. It is along the Paoli/Thorndale Line. It fixes push-pull train sets.
• Overbrook Maintenance Facility: This is near Overbrook station. It fixes electric train cars (EMUs).
• Powelton Yard: This is next to 30th Street Station.
• Roberts Yard: This is next to Wayne Junction.

History of SEPTA Regional Rail

SEPTA was created to keep passenger train services from disappearing. Before SEPTA, private companies ran passenger trains. By the 1960s, these companies were losing money. More people were using cars, so fewer rode trains. SEPTA's creation meant the government could help pay for these train services. This kept them running. At first, SEPTA paid existing railroad companies to continue passenger service. In 1966, SEPTA made contracts with the PRR and Reading Company. This was to keep commuter trains running in the Philadelphia area.

Early Railroads: PRR and Reading Company

The PRR and Reading Company ran both passenger and freight trains. Starting in 1915, they added electricity to their busiest lines. This made passenger service better. They used overhead wires with 11,000 volts of electricity. The PRR electrified the Paoli line in 1915. They also electrified the Chestnut Hill West line in 1918. The Media/West Chester and Wilmington lines were electrified in 1928. Both railroads continued adding electricity into the 1930s. They replaced steam trains with electric trains.

By the late 1950s, commuter service was losing money for these railroads. Running commuter trains needed a lot of equipment and staff. Tracks also needed a lot of maintenance. At the same time, more people owned cars. New highways were built. This meant fewer people rode trains. When suburbs were small, people could walk to train stations. As suburbs grew, people needed cars to get to stations. Many then just drove all the way into the city.

The railroads tried to stop running some routes that lost money. But stopping major lines was hard. It needed approval from the government. This process was very slow. So, the railroads sometimes let their trains get old and uncomfortable. This made commuting unpleasant for passengers.

To avoid losing train service, local leaders and unions pushed for government help. In 1958, Philadelphia started the Passenger Service Improvement Corporation (PSIC). This group worked with the Reading and PRR. They helped pay for service on the Chestnut Hill lines. This was not enough to fix all the problems. By 1960, PSIC helped services near the city border. The city also bought new trains. This program was successful. It grew to cover the five-county suburban area in 1962. This new group was called the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Compact (SEPACT). In 1966, SEPTA began paying the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company to run their commuter lines.

Still, the money could not save the big railroads. The PRR merged with the New York Central Railroad in 1968. The new company, Penn Central, went bankrupt in 1970. The Reading Company went bankrupt in 1971. Between 1974 and 1976, SEPTA ordered and received the new Silverliner IV trains.

Conrail Takes Over

In 1976, a new company called Conrail took over the train operations. This included the commuter trains from the bankrupt PRR and Reading railroads. Conrail ran commuter trains for SEPTA until January 1, 1983. Then, SEPTA took over running the trains itself.

End of Diesel Train Routes

Between 1979 and 1983, diesel trains were stopped. SEPTA did not have enough money. They also wanted to avoid fixing old lines. So, SEPTA cut many services in the 1980s. For example, the R3 West Chester service was shortened to Elwyn in 1986. This was because the tracks were in bad shape. The R6 Ivy Ridge service was shortened to Cynwyd in 1986. This was due to concerns about the Manayunk Bridge. Service to Cynwyd stopped completely in 1988. But public pressure brought it back.

The R8 diesel service between Fox Chase and Newtown ended in 1983. This happened because SEPTA decided not to fix the old diesel trains. This service had been stopped before in 1981. It was brought back in 1981 as the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line. This caused problems between different unions at SEPTA. This added to a big strike in March 1983.

Some people criticized SEPTA for these cuts. A transit expert named Vukan Vuchic said he had never seen a city like Philadelphia cut train services so much. He said it could be very bad for public transport in the area.

SEPTA Takes Over and a Strike Happens

The change from Conrail to SEPTA was difficult. SEPTA wanted to pay train workers less. The train worker unions did not agree. As the January 1, 1983, deadline came closer, the unions said they would keep working. They would work even if new contracts were not ready. But SEPTA said a short shutdown would still be needed. They said they didn't know how many Conrail workers would come to work for SEPTA.

A lawyer who rode the train filed a lawsuit. He wanted SEPTA to keep trains running. A judge ordered SEPTA to run as many trains as possible. So, limited service continued after January 1, 1983. Full service slowly returned over the next few weeks.

The unions then went on strike on March 15, 1983. They still did not have contracts. The strike lasted 108 days. Train service did not start again until July 3, 1983. In the end, SEPTA agreed to treat the train workers as railroad workers. But their pay is still lower than other train workers in the Northeast. The strike caused fewer people to ride the trains. It took over 10 years for ridership to recover.

The Center City Tunnel

Original Regional Rail plan with R1-R7.

The idea to connect the Philadelphia and Reading train lines with a tunnel started in 1960. This tunnel would make the train network better connected. The tunnel was built between 1976 and 1984. It cost $330 million.

With the tunnel, SEPTA changed how trains ran. Before, trains from the Pennsylvania and Reading lines ended at their own stations. This made transfers hard and caused traffic. With the tunnel, Pennsylvania trains could go through to Reading lines, and vice versa. This helped reduce traffic at downtown stations. It also meant trains could reach more places without transfers.

The first plan for the system was made by Professor Vukan Vuchic. It was based on train systems in Germany. Numbers were given to the lines. The goal was to balance how many people rode each line. It also considered where train yards were.

One idea was that more people would ride the trains after the tunnel opened. But ridership dropped after the 1983 strike. Even with more people riding trains now due to higher gas prices, many trains outside of busy hours have few riders.

On July 25, 2010, the R-numbering system was stopped. Each train line was named after its main end stations.

RailWorks Project

Temple University station was built during the RailWorks project.

In 1984, a bridge near the old Temple University Station was found to be unsafe. This stopped all trains north of Market East Station. A temporary bridge opened later that year. But old bridges on the Reading Viaduct were still a problem. In 1992, one bridge was so bad that it looked like it might collapse.

Over the next year, SEPTA started a big project called "RailWorks." It cost $354 million. The viaduct was completely closed from April to October 1992, and from May to September 1993. Some train lines were stopped. Other lines only went as far as the Fern Rock Transportation Center. Riders had to switch to the Broad Street Line subway there.

During RailWorks, SEPTA crews replaced old bridges. They installed new tracks and overhead wires. They built new train stations at Temple University and North Broad Street. They also updated the signals. After RailWorks, the Reading Viaduct became the "newest" part of SEPTA's railroad.

Ridership Changes Over Time

When Conrail ran the trains for SEPTA, ridership was highest in 1980. Over 32 million people rode the Regional Rail trains that year. This level was not reached again for decades. Ridership went down after SEPTA stopped running diesel trains in 1982. It dropped by half after SEPTA took over in 1983. It reached a low of under 13 million passengers. This drop was due to the train worker strike. It was also because service to over 60 stations stopped. Train ticket prices also went up when gas prices were going down. Also, SEPTA's management was new to running a commuter railroad.

In 1992, ridership dropped again. This was due to money problems and SEPTA's RailWorks project. That project closed half of the railroad for several months in 1992 and 1993. A small economic slowdown also affected ridership. But a strong economy in the late 1990s helped ridership go back up. It almost reached the 1980 peak.

In 2000, ridership started to go down a little. This was because the economy was slow. But in 2003, ridership started to increase again. The number of daily riders on weekdays did not grow as fast as the total yearly ridership. This might mean more people were riding on weekends. In 2008, Regional Rail ridership reached a new high of over 35 million. By 2015, it hit a new record of 37.7 million trips.

The chart below shows how many people rode SEPTA Regional Rail trains from 1979 to 2021:

2014 Train Strike

On June 14, 2014, SEPTA's Regional Rail service stopped. This was because talks between SEPTA and two worker unions failed. About 400 workers went on strike. SEPTA planned to add more buses, subways, and trolleys. The Governor asked the President to help end the strike. President Barack Obama ordered the workers back to work. SEPTA Regional Rail service started again on June 15.

COVID-19 Changes (2020-2021)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SEPTA Regional Rail ran "Lifeline Service." This meant fewer trains. On April 9, 2020, service was stopped on several lines. Service on other lines was shortened. Over time, service slowly returned to most lines. By December 2021, weekend service was back on the Chestnut Hill West Line.

Future Plans: 2045 Philadelphia Transit Plan

A London Overground EMU similar to the ones being looked at for use on the Silver Line and frequent Regional Rail.

In February 2021, Philadelphia announced its Transit Plan for 2045. This plan suggests big changes for Regional Rail. It includes running trains more often. It also suggests changing the fare system. The plan wants to create "metro-like" Regional Rail lines. These would be like a subway system within Philadelphia and nearby areas.

Regional Rail would be split into three types:

• The Silver Line
• Frequent Regional Rail (like a metro)
• Regional Express Service (like current Regional Rail, but with fewer stops closer to Philadelphia)

This plan needs better tracks, stations, and new trains. It also suggests extending train service to other towns. The city and SEPTA expect this plan to take many years and billions of dollars to complete.

Phase 1: "The Silver Line"

The first step is to create the "Silver Line." This name comes from the "Silverliner" electric trains. It means this line will be like a subway. The Silver Line would run from Fern Rock Transportation Center to Penn Medicine station. It would have trains every 15 minutes, 15 hours a day, every week. Fares for the Silver Line would be similar to SEPTA's other transport, like buses and subways.

Phase 2: Upgrading Key Lines

Phase 2 would add more metro-like regional rail routes. These would be called Frequent Regional Rail lines. They would have lower fares, free transfers, and more frequent trains. Four routes are planned for Phase 2. These include changing the Manayunk/Norristown, Chestnut Hill East, and Airport lines to Frequent Regional Rail. Also, part of the SEPTA Main Line would have Frequent Regional Rail.

Phase 3: Full Plan in Action

Phase 3 would complete the Frequent Regional Rail lines. It would also include more upgrades to tracks, trains, and stations. In this phase, the Chestnut Hill West, Fox Chase, and Warminster lines would become Frequent Regional Rail. Other lines would have both Frequent Regional Rail and Regional Express Services.

See also

In Spanish: Ferrocarril Regional SEPTA para niños

• Commuter rail in North America
• List of Pennsylvania railroads
• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• List of North American commuter rail operators
• List of United States commuter rail systems by ridership