SEPTA’s trolley tunnel will be closed for repairs for four upcoming weekends.

West Philadelphia commuters who rely on SEPTA’s T lines (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T 5) will need to adjust their weekend travel plans. SEPTA has announced that the underground trolley tunnel will close for four upcoming weekends, requiring full surface busing across all five routes.

Tunnel closures will begin at 2 a.m. on Saturdays, with a gradual transition to complete bus service overnight. All five lines will operate entirely as buses from 5 a.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Monday on the following weekends:

August 29 – August 31  

September 12 – September 14  

September 19 – September 21  

September 26 – September 28  

(Note: On Monday mornings following the closures, select T4 and T5 trips will continue operating as buses to the 40th Street Portal through the afternoon hours.)

The weekend shutdowns are necessary for SEPTA crews to perform emergency repairs on an electrical substation located at 33rd Street. Recent water intrusion damaged the substation, which powers both the Trolley Tunnel and the surface diversion routes. Fixing the facility now is critical to avoiding larger, unplanned power outages across the system.

Because power is affected on both the tunnel and diversion tracks, standard trolley diversions to 40th and Market Streets cannot operate. Instead, buses will run the entire above-ground length of the trolley routes, serving all standard street-level stops.

Passengers traveling into or out of Center City must transfer at 40th and Market Streets to connect with the Market-Frankford Line (L). Because buses are covering the entire surface routes, riders will only need to make a single transfer at 40th Street to complete their trip.

Scheduled service times may vary while vehicles run on surface streets. While real-time bus locations will be available on transit apps, schedules are subject to change. Transferring between surface buses and the Market-Frankford Line will add travel time, so riders are encouraged to build extra cushion into their weekend travel plans.