That time of year is coming up when SEPTA trolley riders will have to switch from trolley to subway when traveling to Center City. SEPTA’s annual Center City trolley tunnel maintenance project, “Trolley Tunnel Blitz,” is scheduled for 10 days this year – from July 13 to July 23.

Due to power, track and station improvement projects in the tunnel that runs between the 40th and 13th Street stations, SEPTA Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the tunnel from 10 p.m. on Friday, July 13, through 4 a.m. on Monday, July 23. Trolley service will begin and end at 40th and Market Streets, and trolleys will use their alternate diversion service routing to connect to SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line at 40th and Market Streets. Trolley passengers can board the Market-Frankford Line at 40th Street Station for travel to-and-from Center City, as the work efforts will not affect that service.

This is the fifth consecutive summer SEPTA has held the Trolley Tunnel Blitz. During this year’s tunnel closure, members of SEPTA’s in-house Engineering, Maintenance & Construction Division crews will work around-the-clock on key maintenance and construction tasks throughout the five-mile, single loop Center City tunnel.

If you’re spending the Fourth of July holiday in the city, here’s some useful information on the festivities, where you can watch the fireworks, and SEPTA service.

Wawa Welcome America July 4th Fireworks

The July 4th Concert and Fireworks will be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Wednesday, July 4th beginning at 7:00 p.m. The event is FREE and open to the public. Guests are invited to come early and enjoy the Party on the Parkway featuring food trucks, games, activities and more! The July 4th Concert will end with Philly’s largest Wawa Welcome America fireworks show in more than a decade, according to organizers. Produced by Pyrotechico and Comcast, the show will feature new special effects and a soundtrack dedicated to love.  Continue Reading

The first electric trolley debuted 125 years ago today on the Catharine and Bainbridge Street Line. Photo from the The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.

On December 15, 1892, the first electric trolley began running on the Catharine and Bainbridge Streets Line, making public transportation a little more affordable for the masses.

SEPTA is marking the anniversary today with a ceremony and a “wrapped” trolley (pictured below) commemorating those early days that will run on the 11, 13, 34 and 36 lines for the next year.  Continue Reading

Photo by Yoni Kroll.

UPDATE (7/19/2017): According to additional witness reports, the religious group that showed up in Clark Park on Saturday is called Christian Interviews. The group is based in Philadelphia and is led by “Pastor Aden”. Read this article about how the same group disrupted “I Heart UD Day” at the University of Delaware.

An unidentified religious group disrupted the biannual Clark Park Music & Arts Festival on Saturday, holding signs and shouting anti-gay, anti-Muslim and other slurs, according to witnesses. In an approach reminiscent of Westboro Baptist Church, even children held signs.

“[The group] had some Westboro-style signs that listed many different things that would send just about any person to hell,” said West Philadelphia resident Suzy Subways. “One man [in his] 30s was the most aggressive, and he was wearing a shirt that said, in huge letters, ‘YOU WHORE’ with a giant pointing finger, and a hat that said ‘Repent, you HO!’ A small child was sobbing in their midst and none of them comforted him.”  Continue Reading

All SEPTA modes of transportation will operate on a Sunday schedule on Tuesday, July 4, but additional service will be added to subway and trolleys at night to accommodate those who are planning to watch the fireworks on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The following information may be helpful to West Philly residents:

Market-Frankford Line: A total of ten extra trains will be dispatched starting at 4:30 p.m. to provide service every five minutes. These extra trips will run until 12:30 a.m. to help customers get home after the event. Market-Frankford Line Night Owl buses will replace trains at 12:30 a.m. SEPTA’s 15th Street Station provides riders access to and from the Parkway festivities.

Trolleys: Additional trips will be added on Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 after the fireworks.

More information can be found at septa.org.

Click here for more information about July 4th events and activities in the city (Independence Day Parade, Free Museum Day, Party on the Parkway and more).

This morning, SEPTA and TWU Local 234 have announced a tentative five-year contract that will bring 4,700-plus employees back to work and end a six-day strike that shut down the City Transit Division.

Service will be phased back in today on the Market-Frankford Line, Broad Street Line subway, city buses and trolleys, with full schedules restored by the start of the service day on Tuesday.

Limited service on the Market-Frankford Line has been restored starting at 9 a.m. today. Limited bus and trolley service is expected to resume later today:

MFL: Starting at 9AM, service will operate every 15 minutes. Trains will not service 5th Street Station due to the Hillary Clinton Rally.

— SEPTA (@SEPTA_MFL) November 7, 2016

MFL: Limited bus, trolley, and subway service will resume later today. Check System Status for updates on your routes.

— SEPTA (@SEPTA_MFL) November 7, 2016

Hello, El, we've missed you. pic.twitter.com/TQhapHFFH1

— Ronnie Polaneczky (@RonniePhilly) November 7, 2016

City Transit Division service has been shut down since the start of the TWU Local 234 strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1.  Continue Reading