SEPTA has revealed more details on the proposed Route 49, a bus service that would connect the rapidly developing Brewerytown section of the city with Grays Ferry via Fairmount Park and University City. Plans were presented at a community meeting on Tuesday. The route would provide a direct transit option between 30th Street Station and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Here’s a map for the proposed route (via universitycity.org):

Click to enlarge.

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SEPTA is expanding its Key Fare program to more transit locations. Starting Thursday, Feb. 9, customers can get a new Key Card at 69th Street Transportation Center with the purchase of a Weekly/Monthly Transpass, Convenience Pass, or when they load funds to a Travel Wallet.

Beginning Monday, Feb. 13, and continuing throughout February and early March, Fare Kiosks will be activated at all Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street Line stations, and all major bus loops. Key Cards will be available with the purchase of Weekly and Monthly TransPasses, and then reloadable for all passes and the Travel Wallet.

Fare Kiosks will be activated on the Market-Frankford Line in West Philly on the following dates:

• Thursday, Feb. 16: 30th St., 34th St., 40th St., 46th St.
• Friday, Feb. 17: 52nd St., 56th St., 60th St., 63rd St.  Continue Reading

SEPTA customers who are planning to use SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line on Monday should prepare for service delays. Due to ongoing inspections following the discovery this weekend of support-beam cracks on two Market-Frankford Line rail cars, there will be a temporary shortage of rail cars during peak travel times. Beginning with the morning rush hour on Monday, Feb. 6, trains will operate with longer intervals, and supplemental bus service will be provided.

During the peak periods – 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. – service will operate as frequently as possible with available vehicles, and A/B stop service will be suspended. Supplemental buses will be positioned at locations along the line to provide alternative service. Midday and evening train service will operate on regular schedules, as will overnight Owl Bus service.  Continue Reading

Photo courtesy of SEPTA

To help put riders in the seasonal spirit, some SEPTA drivers have again decorated their trolleys with tinsel, lights, bows and bells, so … the Jolly Trolleys are back!

Operators used hundreds of lights, yards of garland and tons of ornaments, all to make the season brighter for their passengers.

The festive trolleys can be found on the following routes:

• Trolley # 2336, operated on Route 15
• Trolley #9053, operated on Route 10
• Trolley #9031 operated on the Routes 11 and 36

And this trolley even has music playing in the car. Pretty awesome!

Yo there’s another Jolly Trolley and it’s got 🎶 Car #9053 pic.twitter.com/tnKgCMwmIw

— Amara Rockar (@arockar) December 6, 2016

If you spot a Jolly Trolley or especially ride in one, let us know in the comments. We only got lucky once last year.

The 23rd annual Philadelphia Marathon activities will take place from November 18-20. The half marathon will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19 and the full marathon will be held on Sunday, Nov. 20. Here’s some important information for those who are planning to attend and those whose plans may be affected due to street closures.

Marathon Races, Activities, Cheer Zones

Here you can find information on weekend race activities, and information on the races is available here. Information for fans, including cheer zones, can be found here.

Street Closures

2016 Philadelphia Marathon Course Map (click to enlarge)

Streets will be closed in many parts of the city in connection with the marathon on the weekend of Nov. 18 – 20. Delays can be expected. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes, avoid areas along the race course, allow for extra driving time and proceed with caution during Race Weekend. Due to increased security in the Parkway area, parking and traffic regulations will be strictly enforced. Street closures will be enforced on a rolling basis as runners go by.

Some of the major areas impacted include:

• The Benjamin Franklin Parkway Friday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 20

• Citywide along the 26.2-mile route of the Philadelphia Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 20

• The I-676 off-ramps at 22nd Street (westbound) and 23rd Street (eastbound) will be closed on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 after 4 a.m. for event security preparation. Ramps at 15th/Broad may also close, if needed.  Continue Reading

SEPTA has released 1,000 new SEPTA Key cards that include the Travel Wallet feature, which means that customers can load them with cash value and pay as they go on all buses, trolleys and the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines.

These new SEPTA Key cards are available for purchase at the Sales Office and Fair Kiosks at SEPTA Headquarters, 1234 Market Street. SEPTA is using a soft-launch approach for the Travel Wallet to help familiarize customers with this new way of paying and to address any issues that customers experience before moving to a larger rollout.

Customers will be required to put a minimum of $10 on the card, with a maximum of $250. Those who already have SEPTA Key Cards from previous Weekly and Monthly TransPass purchases can also load money onto the Travel Wallet at the SEPTA Headquarters locations.  Continue Reading