SEPTA has announced extra trips on subways, trolleys and additional service on several regional rail lines to accommodate those going to and from Made in America concert, which will be held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 3 & 4). Service on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines will operate on regular Saturday/Sunday schedules, with extra trains added for the festival.

SEPTA’s Center City trolley tunnel, which normally closes on Sunday evenings, will remain open to accommodate passengers on the Route 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 trolleys. Trolleys will operate on Saturday/Sunday schedules during the festival.

On Monday, Sept. 5, SEPTA will operate on a Sunday/Holiday schedule. For more information, visit septa.org.

And here are some closings and schedules changes in observance of Labor Day:

• Philadelphia public libraries will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2 and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
• There will be no trash or recyclables collection on Monday, Sept. 5. Residents with Monday collections must set their trash out on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Collections will be one day behind for the rest of the week.

SEPTA’s annual Trolley Tunnel Blitz, originally scheduled for nine days in July but postponed due to the Regional Rail issue, will take place on weekends and weekday nights starting Friday, Aug. 12.

SEPTA Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the Center City tunnel on the following weekends:

• 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12  to 4:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 15
• 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19 to 4:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 22
• 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26 to 4:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29

Trolleys will not operate in the tunnel on weeknights from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. on August 15-19 and 22-26. Trolleys will use the tunnel on weekdays during peak rush hours and throughout the day (from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

During the closures, trolley service will begin and end at 40th and Market Streets. Trolley passengers can board the Market-Frankford Line at 40th Street Station for travel to and from Center City.

More information about the Trolley Tunnel Blitz is available on septa.org.

SEPTA riders who wanted to test the new SEPTA Key Fare card but didn’t get a chance to purchase it in June when the Early Adopters program was launched, will have another chance very soon. The SEPTA Key Early Adopters Program will begin expanding on Monday, Aug. 1, with two major sales offices offering a limited number of Key Cards loaded with Weekly or Monthly TransPasses. The expansion will continue through September, with more sales locations and station kiosks for reloading passes added each week.

Some 10,000 passes were offered for sale at fare kiosks inside stations along the Market-Frankford starting June 13 and Broad Street Lines and sold out by the end of June.

Starting Aug. 1, Weekly and Monthly TransPasses loaded on Key Cards will be sold at SEPTA Sales Offices located at 15th Street Station and SEPTA Headquarters at 1234 Market Street. Then, starting Monday, Aug. 8, SEPTA will expand sales and reloading of Weekly and Monthly TransPasses to sales offices at major transit terminals. Additional station kiosks will be available only for reloading of Weekly or Monthly TranPasses. The full rollout schedule is posted online at http://www.septakey.org/key/.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Early Adopters program does not eliminate tokens, which will still be in use for single trips.

SEPTA’s Trolley Tunnel Blitz, the annual maintenance project in the trolley tunnel connecting West Philadelphia and Center City that had been scheduled to begin on Friday, July 8, has been postponed, according to SEPTA’s spokesperson Andrew Busch. “It is postponed due to the Regional Rail issue and the related increase in ridership on our other modes,” Busch wrote in an email.

The trolley routes 11, 13, 34 and 36 will continue normal operation through the tunnel until further announcement.

SEPTA lost a third of its regional rail fleet on July 3 when an issue had been detected with Silverliner V commuter rail passenger cars. 120 Silverliner V cars have been taken out of service, causing the remaining trains operate over capacity. Many trains today have been standing-room only.

SEPTA is planning to provide additional information on the Tunnel Blitz this Thursday. They don’t have a rescheduled date at this time.

July 4th is this Monday, so here’s information on the festivities, where you can watch the fireworks, and holiday SEPTA service.

Photo via www.welcomeamerica.com

July 4th “Wawa Welcome America” Celebration & Fireworks

As always, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will host a huge July 4th celebration, which includes a free outdoor concert from 5 – 10 p.m., followed by fireworks. SEPTA will have additional late-night service to accommodate holiday revelers from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (see more info below).

If you’re planning to celebrate in West Philly there are some great places to watch the fireworks west of the Schuylkill. One of them is Drexel Park at 31st and Powelton. Just bring a blanket/chair, pack some snacks and enjoy.

By the way, there will be two more fireworks this weekend, both on Penn’s Landing – on Friday, July 1, 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 2, also at 9:30 p.m.  Continue Reading

The annual trolley tunnel maintenance project, SEPTA Trolley Tunnel Blitz, is scheduled for next month and will take nine days to complete. The tunnel will close at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 8 and will re-open for trolley service at 4 a.m. on Monday, July 18, 2016.

During the blitz, trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate through the tunnel. Trolley service will begin and end at 40th and Market Streets; trolleys will use their alternate diversion service routing to connect to SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line at 40th and Market Streets.

This is the fourth year SEPTA has held the Trolley Tunnel Blitz. In 2015, the tunnel was closed for 16 days.

During this year’s blitz, more than 400 members of SEPTA’s in-house Engineering, Maintenance & Construction Division crews will work around-the-clock on key maintenance and construction tasks.  Continue Reading