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

Good news for SEPTA customers: A few months after introducing the SEPTA Key Early Adopters program, which allows customers to purchase cards that work as monthly or weekly TransPasses, SEPTA has announced the roll-out of “Quick Trip” – single trip tickets for Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines.

A Quick Trip is a disposable magnetic strip ticket that customers can swipe at new Key turnstiles. A Quick Trip is valid for one-way travel from the station where it is purchased, and must be used on the day it is purchased. Station and date-of-purchase details are printed on the ticket.

The addition of the Quick Trip feature gives riders the option to purchase their fare in the station without worrying about having a token or exact change beforehand.

There is no discount for a Quick Trip – the regular one-way transit cash fare of $2.25 applies. Also, a Quick Trip cannot be used in combination with a transfer. However, SEPTA customers can use their debit and credit cards for single-trip purchases at station kiosks, and riders who use cash will receive change if they don’t have exact fare.  Continue Reading

To accommodate New Year’s Eve travel, SEPTA will operate enhanced late-evening schedules on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines and Regional Rail (a special customer guide is available online). A number of bus detours will also be in effect on New Year’s Day to accommodate the Mummers Parade.

Thursday, Dec. 31:

• Extra trains will operate on the Broad Street and Market Frankford Lines starting at 7:05 p.m. for travel to the fireworks at Penn’s Landing.
• Broad Street and Market Frankford Line trains will operate overnight service Dec. 31 into Jan 1.
• The Market Street/Convention Center entrance to Jefferson Station will remain open until 2 a.m. to accommodate customers returning from New Year’s Eve fireworks.  Continue Reading

On Saturday, July 4, SEPTA Transit Service including bus, trolley and subway service will operate on a Sunday schedule. Regional Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4. On Saturday, additional service will be added on many lines to accommodate travelers heading to and from events in Center City. Planned service changes by mode include:

Market Frankford and Broad Street Lines

Additional trains will be added on each line beginning at 4:00 p.m. Saturday, providing service every 5 to 7 minutes through 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. Regular weekend “Night Owl” rail service will be in effect throughout the holiday weekend, providing trains every 20 minutes until 5:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. 15th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line and City Hall and Race-Vine Stations on the Broad Street Line provide easy walking access to and from the Parkway.

Trolley

Additional trips on Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will be added on Saturday evening headed to Center City before the concert and fireworks show on the Parkway, with additional trolleys departing Center City on each line after Parkway events end.  Continue Reading

The Subway restaurant near 46th and Baltimore has closed along with several other spots owned by the same franchisee.

The restaurant, which became a focal point of controversy in late 2011 and early 2012, was one of four Subway locations that will close. But that doesn’t mean Subway is gone. The corporation that owns Subway is looking for another franchisee for the Baltimore Avenue location, according to Barry Grossbach, chair of the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee.

The zoning committee initially supported Subway’s plan to open on Baltimore Avenue, arguing that it would provide a stable tenant. Nearby residents complained that it would increase traffic in the nearby alley. Others complained that a franchise was out of place on a commercial corridor that was largely made up of locally owned businesses.

In early 2012, Subway signed a 10-year lease on the storefront at 4533 Baltimore Ave., which has churned through businesses over the last several years.

– Mike Lyons, Andrew Foronda

Good news for local late-night public transportation users. SEPTA is extending again its pilot “Night Owl” weekend subway service on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines, this time indefinitely. The service was introduced in June, prompted by the changing city, and initially it was planned to try it until Labor Day and evaluate it. Then it was extended until November and now SEPTA says that the service is so popular that it’s staying for an indefinite time.

Here’s some stats from SEPTA regarding the popularity of this service:

– An average of 15,000 riders each weekend have boarded trains between midnight and 5:00 a.m. since June 15. That’s 6,000 riders more than those who previously used overnight bus service.

– Weekend overnight train service has been most popular during holiday weekends (24,430 riders on July 4; 17,192 passengers over Labor Day weekend).

According to SEPTA, passenger safety was also evaluated during the pilot. Issues have been minimal, due to an increased police presence on overnight trains.