SEPTA Regional Rail is the commuter rail system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its metropolitan region, also known as the Delaware Valley. The system is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and serves five counties in Pennsylvania—Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, and Philadelphia—as well as Mercer County in New Jersey and New Castle County in Delaware.[1] The system covers a total route length of 223 mi (359 km), 98 mi (158 km) of which are owned by SEPTA, with the remainder owned by Amtrak, CSX Transportation, and the City of Philadelphia. In the 2023 fiscal year, SEPTA Regional Rail an average weekday ridership of 58,713.[2]
There are 13 lines within the Regional Rail system, with 156 active stations.[a][3] Six fare zones in the system determine the ticket price, based on the distance traveled. Fare zones are designated as Zones 1 through 4 based on the station's distance from Center City Philadelphia with additional zones for stations in the Center City area (CCP zone) and stations in New Jersey (NJ zone). Despite its close proximity to Center City, the four Airport Terminal stations are located within Zone 4.[4]
The Regional Rail system was built in the early 20th century[5] and originally consisted of two separate systems, operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Company, respectively.[6] SEPTA was formed in 1963,[7] and the Pennsylvania Railroad merged into the Penn Central Transportation Company in 1968.[8] Penn Central and the Reading Company operated the railroads until they were taken over by Conrail in 1976, which operated the system through 1982.[6] SEPTA commenced operation of the Regional Rail Division on January 1, 1983, which gave SEPTA complete operational control of its railroads.[7]
In November 1984, the Center City Commuter Connection opened, a tunnel linking the former Pennsylvania and Penn Central networks, allowing for inbound trains to travel into Center City and continue as through service into adjacent suburbs. The tunnel also replaced the former Reading Terminal with the new Market East Station (now Jefferson Station). The 12 Reading and Penn Central lines were combined into seven routes, designated as R1 through R8,[9] with the R4 designation reserved for future use, although it was never used.[10] The system's newest line, the Airport Line, opened in 1985, taking over the R1 designation from the West Trenton Line and pairing West Trenton service with the R3 Media/Elwyn Line.[9][11] In July 2010, the "R" designations for each line were dropped, and lines were renamed after their destinations.[12]
Lines
edit| Line | Weekday ridership (FY 2023)[2] | Route length[13] | Inbound terminus[b] | Outbound terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,268 | 12.10 mi (19.47 km) | Temple University | Airport Terminals E & F | |
| 2,318 | 12.20 mi (19.63 km) | 30th Street Station | Chestnut Hill East | |
| 2,768 | 14.59 mi (23.48 km) | Temple University | Chestnut Hill West | |
| 112 | 6.93 mi (11.15 km) | Suburban Station | Cynwyd | |
| 2,425 | 12.69 mi (20.42 km) | 30th Street Station | Fox Chase | |
| 7,674 | 35.81 mi (57.63 km) | 30th Street Station | Doylestown | |
| 4,724 | 20.48 mi (32.96 km) | Penn Medicine | Elm Street | |
| 3,548 | 20.77 mi (33.43 km) | Temple University | Wawa | |
| 7,425 | 37.92 mi (61.03 km) | Temple University | Thorndale | |
| 7,316 | 35.95 mi (57.86 km) | Temple University | Trenton Transit Center | |
| 5,227 | 22.37 mi (36.00 km) | Penn Medicine | Warminster | |
| 5,736 | 34.79 mi (55.99 km) | Penn Medicine | West Trenton | |
| 4,172 | 41.37 mi (66.58 km) | Temple University | Newark |
Stations
editAll stations are located in Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Stations located within the City of Philadelphia are additionally distinguished by neighborhood or area as noted on the official SEPTA map.[14] Accessible stations are noted with the icon.
Notes
edit- ^ SEPTA considers North Philadelphia station as two separate stations for its platforms serving the Chestnut Hill West Line and the Trenton Line, respectively
- ^ Most trains continue past their inbound terminus towards an outbound station along a different line (with the exception of Cynwyd Line trains).
- ^ Officially William H. Gray III 30th Street Station
References
edit- ^ "SEPTA Information". Philadelphia University. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ a b SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics: Regional Rail: Fiscal Year 2023". Tableau Software. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ McGahee, Michael (April 6, 2023). "Regional Rail Stations". SEPTA Web Mapping Portal. ArcGIS. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Fare Zone Map 2023" (PDF). SEPTA. 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "Fiscal Years 2010-2014 Five-Year Strategic Business Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. March 2009. p. 13. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget & Fiscal Years 2016 to 2020 Financial Projections" (PDF). SEPTA. September 29, 2014. p. 33. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Irving Felton v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 952 F.2d 59 (U.S. 3d Cir. 1991-01-23).
- ^ "Conrail merger family tree". Trains. June 2, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- ^ a b Nussbaum, Paul (October 25, 1984). "New Rail Tunnel to Unify System Starting Nov. 12". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B1.
- ^ "Yes Virginia, There IS an R4" (PDF). The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers. December 2000. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2014. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ "Airport Line: Celebrating 25 Years". SEPTA. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ "SEPTA renames Regional Rail lines". WPVI-TV. July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ McGahee, Michael (April 6, 2023). "Regional Rail Lines". SEPTA Web Mapping Portal. ArcGIS. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b SEPTA Official Philadelphia Street & Transit Map (PDF) (Map). Cartography by SEPTA Service Planning Department. SEPTA. 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ SEPTA Official Suburban Street & Transit Map (Map). Cartography by SEPTA Service Planning Department. 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Delaware Country SEPTA Regional Rail Train Station Report" (PDF). Delaware County Planning Department, Transportation Division. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2011.