Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
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| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Reporting marks | SPAX |
| Locale | Greater Philadelphia: |
| Dates of operation | 1965 – present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge), 5 ft 2½ in (1588 mm) (broad gauge Market-Frankford Line) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional quasi-public state agency that serves 3.8 million people in five counties in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region. SEPTA follows an multi-modal approach to public transportation, operating bus, subway and elevated rail, Regional rail, light rail , and electric trolley bus service (temporarily suspended as of 2006), and manages construction projects that repair, replace, and expand the existing infrastructure and rolling stock.
The five Pennsylvania counties that SEPTA serves are: the combined city and county of Philadelphia, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and Chester County. SEPTA also serves New Castle County in Delaware, and Mercer County in New Jersey.
SEPTA has the fifth largest transit system in the United States, with 280 active stations, over 450 miles of track, 2,295 revenue vehicles, 196 routes, and about 306.9 million annual unlinked trips. Average weekday ridership across the system is about 1,000,000 passengers. SEPTA also manages Shared-Ride services in Philadelphia and ADA services across the region. These services are operated by third-party contractors.
SEPTA has a workforce of over 9,000. The company's headquarters is located at 1234 Market Street in Center City Philadelphia.
Contents |
[edit] Routes
[edit] Rapid transit
- Market-Frankford Line (Blue Line): subway and elevated line from the Frankford Transportation Center (fully renovated in 2003) in the Frankford section of Philadelphia to 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, via Center City Philadelphia.
- Broad Street Line and Broad-Ridge Spur (Orange Line): subway line along Broad Street in Philadelphia from Fern Rock Transportation Center to Pattison Avenue/Sports Complex, via Center City Philadelphia.
[edit] Trolley and Light rail
- SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines (Green Line): five trolley routes that run in a subway in Center City and fan out along on street-level trolley tracks in West and Southwest Philadelphia.
- Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100): formerly known as the Philadelphia & Western (P&W), this interurban rapid transit is considered a light rail line.
- SEPTA Suburban Trolley Lines (Routes 101 and 102): two trolley routes in Delaware County which run mostly on private rights-of-way but also have some street running.
- Routes 15, 23, and 56: Three surface trolley routes that were "temporarily" suspended in 1992. Routes 23 and 56 are currently operated with buses. Trolley service on Route 15 resumed as of September 2005
- Trackless trolley (Trolleybus): All five of SEPTA's trackless trolley routes are currently operated with buses. Routes 29, 59, 66, 75, and 79 were run with trackless trolleys until diesel buses replaced them in 2002 and 2003. There are plans to acquire new trackless trolley vehicles and resume trackless trolley operates on the 59, 66, and 75.
[edit] Bus
SEPTA lists 121 bus routes, not including over 50 school trips, with most routes in the City of Philadelphia proper. Currently, SEPTA generally employs lettered, one and two-digit route numbering for its City Division routes, 90-series and 100-series numbers routes for its Victory ("Red Arrow") Division (Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties) and its Frontier Division (Montgomery and Bucks Counties), 200-series routes for its Regional Rail connector routes (Routes 201, 204, 205 and 206 in Montgomery & Chester Counties), 300-series routes for other specialized and/or third-party contract routes, and 400-series routes for limited service buses to schools within the city of Philadelphia.
[edit] Commuter Rail
Called Regional Rail, SEPTA's commuter rail service is run by the SEPTA Regional Rail division. This division operates 13 lines serving more than 150 stations covering most of the five county southeastern Pennsylvania region. It also runs trains to Newark, Delaware and Trenton, New Jersey.
[edit] SEPTA Divisions
SEPTA has three major operating divisions: City Transit, Suburban, and Regional Rail. These divisions reflect the different transit and railroad operations that SEPTA has assumed.
[edit] City Transit Division
The City Transit Division operates routes mostly within the City of Philadelphia, including buses, subway-surface trolleys, the Market-Frankford Line, and the Broad Street Line. Some of its routes extend into Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties. This division is the descendant of the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC). There are seven depots in this division - 5 of these depots only operate buses, 1 is a mixed bus/streetcar depot, 1 is a streetcar-only facility.
[edit] Garages
- Callowhill Depot (buses and streetcars)
- Elmwood Depot (streetcars only)
- Frankford Depot (buses and trackless trolleys---trackless trolley routes currently run with diesel buses)
- Comly Depot (buses only)
- Midvale Depot (buses only)
- Allegheny Depot (articulated buses only)
- Southern Depot (buses and trackless trolleys---trackless trolley routes currently run with diesel buses)
- Germantown Depot (buses only/contract operations)
[edit] Routes
[edit] Bus and Trackless Trolley
[edit] Light rail routes
[edit] Suburban Division
[edit] Victory Division
The Victory Division operates suburban bus and trolley (or light rail) routes that are based at 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby in Delaware County. Its routes include the Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) light rail line that runs from 69th Street Terminal to Norristown and the SEPTA Surface Media and Sharon Hill Trolley Lines (Routes 101 and 102). This division is the descendant of the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, also known as the Red Arrow Lines. Most residents of the Victory Division operating area still refers this division as the "Red Arrow Division."
[edit] Routes
[edit] Light Rail Routes
[edit] Bus Routes
[edit] Frontier Division
The Frontier Division operates suburban bus routes that are based at the Norristown Transportation Center in Montgomery County and bus lines that serve eastern Bucks County. This division is the descendant of the Schuylkill Valley Lines in the Norristown area, with the routes in Bucks County initiated by SEPTA in the 1980s.
[edit] Frontier Division Routes
[edit] Suburban Contract Operations
[edit] Regional Rail Division
The Regional Rail Division (RRD) operates commuter railroad routes that all, except for the R6 Cynwyd line, go through the Center City Commuter Connection Tunnel, stopping at 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and Market East Station. There are 13 branches that extend as far as Newark, Delaware and Trenton, New Jersey, where one can take NJ Transit or Amtrak to New York City. This division is the descendant of the 6 commuter lines of the Reading Company (RDG) and the 7 commuter lines of Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR, later Penn Central: PC) railroads.
SEPTA's railroad reporting mark SPAX can be see on non-revenue work equipment including boxcars, diesel locomotives, and other rolling stock.
[edit] History
Pennsylvania state charter created SEPTA on August 17, 1963. On November 1, 1965, SEPTA absorbed two predecessor agencies. The first predecessor agency, the Passenger Service Improvement Corporation (PSIC), had been created on January 20, 1960 to work with the Reading Company and Pennsylvania Railroad to improve commuter rail service and help the railroads maintain otherwise unprofitable passenger rail service. The city of Philadelphia and Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties created the other predecessor agency, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Compact (SEPACT), on September 8, 1961 to coordinate regional transport issues. SEPACT itself had succeded the Philadelphia Transportation Company.
SEPTA was chartered with the purpose of coordinating government subsidies to various transit and railroad companies in southeastern Pennsylvania. This included the Reading Company and Pennsylvania Railroad commuter railroad lines, and by 1966, all of these commuter railroad lines were operated under contract to SEPTA. On February 1, 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad merged with the New York Central railroad to become Penn Central, only to file for bankruptcy on June 21, 1970. Penn Central continued to operate in bankruptcy until 1976 when Conrail took over its assets along with several other bankrupt railroads, including the Reading Company. Conrail continued to operate commuter services under contract to SEPTA until January 1, 1983, when SEPTA officially took over operations and acquired track, rolling stock, and other assets to form the Railroad Division.
SEPTA acquired the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) on September 30, 1968, which included bus, trolley, and trackless trolley routes, and the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line in the City of Philadelphia. This became the City Transit Division. (Established as the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company in 1907 by the merger of a group of then independent transit companies operating within the city and its environs, the system became the PTC in 1940.)
On January 30, 1970, SEPTA acquired the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, also known as the Red Arrow Lines, which included the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W) route now called the Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100), the Media and Sharon Hill Lines (Routes 101 and 102), and several suburban bus routes in Delaware County. Today, this is the Victory Division, though it is sometimes referred to as the Red Arrow Division.
In 1976, SEPTA acquired the Schuylkill Valley Lines, which is today the Frontier Division.
The present General Manager is Faye L. M. Moore, who had served as the authority's Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer prior to her appointment in 2002. Past General Managers include John "Jack" Leary, Lou Gambaccini, and David L. Gunn. Past Acting General Managers include Jim Kilcur and Bill Stead.
[edit] 2005 Strike
SEPTA's contracts with its transit operators expired in April and May, 2005. In October 2005, the Transport Workers Union Local 234 and the United Transportation Union Local 1594 set a strike deadline effective Halloween morning, October 31, 2005 at 12:01 am. The reason the strike occurred was due to disagreement between SEPTA management and union leadership regarding employees' contributions to healthcare. Before the strike, SEPTA tried to negotiate with the union, offering them a new deal whereby SEPTA union employees would pay 5% of their salary towards healthcare costs. The SEPTA union refused the offer, arguing that when cost of living increases and inflation are factored in, its members would actually make less money than before. Negotiators walked out of contract negotiations minutes before that deadline when they failed to come to a conclusion. All employees in the City, Victory, and Frontier Divisions walked off the job, resulting in a complete suspension of service on all bus, trolley, and subway lines. Service on the regional rail division continued according to contingency plans, with service added to certain stations to help transport displaced city and suburban division passengers. This work stoppage stranded approximately 400,000 riders daily, impacting around 1,000,000 rides daily, forcing commuters to car-pool, walk, or arrange other alternative methods of transportation. In addition, over 27,000 public school students who receive free or subsidized transit tokens were forced to miss school completely or have their days cut short due to transportation issues.
In the early morning of November 7, 2005, a preliminary agreement had been reached between SEPTA management and union leadership. Service on all affected transit lines was fully restored by the late afternoon. This agreement was due in large part to the intervention by former Philadelphia mayor, and current Pennsylvania governor, Ed Rendell.
[edit] Active Revenue Fleet
[edit] Bus
| Year | Make | Model | Length (ft) | Width (in) | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Neoplan | AN440EZ | 40 | 96 | 3372-3491 (35 in service) |
| 1996 | American Ikarus | 416.08TA | 40 | 102 | 5001-5255 (254 in service) |
| 1997 | NABI | 416.08TA | 40 | 102 | 5256-5400 (154 in service) |
| 1998 | Neoplan | AN460OQ | 60 | 102 | 7101 |
| 1999 | Neoplan | AN460OQ | 60 | 102 | 7102 |
| 2000 | Neoplan | AN460OQ | 60 | 102 | 7103-7255 |
| 2001 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 | 102 | 5401-5500 |
| 2001 | ElDorado | Transmark RE29 | 29 | 96 | 4501-4580 (80 in service) |
| 2002 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 | 102 | 5501-5600 |
| 2002 | New Flyer | DE40LF | 40 | 102 | 5601H-5612H |
| 2003 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 | 102 | 5613-5712 |
| 2004 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 | 102 | 5713-5832, 5851-5950 |
| 2004 | Champion | Defender | 27 | 96 | 2070-2097 |
| 2004 | New Flyer | DE40LF | 40 | 102 | 5833H-5850H |
| 2005 | New Flyer | D40LF | 40 | 102 | 8000-8119 |
[edit] Subway
| Year | Make | Model | Length (ft) | Width (in) | Gauge (in) | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-1982 | Kawasaki | B-IV single-ended | 67.5 | 121.5 | Standard gauge | 501-576 |
| 1982 | Kawasaki | B-IV double-ended | 67.5 | 121.5 | Standard gauge | 651-699 |
| 1996-1997 | Adtranz | M4 | 55 | 110 | 62.5 | 1001-1250 |
[edit] Light Rail
| Year | Make | Model | Length (ft) | Width (in) | Gauge (in) | Numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 (rebuilt 2003) |
St. Louis Car | PCC II | 46 | 96 | 62.5 | 2320-2337 |
| 1981 | Kawasaki | K-Car Suburban LRV | 53 | 102 | 62.5 | 100-129 |
| 1981 | Kawasaki | K-Car Subway-Surface LRV | 49 | 102 | 62.5 | 9000-9111 |
| 1993 | ABB | N-5 Norristown | 65 | 107 | Standard gauge | 130-155 |
[edit] Regional Rail
| Year | Make | Model | Numbers | Total | Horsepower | Tare (lbs) | Seats | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Budd | Silverliner II | 201-209, 211-219, 251-264, 266-269, 9001-9017 |
54 of 56 active | 624 | 101,400 | 124-127 | 200 series cars are former Pennsylvania Railroad cars. 9000 series cars are former Reading Railroad cars. |
| 1967 | St. Louis Car | Silverliner III | 220-223, 225-239 | 19 of 20 active | 624 | 101,400 | 122 (232-239 seat 90) | Former Pennsylvania Railroad cars used on what is now the Keystone Service. These cars have left-side cabs, instead of standard right-side cabs. |
| 1975 | GE | Silverliner IV | 101-188, 306-399, 417-460 (married pairs) 276-305, 400-416 (single cars) |
231 of 232 active | Unknown | 125,000 | 125 | 400-series units are cars renumbered from lower series or from Reading Railroad cars 9018-9031 when PCB transformers were replaced with silicone transformers. |
| 1987 | EMD | AEM7 | 2301-2307 | 7 | 7,000 | 202,000 | Locomotive | Locomotives for push-pull trains |
| 1987 | Bombardier | Comet II | 2401-2410 (cab cars) 2501-2516 (trailer) |
10 cab cars 25 trailers |
Push-pull | 100,000 | 118 (cab cars) 131 (trailers) |
Push-pull coaches hauled by locomotives. |
| 1996 | ABB | ALP-44 | 2308 | 1 | 7,000 | 198,400 | Locomotive | Locomotive for push-pull trains. Delivered as a result of a settlement for late delivery of N-5 cars. |
| 2000 | Bombardier | Shoreliner III | 2550-2559 | 10 trailers | Push pull | 100,000 | 117 | These cars have a center door, and are used in push-pull service. |
| 2007- | Rotem | Silverliner V | Numbers not yet known | 120 | Unknown | 125,000 | 110 | Replacements for Budd and St. Louis Car railcars. |
[edit] Maintenance of way vehicles
- C-145 snow sweeper 1923
- Harsco Track Technologies Corporation work car
- PCC work car 2194
- SEPTA Railroad OPS-3161 work car
- W-56 work Car
- W-61 work Car
[edit] Maintenance facilities
- 69th Street Yard (Market-Frankford Line)
- Allegheny Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
- Berridge Shops (formerly Wyoming Shops) (Bus Maintenance and Overhauls)
- Callowhill Depot (City Transit Division/Bus and Streetcar)
- Comly Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
- Elmwood Depot (City Transit Division/Streetcar)
- Fern Rock Yard (Broad Street Line)
- Frankford Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
- Frazer Yard (Regional Rail)
- Frontier Depot (Suburban Transit Division/Bus)
- Germantown Brakes Maintenance Facility (Bus Maintenance/Contract Operations)
- Midvale Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
- Overbrook Maintenance Facility (Regional Rail)
- Powelton Yard (Regional Rail)
- Roberts Yard (Regional Rail)
- Southern Depot (City Transit Division/Bus)
- Woodland Maintenance Facility (Streetcar Overhaul and Repairs)
- Victory Depot (69th Street) (Suburban Transit Division/Bus and Rail)
[edit] Governance
SEPTA is governed by a fifteen member Board of Directors.
- The City of Philadelphia appoints two members; one of whom is appointed by the Mayor, the other is appointed by the President of the Philadelphia City Council. The representatives from Philadelphia have the ability to veto any item that comes before the full board due to a formula based on population and ridership that only applies to the City of Philadelphia; the veto is subject to an override vote by the full board within 30 days after the veto is applied.
- Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County appoint two members each. These members are appointed by the County Commissioners in Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery County and by the County Council in Delaware County.
- The majority and minority leaders of the two houses of the Pennsylvania State Legislature (the Senate and the House of Representatives) appoints one member each, for a total of four members.
- The Governor of Pennsylvania appoints one member.
The day-to-day operations of SEPTA is handled by the General Manager, who is appointed and hired by the Board of Directors. The General Manager is assisted by 9 department heads, with the title of "Assistant General Manager". The Assistant General Managers report directly to the General Manager on behalf of their respective departments.
[edit] Other transit agencies in the Philadelphia region
- NJ Transit runs buses from Philadelphia to New Jersey points. It also runs the River Line light rail line from Camden, New Jersey to Trenton, New Jersey and the Atlantic City Line from 30th St. Station to Atlantic City.
- PATCO Speedline is a rapid transit line that runs from Center City Philadelphia to Camden, New Jersey and terminates in Lindenwold, New Jersey. At the 8th and Market Streets, one can transfer to the Market-Frankford Line and Broad-Ridge Spur with an additional transfer fare. It crosses over the Delaware River via the Ben Franklin Bridge. It is owned by the Delaware River Port Authority.
- Krapf's Transit runs regularly scheduled to Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, and West Chester. They also provide contract services to SEPTA.
- Pottstown Urban Transit operates five bus routes within Pottstown Borough and the neighboring townships of Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Pottsgrove, and West Pottsgrove in Montgomery County and North Coventry Township in Chester County.
- DART First State provides bus service in Delaware. This service connects with SEPTA's R2 Wilmington-Newark Regional Rail line in Wilmington and Newark.
- AMTRAK provides rail service between Philadelphia and points beyond SEPTA's range, including Lancaster and Harrisburg to the west, Baltimore and Washington, DC to the southwest, and New York to the northeast. AMTRAK's service overlaps to some degree with the R2, R5, and R7 lines. It is faster than SEPTA, but significantly more expensive.
[edit] Trivia
The Philadelphia-based synth-pop musician Atom and His Package wrote a song entitled "Head of Septa, Nose of Me" about his belief that SEPTA was not responsive to him after he sustained an injury to his nose inside a SEPTA station, it appears on the album Making Love
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Official Website
- Philadelphia Transit Vehicles Fan Site
- Philly NRHS Septa History
- Philadelphia Transit Fan Discussion Boards
- Philly Trolley Tracks
- Krapf's Transit
- SEPTA Transit stops mapped onto Google Maps
- SEPTA Photo Pages-Stan's Railpix
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (official website) | |
|---|---|
| City Transit Division | Market-Frankford Line - Broad Street Line - Subway-Surface Lines - Girard Avenue Trolley (Route 15) - City surface routes |
| Suburban Division | Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) - Suburban Trolley Lines (Routes 101 & 102) - Suburban bus routes |
| Regional Rail | R1 - R2 - R3 - R5 - R6 - R7 - R8 |
| Major Stations | Frankford Transportation Center - Market East Station - Suburban Station - 30th Street Station - 69th Street Terminal |
