Transportation
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Strike Option Looms for SEPTA Suburban Drivers as Negotiations Continue
The operators of SEPTA’s suburban buses, trolleys, and the Norristown High-Speed Line are keeping an option open for a driver’s strike later this week, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The United Transportation Union Local 1594 contracts are set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Friday. A driver’s strike authorization could be voted on Monday…
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Amtrak Continues to Mull Rail Service Expansion; Local Commuters On Board With the Idea
Amtrak continues to sift survey data in consideration of looking for additional rail service connections to/from Pennsylvania. Proposed passenger lines include Allentown/New York City and Philadelphia/Reading, writes Cody Butler for PA Homepage. The plans are the result of the railroad’s summer study with Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority. One possible outcome could mean that a…
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Philadelphia International Airport Sees Scheduled Flights Drop by 21%
Flights scheduled and completed in the fourth quarter declined more at Philadelphia International Airport than at other airports with 10,000 or more scheduled flights, writes Ryan Mulligan for Philadelphia Business Journal. Scheduled flights at PHL have decreased 21.3% since early August, according to aviation analyst Cirium. There were 36,000 flights planned out of PHL as…
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SEPTA Adopts Operational Cost-Cutting Ideas Suggested Employees, Could Save $117M Annually
SEPTA is following through on operational cost-cutting ideas generated by its employees. The measures could end up saving the transit agency $117 million a year, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The year-long brainstorming effort was conducted by SEPTA and McKinsey & Co. consultancy. These cost cutting suggestions are of crucial importance at a…
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Plastic Will Help Pave Ridley Creek Park Road in New Recycling Experiment
An experimental road is being laid next week at Ridley Creek State Park using recycled plastics, writes Pete Bannan for the Daily Times. Most of the park road will be closed next week, but will be open weekends. South Sandy Flash Drive from Gradyville Road will use a mixture of asphalt and recycled plastic. Two…
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SEPTA’s Plan to Extend Rail Service to King of Prussia in Line for Potential Federal Funding Boost
SEPTA’s plan to extend its rail service to King of Prussia is in line for a potential boost in federal funding after it gained entry into a national program earlier this week, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The Federal Transportation Administration’s Capital Investment Grant program distributes grants under its New Starts program…
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SEPTA Wayfinding: Philadelphia’s $40 Million Public Transit Reorg Includes Simplifying Its Maze of a Map
SEPTA wayfinding — the Philadelphia transit authority’s concept guiding its regional rail, subway, streetcar, and bus system reorg — will also address its present map, reports Laura Bliss for Bloomberg. The goal of the $40 million, multiyear initiative is to ease users’ passage among destinations, even when trips involve various modes of transportation. “If you…
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From Playwright to Bus Driver, This Darby Man Did a Pandemic Pivot
Muhammad Bilal “Bi” Islam of Darby used to see stories everywhere, a possible occupational hazard as a playwright. Now the pandemic has ended that career and he’s driving a bus for SEPTA, writes Jane M. Von Bergen for The Philadelphia Inquirer. “If I put my mind to it, I could find the stories,” he said. “But…
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‘So, You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance?’ Hopes for West Chester Rail Service Rekindled
Proponents of the reestablishment of a commuter rail line between Philadelphia and West Chester were dealt a blow during a June meeting with the borough and SEPTA officials. The transit authority said at that time that its infrastructure repair backlog would most likely eclipse any potential restoration of rail service. But more recent indications may…
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SEPTA Considers Lowering Regional Rail Fares, Easing Transfer Restrictions
SEPTA is considering lowering Regional Rail fares, and allowing passengers who travel by train within the city to transfer to buses, subways, and trolleys, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. SEPTA’s hoping to encourage more inner-city travel using different modes of its mass transit system. The traditional suburban commuter who used the train to…
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Amtrak Wants to Expand PA Service by Adding New Routes, Increasing Frequency of Existing Ones
Amtrak is planning to expand its service in Pennsylvania in the near future by adding new routes. It also wants to increase the frequency of the existing ones, writes David Tristan for abc27 News. Rail officials shared their proposal during a virtual meeting with Governor Tom Wolf and several state and local leaders. The passenger…
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Switch to All-Electronic Tolling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Takes a Toll on the Agency’s Finances
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has lost more than $104 million in uncollected tolls in the past year. The losses can be traced directly to the agency’s conversion to all-electronic tolling. Mark Scolforo tallied the impact for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Toll payments transitioned from cash to a E-ZPass in the late 1980s. From there, the technology advanced…
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Amtrak’s Proposed Reading to New York Line Would Run Through Montgomery County
As part of its Amtrak Connects US initiative, Amtrak has announced additional details about a planned line that would run from Reading to New York and would pass through both Montgomery and Chester counties, according to a staff report from WFMZ-TV 69 News. The proposed line, which now has a dedicated webpage, would see the…
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What’s In a Name? When It Comes to a SEPTA Rail Line, A Lot
SEPTA is proposing a change to its rail transit maps and SEPTA route labels, replacing century-old names with simpler signs and colors, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The rail system, covering the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line, the Norristown High Speed Line and other various trolley routes, would be referred to as…
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In Anticipation of Ridership Surge This Fall, SEPTA Gears Up Service to Nearly Pre-Pandemic Levels
In anticipation of a surge in ridership this fall, SEPTA has begun adding more services across the system. The returning buses, trolleys, and rail lines will bring its reach nearly to pre-pandemic levels, writes Hannah Kanik for Philly Voice. The transportation authority is implementing new transit schedules for buses and trolleys, as well as the…
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Through Both Commercial Use and Tourism, Chester County’s Railroads Just Keep Chugging Along
Chester County’s railroads date back to the earliest days of U.S. train travel. They played an important role in the development of the nation by transporting natural resources, writes Steven Hoffman for the Chester County Press. A group of prominent citizens helped found the West Chester Railroad in 1832. It was one of the first…
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Philadelphia Traffic Improved by 58 Percent in 2020, But the Chronic Congestion Is Just Around the Corner
While traffic congestion remained high in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in 2020, year-over-year data analysis showed it had been more than halved, according to a staff report from the News Chant. That’s the good news. The bad news is the reason for the improvement. The recently published 2021 Urban Mobility Report ranked the City of…
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Infrastructure Bill That Passed Senate Would Funnel Billions Into Pennsylvania
If it is approved by the House of Representatives, the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this week would funnel billions of dollars into Pennsylvania for improvements to the state’s infrastructure, writes Andrew Scott for The Morning Call. The bill allocates $11.3 billion for over 7,500 miles of highway, an additional…
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