MORE PROBLEMS ON R5 As if two days of suspended service on the R5 Paoli Thorndale line last week wasn't bad enough, now this...

A tree fell on an outbound R5 train west of Wynnewood station yesterday morning. #505 was about to depart Wynnewood en route to Malvern when the incident occured. The train had just left Wynnewood when the tree fell. Buses were dispatched to transport the stranded passengers on the #505. R5 service to Paoli and Thorndale was restored shortly after 11:00am; service from Thorndale and Paoli to Center City was restored at around 3:00pm.

FINALLY GETTING ON BOARD SEPTA seems to have finally realized the potential threat of bio-terrorism on its subway tunnels and is turning to a source right up the street. Researchers at Drexel University are developing a sensitve bio-terrorism detector that can detect a wide range of chemicals and other biological agents, then instantly send wireless signals to appropriate police and fire agencies, ensuring a rapid response. The system is slated to be up within a year.

I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT SEPTA reports that additional trains would be added to regular Broad St line service to accomodate fans attending this week's Phillies "games", which will be meaningless except for the fact that these are the final three games ever at the Vet (back-to-back choke jobs and losing two of three to the "Indianapolis" Reds last weekend have made it virtually impossible for the Phils to win the NL Wild Card - nice managing of your pitching staff, Bowa). Of course, after Sunday's game, there was only one train - an express - prepared to leave the station. And, no, I don't buy the arguement that a train could've pulled out when I entered the station, since Broad St managers have even less credibility than SEPTA's Minister of Misinformation Richard Maloney (and that's hard to do, by the way).

Reportedly, the rarely used lower level of Pattison station will be used to accomodate the large crowds for Sunday's game. The lower level was recently used two Sunday's ago when the Iggles embarrassed themselves (again) at "The New $512 million, Partially Taxpayer Subsidized License for Lurie and Banner to Gouge Prices at 11 St and Pattison Av." Well, fear not, Iggles fans ... the Iggles are now on the clock with the first pick in next year's draft...

Interestingly enough, SEPTA hasn't made such a big deal over people using the Broad St Subway for tomorrow night's FIFA World Cup Soccer matches at the "The New $512 million, Partially Taxpayer Subsidized License for Lurie and Banner to Gouge Prices at 11 St and Pattison Av." That either tells me that (a) nobody gives a damn about soccer in Philadelphia (though the Manchester United soccer match that opened up "The New $512 million, Partially Taxpayer Subsidized License for Lurie and Banner to Gouge Prices at 11 St and Pattison Av" to a packed house last month) or (b) someone at SEPTA is not paying attention to events at the sports complex as well as we would have expected.