NEW ROUTES PUSHED BACK FURTHER

For nearly a year, SEPTA has been pushing back the launch date of new bus routes that are part of the US 202/Section 300 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality strategy. Initially slated to start this past summer, it was pushed back to November. A report from SEPTA (scroll to page #9) indicated that the new routes would begin in Fall 2006.

Then, when the February timetables changed, there was no mention of the two new SEPTA services - the 205 between Paoli and Main Line Industrial Park in Charlestown Twp, and the 306 between Great Valley and Brandywine Town Center via West Chester.

Now, according to an e-newsletter from DART First State, the two new SEPTA routes are scheduled to start on March 12. Meanwhile:

* A new TMA of Chester County service between the Coatesville area and the Great Valley area, known as the "Bee-Line", will start operating on February 20 (naturally, since this is a TMACC/Krap(f)'s operation, no SEPTA fare instruments will be honored).
* The extension of an early evening post-peak R5 train from Malvern to Thorndale has already taken place.

The big $64,000 question has to be why has it taken SEPTA nearly a year to make mention of two new routes in Chester County while at the same time a slew of new services - some proposed two years ago (1, 20 and 50), others just coming right out of the blue (the 127 extension and the new 150 route) - serving the Philadelphia Park Race Track/Slots Parlor in Bucks County are virtually fast-tracked.

On a related note, Krap(f)'s will operate both the 205 and 306, and also on March 12 will take over operations of the 314 from Keystone...