ARCHIVES - 06/02/02

Equipement problems over the weekend didn't exactly make life easy for riders on the 104. On Saturday, the 10:30am trip to West Chester didn't even arrive 69 St Terminal. The reported reason was equipment problem at the depot though someone reported the bus broke down at the terminal itself. Considering that Victory Depot is less than 2 blocks from 69 St Terminal, there's no reason that a bus couldn't have been dispatched to cover the 10:30am run and 11:25am return to 69 St Terminal.

To make matters worse, the 11:55am to 69 St Terminal (5322/237 block) arrived in West Chester at 11:59am and didn't leave until 12:08pm - 13 minutes behind schedule. 5322 arrived at the terminal at 1:03pm - an appalling 18 minutes behind schedule, causing more than a few missed connections to other Red Arrow bus and rail routes. There was absolutely no reason for the driver on 104/237 block to have taken that much time between arriving in West Chester and leaving.

On Sunday, 5318 - which was covering 104/234 block - the 2:55pm to 69 St Terminal - suffered a flat street side rear tire...

But, the laziness displayed by that 104 operator on Saturday isn't just limited to the 104. The 1:30pm 113 to Marcus Hook (5144/504 block) left 69 St Terminal about 5 minutes late. The operator was apparently in no hurry to get to her bus in time, as she was seen a couple of berths away talking to some people at 1:30pm. The bus arrived at Darby 6 minutes behind schedule. And people wonder why there is so much criticism of SEPTA these days?

The Bucks County TMA has discontinued the Levittown RUSH service which connected the Levittown-Tullytown R7 Trenton Line station with businesses in the Levittown section of Falls Twp and Tullytown borough, presumably due to very low ridership. It probably didn't help that most of the service in Tullytown was already covered by SEPTA's 128 bus...

While the Levittown RUSH service has been eliminated, the Bucks County TMA is starting two new RUSH services on Monday, July 1. The Pennridge RUSH will operate peak-hour service between the Lansdale R5 station and the Perkasie/Sellersville area. The Quakertown RUSH will also connect with the R5 at Lansdale station...

The 66 saw a mix of Neoplans and tracklesses yesterday. SEPTA appears to be phasing in the buses along the trackless lines in Northeast Philadelphia. The 59, 66, and 75 will go all diesel bus starting with the June 9 timetable change...

SEPTA is planning a major reshuffling of equipment within the next few weeks. Part of the rationale is to pull the 8700s and 8800s out of service by July, when the next scheduled inspection is due. Another reason is to accomodate the added number of buses slated to go to Frankford for the trackless shuttles. Presumably, extra buses will also be sent to Southern for use on the 36 shuttle...

Buses being used on the 36 shuttle between Woodland Shops and Eastwick Loop are being pulled from Southern, with a few from Callowhill. As was the case last year on the 10, Elmwood operators running the buses are reporting to Southern or Callowhill then operating their runs. Neoplans will be used on the shuttles since the Elmwood operators are not qualified to operate the NABIs or New Flyers...

ARCHIVES - 05/31/02

The 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 saw reduced service with the May 26 timetable change. At least 3 peak hour cars were taken off each of the lines with the new schedule taking effect. I don't know if this is a standard seasonal service reduction or a case of SEPTA seeing if anyone would notice longer wait times along Lancaster, Woodland, Baltimore, Chester, and Elmwood.

A new 203 timetable was also issued on May 26. This summer, there will be no Sunday service from Woodbourne Station...

The Mann Music Center shuttle bus will be back starting with tonight's performance and continue throughout the summer. The fare will remain $3.00 each way.

ARCHIVES - 5/30/02

Buses along West Chester Pike were badly delayed due to a PennDOT crew on West Chester Pike at Manoa Rd in Havertown. The 5:32pm express arrived in West Chester about 12 minutes late - because of not only the heavy traffic through Havertown, but also because the bus used for that trip - 3155 - was painfully slow...

As a follow up to the status of the older Neos, the 8600s, 8700s, and 8800s should be retired by the middle of this summer. There is also talk that SEPTA may operate few non-accessible Neos on Sundays once the 5500s are all in service, which may also occur this summer...

Red Arrow schedules will change on June 10. The fall schedules will be put into effect on August 19 - about 3 weeks earlier than usual - to accomodate the new extensions on the 104, the changes to the 110 and 111, and introduction of the 122...

The MCI Demo bus will be returning to SEPTA property on June 10, a few days later than originally scheduled. The demo is now at the Beaver County Transit Authority north of Pittsburgh, and will return to the dealer in Blackwood, N.J. before making a return appearance at SEPTA...

ARCHIVES - 5/29/02

Space is indeed at a premium at Comly Depot. Right before the PM peak started, a few Neos were parked outside the depot property on Penn St, with 5081 parked on Bustleton. Once the remaining Neoplan CDs are taken off the road after the 5541-5585 Flyers arrive, all buses will probably be stored inside the depot's grounds. A couple of ex-Red Arrow buses - 8705 and 8710 - are still being used for school trippers, though 8705 appeared to be struggling to get up to speed after leaving the depot and heading north on Bustleton. As of this afternoon, 5541-5546 were being used in revenue service, mainly on the Roosevelt Blvd and Bustleton Av corridors (14/20 and 58), though 5546 did sneak in a run or two on the 24...

It appears that all of the remaining 8800s at Frankford have either been retired or sent to other depots, though given their age, they're most likely awaiting their fate at the Midvale scrap yard. The few 8600s should be retired by this summer. The 5500s at Frankford are mainly being used on the 8, 26, K, and R, at least from what I saw...

Buses appeared on the 66 today, apparently due to some wire problems along Frankford Avenue. Mainly 3100s were used for the bustitution today from personal observations during the mid-day hours...

With the temporary detour in effect on the 77 along Township Line Rd, a new timetable was issued for the 77, dated March 3. Additionally, there is new limited stop service along Cottman between Roosevelt Blvd and Central Av, presumably to avoid conflicts with the 70 local service in that corridor. The 77 will only stop on Cottman at Central Av (connections with 70 South, 24 North), Rising Sun/Oxford (18, 24 South, 67 North), Whitaker (19, 67 South), Castor (59), Bustleton (58) and Roosevelt Blvd (1, 14, 20)...

New timetables have been issued for the 11, 13, 34, and 36. I have yet to confirm if there's a new timetable for the 10, but I would imagine that there is. The 36 timetable reflects the shuttle bus operation between the Woodland Car Shops and Eastwick Loop...

The 92, 104, 119, and 314 will be detoured tomorrow night between 5:00pm and around 10:00pm because of the first of four Thursday night street fests in West Chester. Gay St will be closed between Matlack and High Sts during this time. On Sunday, Gay St in West Chester will be closed between Matlack and New Sts for the borough's annual Super Sunday festival.

ARCHIVES - 05/28/02

Red Arrow 3118 was involved in a minor accident this morning while in service on the 109 (404 block). Apparently, a truck hit the bus as 3118 was turning off of Long Lane onto Marshall Rd. It didn't appear that any people were hurt, there were about 4 Upper Darby police officers at the scene. Passengers were transferred onto the 11:00am 109 to Chester...

The damage to 3118 must have been minor since it was spotted later in the day deadheading back to the garage on West Chester Pike in Havertown at around 4:25pm...

The SEPTA/KYW Free Ride Tuesday promotion began today as 5385 was used as the Free Ride bus on the 21/42. It appears that the bus will remain at Callowhill for the first 5 weeks of the promotion before moving on to the next depot. According to reliable (and confidential) sources, next week's Free Ride Tuesday line will be the 30, with the promotion also scheduled to take place on the 31, 44/121, and G buses over the next few weeks...

Over the weekend, the 5500s began seeing service on Comly routes. 5542 was seen on the 14/20 on Sunday. This most likely means the end of the road for the remaining 8700s and 8800s at Comly.

ARCHIVES - 05/24/02

This summer's Subway-Surface shuttle involves the 36 trolley, to allow for rail renewal along Elmwood Av. Starting this Sunday, the 36 will operate with shuttle buses between 49 St/Woodland and the Eastwick Loop. Weekdays after 9:00pm, shuttles will be extended to the 40 St El Station, as the tunnel will remain closed during overnight hours as part of an ongoing project...

A lot of detours around the City of Philadelphia will be in effect over the course of the holiday weekend, particularly in the outlying neighborhoods such as Frankford, Tioga, South Philadelphia, Bridesburg, Manayunk, and Warminster Twp. The SEPTA web site will have more details on the individual route diversions...

Training on the 104 extension to West Chester University has begun in earnest. 5010 - probably a loaner from Callowhill - was seen operating over the new routing in West Chester via High, Sharpless, Church, and Rosedale...

Regional Rail schedules changes take effect on Sunday. SEPTA made a printing mistake on the R2 Marcus Hook/Wilmington/Newark timetables, omitting two midday trains to Marcus Hook and Wilmington from the schedule...

SEPTA and KYW NewsRadio 1060 are sponsoring a special transit promotion starting this Tuesday. For the next year, SEPTA will operate a special bus throughout the system which will feature a blue KYW NewsRadio full wrap. Judging by some of the pictures seen on KYW 3 last night, it looks as though the bus involved is either 5005 or 5385, but we'll find out soon enough...

On Wednesday, SEPTA will operate a special shuttle bus from North Philadelphia neighborhoods to the Hampton Inn at 13 St/Race St for the City of Philadelphia's Latino Job Fair.
The shuttle will begin at Rising Sun & Robbins, operating to Center City via Rising Sun, Wyoming, 5 St, Rising Sun, 5 St, Allegheny, 2 St, Lehigh Av, 17 St, Dauphin St, 2 St, Girard Av, 12 St, Arch and 13 St to Race St.
The return routing will operate via 13 St, Girard, Front, Lehigh, Broad St, Rising Sun, 5 St, Wyoming, and Rising Sun. The shuttle will stop at Compu Base (Rising Sun and Levick), Aspira (5 St/Bristol St), Congresso (American/Lehigh), Dept of Public Welfare (Broad/Lehigh), and Norris Square Family Center (5 St/Susquehanna).
SEPTA will operate this shuttle hourly starting from Compu Base at 8:00am, with return service starting at 10:05am.

ARCHIVES - 5/23/02

The delivery of the 5500 series of New Flyers are now more than halfway completed. Numbers as high as 5552 were among 7 D40LFs awaiting radios and other markings at Wyoming...

Just a reminder that El service will operate normally between 69 St and Frankford this weekend.

ARCHIVES - 5/19/02

Route 123 buses are arriving at King of Prussia late due to a detour via Gulph Rd which was supposed to bypass any delays at the I-76/US 202 interchange. However, Gulph Rd has experienced its own set of congestion problems stretching from DeKalb Pike to the NS railroad underpass. Gulph Rd delays are also affecting 125 trips as well...

El Shuttles are in effect this weekend, with buses operating via Chestnut and Walnut instead of Market between 46 and 63 Sts. El service will operate as usual next weekend, with bus bridges returning the following weekend and for the entire month of June on weekends...

5503 and 5530 - normally assigned to Frankford - are being used as training buses at Comly. This indicates that Comly will recieve their buses within the next 2-3 weeks...

Red Arrow drivers are up in arms over a proposal to restructure runs operating out of the Victory Division. According to one reliable source, runs would last anywhere from a minimum of 10.5 to no more than 12 hours. This is reportedly to alleviate an operators shortage at Red Arrow.

ARCHIVES - 5/13/02

A two car accident with injuries near 69 St Terminal caused massive delays on all arriving and departing West Chester Pike buses during the start of the PM rush hour today. Upper Darby Police closed West Chester Pike eastbound between Brief Av and Garrett Rd, forcing 103, 104, 110, 111, 112, 120, and 123 buses to detour via Brief Av, Terminal Square, and Garrett Rd to reach 69 St Terminal. One of the drivers was seriously injured enough to require the Jaws of Life to be used. Garrettford/Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, and Highland Park fire companies responded to the accident scene, which was cleared at approximately 4:55pm. Several West Chester Pike buses departed about 10-15 minutes late as a result of the congestion...

The loop at 69 St's West Terminal has been the site of a couple of accidents over the past couple of days. Yesterday, a NABI rear-ended 5409 as it was rounding the loop. It is believed that the NABI was on either the 104 or 110, while 5409 was on the 109. This morning, an operator drove her bus into the LRV revenue collection berth on the north side of West Terminal (near the exit to the LRV boarding area)...

In addition to a bus shortage, a report out of Red Arrow says that there is also a manpower shortage at the depot. As a result, SEPTA has decided to institute 10.5 to 12 hour runs starting with the June picking...

The Annual Service Plan proposals will be acted upon by the SEPTA Board at the June meeting, which means that most of the route changes will take effect as early as September. The 104 extension, however, will take effect in July, in order to have service in place for the start of the fall semester at West Chester University...

SEPTA seems to need a lesson in how to properly meet demand on the 124/125. Between 6:30pm and 7:05pm, there were at least 5 Center City bound 124/125 buses, but only 3 King of Prussia bound 125 buses and 1 Chesterbrook bound 124. Of the 3 outbound 125 buses, one was apparently a short turn which started at Gulph Mills. During that 35 minute time frame, the lone 124 bus arrived at around 7:05pm. There's no reason why that short turn 125 couldn't have operated as a 124.

ARCHIVES - 5/12/02

Late trips on the 92 have reached epidemic levels. The 4:25pm trip to Exton (19 block) left well over a half hour late. As the 4:50pm trip to West Chester (22 block) turned off of Marshall onto High St at 5:15pm, 19 block was turning off of High onto Marhsall. You know, a supervisor stationed at Parkway Shopping Center once in a while might not be a bad idea...

Route 92 service yesterday may have been running a few minutes late due to heavy congestion on S High St related to the West Chester University commencement ceremonies. Pull-outs to Parkway Shopping Center operated via Paoli Pike, Gay St, and High St instead of via US 202/322 to the end of the bypass...

Red Arrow 5409 is out of service for a while after being involved in an accident recently. There is some damage to the rear of the bus on the street side. In other Red Arrow news, some of the 3000s and 3100s at Frankford are being sent to Red Arrow. I would imagine that some would also be sent to Midvale to retire the rest of the 8600s still in service...

Friday's accident on the Blue Route caused major headaches for the 123 - which normally uses the Blue Route between I-76 and West Chester Pike - and most of the West Chester Pike corridor routes. Route 105 service along Lancaster Av in Radnor Twp also was delayed since traffic was detoured off 476 South at Lancaster Av.

ARCHIVES - 5/5/02

Most of the speakers at Thursday's ASP hearing in West Chester came out in support of the 104 extension. SEPTA didn't make any mention of the reduction of service to West Chester on weekends during its testimony. That's not to say it isn't occuring, but rather it's a testament to SEPTA's keeping the public in the dark...

El trains will operate normally next week between Frankford and 69 St Terminal.

ARCHIVES - 04/30/02

A fight on board a 33 bus delayed service in Center City late this afternoon. At approximately 5:45pm, a male passenger allegedly assulted a female passenger with an umbrella on board 7205 (Route 33/5175 block), forcing the driver to stop the bus at 19 & Vine Sts. SEPTA Police and three supervisors arrived at the scene. 7205 was taken off its scheduled run and passengers put on other buses...

A large contingent of Philadelphia and SEPTA Police converged on the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Market St at around 5:00pm after reports of a flasher in the area. Police had 11 and 12 Sts to traffic for a few minutes as officers converged on the Loews Hotel, located next to SEPTA Headquarters. The police activity caused several minutes of gridlock while officers searched for the suspect...

Turnout was low at the ASP Hearings in Media and Andorra this week. About 6-7 people spoke at Media Courthouse on Monday night, most of whom expressed opposed to the restructuring of the 115.Part of the opposition centered on the elimination of 115 service north of Brookline, but also some complaints were made regarding the lack of Saturday service to MacDade Mall via Folcroft and Norwood.

At the Roxborough hearing tonight, about 20 people appeared at the Houston Rec Center, most of whom were opposed to the Andorra route restructuring. Only 2 speakers were in favor of the plan, but mainly they were opposed to the artics running through the neighborhood.There was some tension between a couple of opponents to the restructuring - including an elderly city employee and a phone company employee who has riden the 9 (and it's predecessor, PTC Route A) for nearly 35 years - who took exception to the "newer" residents of the neighborhood and their seemingly intense opposition to any transit service in the neighborhood.

The issue in Andorra seems to have caused a generational split or sorts. The older residents spoke out in opposition to the plan, expressing concern about reduced hours of service and the lack of a direct link to Center City. The newer residents in Andorra were mainly in favor of the plan to extend the 35 to Andorra and cut the 9 back to Summit Loop.The plan's supporters appear more opposed to the number of buses running in the neighborhood than anything else, particularly the artics from Allegheny that cover the 9 service at all times. This is one good reason that Allegheny should have some 40-foot buses instead of being an all artic depot; that and and off-peak weekend ridership would barely fill a 40-footer.

Oddly enough, no hearings on the ASP were scheduled in Havertown, Ardmore, or Manayunk. My guess is that SEPTA figured out that transit dependent riders in Ardmore, Havertown, Llanerch, and Manoa - the people who would be affected most by the cuts on Route 115 north of Brookline - would not have convenient access to the Media trolley after 7:00pm.Now, when SEPTA held hearings on the route improvements in Bucks County, at least three hearings were held in Central and Southern Bucks Counties - as I recall, they were held in Doylestown, Oxford Valley, and Levittown. But, of course, why should SEPTA allow too much input from riders in Delaware County? After all, Tom Heyward hasn't been chairman of SEPTA since 1999.

As far as Manayunk goes, I don't think SEPTA took the needs of the loyal 35 riders who travel "up and down the hill" between Main St and Ridge Av before planning the 35changes. SEPTA's Andorra Plan - however well intentioned - seemed to be influenced more by the non-transit riders in Andorra rather than taking input from people in Manayunk, Roxborough, AND Andorra.

And don't even get me started on the plans to reduce weekend service to West Chester on the 104. That would probably take up a couple of pages alone...

ARCHIVES - 04/27/02

The MCI D4501 Demo will be back on SEPTA property starting on June 5, when SEPTA will begin a full one month testing phase. The bus will be on display at the SEPTA Roadeo on June 8...

The 92/133 continues to be hampered by poor on-time performance. Over the past two weeks, the arrival of the 4:25pm West Chester to Exton trip has been inconsistent at best. On some days - such as yesterday - the trip had to be annulled because the 3:20pm trip to Exton was running upwards of 35-40 minutes late. See, SEPTA, this is why ridership has plummeted on the 92/133. That and the inconsistent connection times at Exton Square Mall.

ARCHIVES - 4/26/02

PennDOT recently awarded a $342,000 grant to the Delaware County Planning Department for the rehabilitation of the Sharon Hill station on the R2 Marcus Hook line...

The Flyers assigned to Frankford are starting to pop up around North and Northeast Philadelphia. Lines where the Flyers have been spotted include the 8, 26, 73, 88, K, and R.

ARCHIVES - 04/23/02

The 118 is starting to see more 40-foot buses in recent days. Whether this means that there's a shortage of ElDorados or if ridership has actually increased is unclear...

Apparently, the former 122 route between Chester and UPS/Tinicum is still running, but not by SEPTA. Krapf's is apparently operating the exact same schedule over the exact same route as SEPTA's former 122. I'm surprised that Ron Koran and his UTU 1594 guys haven't filed a grievance, because is sounds to me like collusion between SEPTA and the non-union Krapf's?

Remember the hell that broke loose when SEPTA split up the Fox Chase-Newtown Shuttle - which was running out of Comly at the time - into two routes (301 and 302) and contracted out to Lion Corporation? TWU 234 successfully filed a grievance against SEPTA, forcing the 301 and 302 into oblivion (but not before ridership was virtually non-existent). The final month of 301/302 service was operated by Midvale drivers using cutaways from Frontier.

ARCHIVES - 04/21/02

Some more route swaps are in the works in Northeast Philadelphia this summer. The 73 will be moved from Frankford to Comly, a swap that will also see about 10 operators transferred to Comly. The 26 is still slated to move from Frankford to Midvale as will all 54 trips presently assigned to Frankford. The 1 and R trips from Frankford will remain where they are for now. There was talk of moving the 8 from Frankford to Allegheny, but that didn't pan out...

When the summer pick takes effect in June, some buses will be moved from Frankford to Comly. There are some structural issues at Comly Depot, however. Bay 1 at Comly is encountering some sinking, which may force some buses to be parked on Bustleton Av. Also, the a/c unit in the operators area is not working properly...

The training of Frankford operators on the New Flyers is nearly 85% complete. Within the next 2-3 weeks, Comly operators will begin training on the New Flyers, most likely borrowing a couple of Flyers from Frankford...

On Sundays, there are three non-stop express trips via the Frankford Av express routing between Franklin Mills and Frankford Terminal - 3 AM trips to Franklin Mills and 3 PM trips to Frankford Terminal. Apparently, these trips were added recently and do not appear on the schedule. One of the PM trips departs Franklin Mills at 4:20pm; I haven't been able to confirm the other departure times.

ARCHIVES - 4/19/02

Midvale 3303 was involved in an accident at Front and Erie early this morning. About 10 people were injured as the 56 bus apparently struck a pole, downing wires and disrupting traffic in that area...

The 1:25pm and 1:40pm 104 trips to 69 St Terminal were delayed leaving West Chester due to a funeral procession accompanied by a police escort. The 5 block long procession went eastbound on Market St and West Chester Pike at around 1:30pm, also delaying the 1:35pm 119 to Chester and the 1:20pm 92 to Exton.

ARCHIVES - 4/16/02

El service between 5 St and 30 St stations was suspended during the PM peak period due to police activity - most likely a suspicious package - found at the 19 St Subway-Surface station. Subway-Surface routes were reportedly on diversion, however, I haven't been able to confirm this item...

The 5500-series New Flyers are starting to hit the road. Yesterday, 5503 was seen - with bike rack installed - on the 88 in Northeast Philadelphia. From what I have heard, the 5500s at Frankford will probably be used on most - if not all - routes operating from that depot. And yes, that would include the 3, despite some tricky clearances around Front and Kensington.

ARCHIVES - 4/12/02 & 4/14/02

April 14, 2002

Assuming I'm reading the notice at the SEPTA web site correctly, it appears that the entire Market-Frankford El will be using shuttle buses next weekend. As if confusion on one side of the line wasn't bad enough, do we really need confusion on both sides of the El?

April 12, 2002

Bus service in Lansdowne was substantially delayed for about a half hour on Thursday due to an accident on Lansdowne Av in front of the Wawa. Some 109, 113 and 115 buses were impacted as they were forced to detour around the accident scene...

Wednesday was an even stranger day for Red Arrow bus assignments. Two 113 Darby short-turn trips - the 3:15pm and 3:45pm - saw ElDorados instead of 40-ft buses. For two straight days, an early morning 108 short-turn to 67 St/Elmwood Av saw an ElDorado...

West end El service will see shuttle buses for the next four weekends. Expect to see a slew of Callowhill low floors, Southern Neos, and Allegheny artics, with an occasional bus from Midvale tossed in for good measure.

ARCHIVES - 4/9/02 & 4/10/02

April 10, 2002

The 5500-series New Flyers are starting to arrive at Wyoming shops. As noted in recent weeks, the first 45 of these buses will be delivered to Frankford, after the fleet numbers are applied to the roof and the radio and farebox are installed.

April 9, 2002

SEPTA is in the process of accepting bids for 86 recently retired Neoplans. With the next wave of mass Neo retirements coming soon upon the arrival of the 5500-series New Flyers, it looks as though they're going to need a little more room at Midvale and Frontier scrap yards...

SEPTA's Capital Budget plan is now on-line at the official SEPTA web site. It seems as though the proposed extension of the R3 from Elwyn to Wawa is in a holding pattern while SEPTA holds it's hands out for big bucks for the "Schuylkill Valley Metro" project (assuming they can avoid the whammy - you have to be a fan of the TV quiz show "Press Your Luck" to get this joke).

ARCHIVES - 4/5/02

Frontier schedules will change on Monday, April 8. The following are some highlights of the new schedules:

• ROUTE 92: The 9:50pm trip from Exton Square Mall to West Chester University now departs 5 minutes later.
• ROUTE 94: The weekday 7:05am and 9:05am Express trips from Montgomery Mall to Chestnut HIll will depart 5 minutes later; the 2:20pm weekday express trip from Chestnut Hill to Montgomery Mall will depart 10 minutes later.
• ROUTE 95: Three new weekday round trips will depart Penn Square at 7:10pm, 8:10pm and 9:10pm, and depart Gulph Mills at 8:20pm, 9:20pm, and 10:20pm; three Saturday round trips will depart Penn Square at 7:30pm, 8:30pm, and 9:30pm, and depart Gulph Mills at 8:30pm, 9:30pm, and 10:30pm. The Saturday times at Gulph Mills are coordinated to meet P&W trains.
• ROUTE 98: The Saturday 7:28pm trip from Plymouth Meeting Mall to Norristown arrives at Norristown 1 minute later.
• ROUTE 99: Major running time adjustments of up to 4-5 minutes throughout the entire schedule; service to Valley Forge Christian College discontinued; the weekday 7:00pm trip to Phoenixville departs Norristown 5 minutes later; the 9:10pm, 10:10pm, and 11:10pm trips from Norristown depart 5 minutes earlier; the weekday 9:05pm and Saturday 9:10pm trips which used to terminate at Valley Forge Christian College are now extended to Limerick Square Shopping Center.
• ROUTE 127: The three seasonal Oxford Valley to Trenton Express trips via Sesame Place will be added starting in June.
• ROUTE 130: The weekday 6:35am, 7:35am, and 8:35am departures from Franklin Mills will arrive at timepoints between Neshaminy Mall and Bucks County College 4 minutes later; the 7:22pm weekday departure from Bucks County College to Franklin Mills now departs at 7:30pm.
• ROUTE 203: Sunday service will resume in June to accomodate later closing times at Sesame Place.

ARCHIVES - 4/4/02

Some Route 119 trips were detoured off it's regular routing in West Goshen today after an tractor-trailer went off the off-ramp from US 202/322 South to West Chester Pike. The incident occured at around 12:00pm, causing traffic headaches on 202 for most of the afternoon and early evening. The scene was cleared out shortly after 7:00pm...

That of course was nothing compared to yesterday morning's rush hour, when Baltimore Pike was shut down near the railroad underpass which carries SEPTA's former West Chester Branch. The fatal accident, which occured at around 7:19am, forced the 119 to detour around the scene for most of the day, causing lengthy delays along the way...

Today's bizarre bus sighting: ElDorado 4529 operating on Route 99 (909 block) on the 4:00pm trip to Pottstown. I can't recall Frontier ever running an ElDorado on it's King of Prussia short turns, much less all the way out to Pottstown.

ARCHIVES - 4/2/02

The password today is ... detour. Several bus routes in South Philadelphia and the City of Chester are detoured today due to various fires and presidential motorcades. A major fire in Southwest Philadelphia in the area of Essington Av is forcing all G and 37 buses off of the Passyunk Av Bridge and via Eastwick, 49 St, Paschall, Grays Ferry, 34 St, and I-76. Those riders who normally take the G or 37 can expect an added 5-10 minutes travel time until the fire is under control. The smoke from the fire travelled as far west as Lindbergh Blvd...

A fire at 6 & Madison Sts in the City of Chester disrupted R2 Wilmington and Acela trains earlier this afternoon. Route 113 is being diverted around the fire scene. Shuttle buses operated for a brief while during the mid-afternoon between Crum Lynne and Wilmington on the R2 line...

President Bush's visit to Penn State-DelCo caused delays around the Chester Transportation Center and on Routes 110, 116, 117, and 119, particularly around the Granite Run Mall area.

ARCHIVES - 4/7/02

A few interesting observations from Frankford Terminal:

• On the El Shuttle, only a handful of 8700s and 8800s were used today, including 8710, 8772, and 8849. Mostly Southern Neos, Frankford Neos, and Midvale artics and Neos on the local trips, with Allegheny covering the express trips as usual.
• SEPTA seems to be slipping when it comes to inspecting supervisor cars. SUR6393 was spotted at 15 & Market Sts sporting inspection and emission stickers dated "03/02".
  The front sign on Midvale 7202 correctly read "EL SHUTTLE - FRANKFORD TERMINAL" but the side sign read "12 5th-MARKET".
• SEPTA Police briefly detained a suspect on Frankford Av near Wissinoming Park stemming from an incident on board a northbound 66 trackless at Frankford Terminal. That by itself isn't newsworthy, but the officers were patrolling in a private car presumably owned by one of the officers on duty (even more noteworthy was that the car being used had New Jersey tags). And before people start suggesting this was part of an undercover sting, the three officers involved in the investigation were in full uniform. Does this mean that SEPTA Police are now in a vehicle shortage? Suppose the officer's car gets into an accident in which the other driver is at fault. The officer would certainly have grounds to file a complaint against SEPTA.

ARCHIVES - 4/1/02

Route 101 trolley service is only operating as far as Woodland Av/Springfield at least through tomorrow afternoon. A large tree took out about 2,000 feet of catenary north of Pine Ridge station. Shuttle buses are operating between Woodland Av and Bowling Green, as trolley service from Bowling Green to Orange St/Media will operate. At least that was the plan, however buses were operating along State St in Media as of 5:00pm. The shuttle buses are operating via Woodland Av, Powell Rd, Thomson Av, Sproul Rd, Springfield Mall, Baltimore Pike, Providence Rd and State St to State & Orange.

Route 101 riders who normally park at either Bowling Green or Pine Ridge can use the commuter parking lot at Springfield Mall (this is the parking lot adjacent to the corner of Sproul Road and Baltimore Pike near the main entrance; the lot itself is behind the bus shelters). Route 101 passengers who travel to stations between Springfield Mall and Media can take Route 110 Local service. Route 101 passengers who travel between Fairfield Av and Drexel Hill Jct en route to Springfield Mall can take Route 102 to Baltimore Pike station, then transfer to Route 109. Passengers who normally take Route 101 to Springfield Mall from 69 St Terminal can take Route 109 or Route 110 Local service.