WHAT'$ THE POINT?
As had been reported last month, SEPTA is losing nearly $800,000 per week, on top of the $41 million budget defecit at the start of the Fiscal Year. Now, SEPTA is reportedly sponsoring a Philadelphia Kixx "magnetic schedule" giveaway as part of the Kixx' home opener on November 1. Wow. Half the time, SEPTA can't keep it's buses on schedule, but they can somehow afford to pay for magnetic schedules for a minor-league professional indoor soccer team. I wonder how much money SEPTA is wasting on being a major sponsor of the Philadelphia Kixx. That money might be better spent making sure enough buses are available for peak hour service instead of being stuck in the garage due to parts shortages...
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
EL CONTRACT STANDS
The Inquirer reports that SEPTA won it's court case over a disgruntled bidder regarding the reconstrction of the Market St El. Conti Enterprises of Middlesex County, N.J. sued SEPTA over the awarding of the contract to Neshaminy Constructors, Inc. of Feasterville and Granite Construction of California. The judge determined that the injunction that Conti was seeking would've been too much of a burden on the taxpayers:
[T]he "public will benefit if the Stations Project is not delayed by further litigation."
Additionally, the judge ruled that Conti "does not have sufficient "taxpayer standing" in Pennsylvania, O'Neill wrote, to pursue the claim in U.S. District Court." Now, if this were a ruling by a Common Pleas Court judge, that might make sense, but this is a FEDERAL court we're talking about there.
Yet, given Don Pasquale's past involvement as a land developer in Bucks County (among other things), one can't help but wonder how close the owners of Neshaminy Constructors are to the SEPTA Board Chairman...
MORE CAC FALL-OUT
In yesterday's editions, the Delaware County Daily Times followed up on a story in Friday's editions with a strong editorial demanding that two CAC members from Delaware County, whose terms expired several years ago, be replaced. While noting that the two members in question have contributed (at least as much as can be expected, given the sorry state of the CAC), the Daily Times called upon Delaware County Council to replace the members. Good luck. Anyone who has followed Delaware County politics for a long time knows how big an uphill battle this will be...
The Inquirer reports that SEPTA won it's court case over a disgruntled bidder regarding the reconstrction of the Market St El. Conti Enterprises of Middlesex County, N.J. sued SEPTA over the awarding of the contract to Neshaminy Constructors, Inc. of Feasterville and Granite Construction of California. The judge determined that the injunction that Conti was seeking would've been too much of a burden on the taxpayers:
[T]he "public will benefit if the Stations Project is not delayed by further litigation."
Additionally, the judge ruled that Conti "does not have sufficient "taxpayer standing" in Pennsylvania, O'Neill wrote, to pursue the claim in U.S. District Court." Now, if this were a ruling by a Common Pleas Court judge, that might make sense, but this is a FEDERAL court we're talking about there.
Yet, given Don Pasquale's past involvement as a land developer in Bucks County (among other things), one can't help but wonder how close the owners of Neshaminy Constructors are to the SEPTA Board Chairman...
MORE CAC FALL-OUT
In yesterday's editions, the Delaware County Daily Times followed up on a story in Friday's editions with a strong editorial demanding that two CAC members from Delaware County, whose terms expired several years ago, be replaced. While noting that the two members in question have contributed (at least as much as can be expected, given the sorry state of the CAC), the Daily Times called upon Delaware County Council to replace the members. Good luck. Anyone who has followed Delaware County politics for a long time knows how big an uphill battle this will be...
104 FOLLOW-UP
As a follow-up to yesterday's fiasco on the 104, 5588 (apparently covering 4241 block) arrived into 69 St Terminal at 12:10am ... right as the last El train was departing for Bridge-Pratt. Needless to say, it was another slap in the face for 104 passengers who had to endure a lengthy wait in near monsoon like conditions late at night. To make things worse, the operator pulled into South Terminal and parked at the 113 bus berth, which is the furthest away from the Main Terminal building. A second New Flyer (it was a 5400-series bus) pulled out of West Terminal shortly thereafter (I was able to see it as I was on the 65 heading to Overbrook). Gee, I wonder if SEPTA's Customer Dis-Services offices got a lot of complaints over this latest fiasco...
As a follow-up to yesterday's fiasco on the 104, 5588 (apparently covering 4241 block) arrived into 69 St Terminal at 12:10am ... right as the last El train was departing for Bridge-Pratt. Needless to say, it was another slap in the face for 104 passengers who had to endure a lengthy wait in near monsoon like conditions late at night. To make things worse, the operator pulled into South Terminal and parked at the 113 bus berth, which is the furthest away from the Main Terminal building. A second New Flyer (it was a 5400-series bus) pulled out of West Terminal shortly thereafter (I was able to see it as I was on the 65 heading to Overbrook). Gee, I wonder if SEPTA's Customer Dis-Services offices got a lot of complaints over this latest fiasco...
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
A NEW LOW FOR 104 SERVICE
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse on the 104, they get much worse...
Earlier tonight, the operator of 4241 block - generally one of the least reliable operators on the line in recent memory, as the 11:05pm trip from West Chester is usually 10-15 minutes late every night - took her bus out of service due to foggy windows. At least that was the report from a couple of irate passengers, who had been waiting for the 10:12pm from 69 St to West Chester. The passengers had arrived at 69 St at around 9:20pm and were returning to West Chester University.
According to the people I spoke to, at least two buses passed through the terminal without picking anyone up. A 3400-series Neo and a 5500-series New Flyer were spotted heading west on West Chester Pike at I was arriving on 5595 (4299 block). Both buses were empty, with the Flyer being completely dark. When 4299 block left 69 St at 11:12pm to work his regular run, he had a standing load, which is highly unusual for that particular trip. It also didn't help that there were quite a few WCU students returning to campus from Fall Break, nor that it has been raining heavily for the past hour in Upper Darby.
Here's where things get really ridiculous. The people I had spoken to who were waiting for nearly two hours at 69 St Terminal told me that there were no supervisors sent to the platform to explain what was going on. Shortly after 11:00pm, I may have stumbled onto a reason why...
Parked on Garrett Rd near Market St was a SEPTA supervisor's van - SUB8454 - with lights on, engine running, and wipers working. The supervisor in question, who is not the nicest person to deal with in the world (an automatic qualification to become a "rotating resume at 1234 Market") was asleep. Yes, you read that right, he was asleep, while nearly 60 passengers were waiting for a 104 bus that never showed up - not to mention the dozens of soaked passengers waiting along West Chester Pike between West Chester and Upper Darby, many of whom have to race to the El to try and catch that last train to being with thanks to the laziness of the regular operator of 4241 block. When I asked him about the 104 problems, I was basically told off in terms not fit for a family web site. I guess I shouldn't have woke him up from his nap, but taking a nap while on the taxpayer's dime is generally a good way to get yourself fired ... especially when you get caught.
MARKET EAST SIGNS ON FRITZ
According to a very reliable source, the message boards at Market East crashed around 7:00pm Monday night. Despite attempts by riders to find out what was going on, both staff at Market East and SEPTA's Ministry of Mis-information stonewalled passengers whose only apparent crime was wondering what the hell was going on with a relatively new message board system, which had been installed less than three years ago.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse on the 104, they get much worse...
Earlier tonight, the operator of 4241 block - generally one of the least reliable operators on the line in recent memory, as the 11:05pm trip from West Chester is usually 10-15 minutes late every night - took her bus out of service due to foggy windows. At least that was the report from a couple of irate passengers, who had been waiting for the 10:12pm from 69 St to West Chester. The passengers had arrived at 69 St at around 9:20pm and were returning to West Chester University.
According to the people I spoke to, at least two buses passed through the terminal without picking anyone up. A 3400-series Neo and a 5500-series New Flyer were spotted heading west on West Chester Pike at I was arriving on 5595 (4299 block). Both buses were empty, with the Flyer being completely dark. When 4299 block left 69 St at 11:12pm to work his regular run, he had a standing load, which is highly unusual for that particular trip. It also didn't help that there were quite a few WCU students returning to campus from Fall Break, nor that it has been raining heavily for the past hour in Upper Darby.
Here's where things get really ridiculous. The people I had spoken to who were waiting for nearly two hours at 69 St Terminal told me that there were no supervisors sent to the platform to explain what was going on. Shortly after 11:00pm, I may have stumbled onto a reason why...
Parked on Garrett Rd near Market St was a SEPTA supervisor's van - SUB8454 - with lights on, engine running, and wipers working. The supervisor in question, who is not the nicest person to deal with in the world (an automatic qualification to become a "rotating resume at 1234 Market") was asleep. Yes, you read that right, he was asleep, while nearly 60 passengers were waiting for a 104 bus that never showed up - not to mention the dozens of soaked passengers waiting along West Chester Pike between West Chester and Upper Darby, many of whom have to race to the El to try and catch that last train to being with thanks to the laziness of the regular operator of 4241 block. When I asked him about the 104 problems, I was basically told off in terms not fit for a family web site. I guess I shouldn't have woke him up from his nap, but taking a nap while on the taxpayer's dime is generally a good way to get yourself fired ... especially when you get caught.
MARKET EAST SIGNS ON FRITZ
According to a very reliable source, the message boards at Market East crashed around 7:00pm Monday night. Despite attempts by riders to find out what was going on, both staff at Market East and SEPTA's Ministry of Mis-information stonewalled passengers whose only apparent crime was wondering what the hell was going on with a relatively new message board system, which had been installed less than three years ago.
Monday, October 13, 2003
"COMMUNITIES IN MOTION" ... WELL, A FEW, ANYWAY
SEPTA's latest attempt to promote public transportation - Communities in Motion week, which essentially replaces what was once known as "Try Transit Week" - seems to be sending mixed messages. SEPTA's web site states the following:
SEPTA will host a variety of events throughout our five-county service region, including rider appreciation events at selected locations in every county.
Fine. Except the only events listed are as follows:
Tuesday, 14 Oct: SEPTA and the TMA of Delaware County (sic) will unveil a mobile information center at Government Hall. Delaware County will also present a proclamation recognizing Communities in Motion
This event takes place at Media Courthouse at 10:00am.
Wednesday, 15 Oct: SEPTA and Montgomery County Community College will mark the full implementation of wheelchair accessible bus service to the county
This event takes place at Montgomery County CC's main campus in Whitpain, starting at 10:00am.
Same day: Safety Blitz targeted to local high school students regarding track safety
The safety blitz will take place at the Lansdowne Av trolley station on the 101/Media and 102/Sharon Hill lines, and is geared towards students at Upper Darby, Archbishop Prendegast, and Monsignor Bonner High Schools.
Thursday, 16 Oct: SEPTA will display a hybrid bus, and the first refurbished PCC-II car for the Route 15 Trolley Line scheduled to begin service in 2004.
The display will be at 12 St/Filbert St starting at 10:00am.
And that's it. There are no events listed for Bucks or Chester Counties. Someone should explain to SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney that there are 5 counties in the SEPTA operating area, not 3 counties. But...
SEPTA is listing three of it's regularly scheduled SEPTA On Site events as being "in conjunction with APTA" as part of the Communities In Motion events. The three in question are:
Tuesday, 14 Oct: Paoli Rail Station
Wednesday, 15 Oct: Darby Terminal
Thursday, 16 Oct: Cornwells Heights Rail Station
Even though the times for the SEPTA On Site events are longer than usual (6:00am to 10:00am as opposed to the standard 6:30am to 8:30am on the Regional Rail side), that seems like lip service compared to the other events in Media, Drexel Hill, Blue Bell, and Center City.
Besides, SEPTA routinely conducts safety blitzes throughout the system, though many go unpublicized. In fact, there was a safety blitz scheduled for Lansdowne Av which took place not too long after Prendie and Bonner re-opened for the start of the school year. And, SEPTA On Site events take place throughout the year. So, why are these events for this week classified as being part of an overall campaign to promote transit when most of the people targeted are already using SEPTA?
I don't know. Maybe it's just laziness on SEPTA's part...
(And while we're on the subject of SEPTA On Site, how is it that the people who run SEPTA's web site can put the SEPTA On Site schedule in PDF format, but not the route timetables? Would that be too much to ask?)
ROUTE 94 DETOUR
Due to the reconstruction of the Bethlehem Pike bridge over the R5 Lansdale line, the 94 will be detoured off of Bethlehem Pike for the next few months. Both the local and express routings will be on a special detour route during the reconstruction. A special timetable reflecting the detour route will take effect next Monday.
SEPTA's latest attempt to promote public transportation - Communities in Motion week, which essentially replaces what was once known as "Try Transit Week" - seems to be sending mixed messages. SEPTA's web site states the following:
SEPTA will host a variety of events throughout our five-county service region, including rider appreciation events at selected locations in every county.
Fine. Except the only events listed are as follows:
Tuesday, 14 Oct: SEPTA and the TMA of Delaware County (sic) will unveil a mobile information center at Government Hall. Delaware County will also present a proclamation recognizing Communities in Motion
This event takes place at Media Courthouse at 10:00am.
Wednesday, 15 Oct: SEPTA and Montgomery County Community College will mark the full implementation of wheelchair accessible bus service to the county
This event takes place at Montgomery County CC's main campus in Whitpain, starting at 10:00am.
Same day: Safety Blitz targeted to local high school students regarding track safety
The safety blitz will take place at the Lansdowne Av trolley station on the 101/Media and 102/Sharon Hill lines, and is geared towards students at Upper Darby, Archbishop Prendegast, and Monsignor Bonner High Schools.
Thursday, 16 Oct: SEPTA will display a hybrid bus, and the first refurbished PCC-II car for the Route 15 Trolley Line scheduled to begin service in 2004.
The display will be at 12 St/Filbert St starting at 10:00am.
And that's it. There are no events listed for Bucks or Chester Counties. Someone should explain to SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney that there are 5 counties in the SEPTA operating area, not 3 counties. But...
SEPTA is listing three of it's regularly scheduled SEPTA On Site events as being "in conjunction with APTA" as part of the Communities In Motion events. The three in question are:
Tuesday, 14 Oct: Paoli Rail Station
Wednesday, 15 Oct: Darby Terminal
Thursday, 16 Oct: Cornwells Heights Rail Station
Even though the times for the SEPTA On Site events are longer than usual (6:00am to 10:00am as opposed to the standard 6:30am to 8:30am on the Regional Rail side), that seems like lip service compared to the other events in Media, Drexel Hill, Blue Bell, and Center City.
Besides, SEPTA routinely conducts safety blitzes throughout the system, though many go unpublicized. In fact, there was a safety blitz scheduled for Lansdowne Av which took place not too long after Prendie and Bonner re-opened for the start of the school year. And, SEPTA On Site events take place throughout the year. So, why are these events for this week classified as being part of an overall campaign to promote transit when most of the people targeted are already using SEPTA?
I don't know. Maybe it's just laziness on SEPTA's part...
(And while we're on the subject of SEPTA On Site, how is it that the people who run SEPTA's web site can put the SEPTA On Site schedule in PDF format, but not the route timetables? Would that be too much to ask?)
ROUTE 94 DETOUR
Due to the reconstruction of the Bethlehem Pike bridge over the R5 Lansdale line, the 94 will be detoured off of Bethlehem Pike for the next few months. Both the local and express routings will be on a special detour route during the reconstruction. A special timetable reflecting the detour route will take effect next Monday.
Sunday, October 12, 2003
LET'S MAKE A DEAL...
As if Don Pasquale (aka Pasquale T. Deon, Sr.) didn't have enough state government dealings on his plate, here's something that I stumbled onto after a search of Google. It appears that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently entered into a 5 year lease to operate Wine and Spirits Shoppe #0911 (or what most people refer to as "State Stores"), located at 510 S Oxford Valley Rd in the Fairless Hills district of Bristol Twp. Pasquale Deon is listed as the lessor. You won't believe what's located next to State Store #0911 - Pat Deon Beverages, which is located at 500 S Oxford Valley Rd.
The lease, which was approved by the Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings on April 24, took effect on May 2. The 5,000 square foot building is being leased to the LCB at as cost of $13.94 per square foot and $5,810/month.
Hmmm. Curiouser and curiouser we get...
As if Don Pasquale (aka Pasquale T. Deon, Sr.) didn't have enough state government dealings on his plate, here's something that I stumbled onto after a search of Google. It appears that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board recently entered into a 5 year lease to operate Wine and Spirits Shoppe #0911 (or what most people refer to as "State Stores"), located at 510 S Oxford Valley Rd in the Fairless Hills district of Bristol Twp. Pasquale Deon is listed as the lessor. You won't believe what's located next to State Store #0911 - Pat Deon Beverages, which is located at 500 S Oxford Valley Rd.
The lease, which was approved by the Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings on April 24, took effect on May 2. The 5,000 square foot building is being leased to the LCB at as cost of $13.94 per square foot and $5,810/month.
Hmmm. Curiouser and curiouser we get...
SEPTA BOARD MEMBER IN POSSIBLE ETHICS FLAP
The Executive Director and four members of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission are being targeted by legislatures in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania following reports that Executive Director Frank McCartney - a SEPTA Board member appointed by House Republicans - and four Commissioners recieved gifts from vendors in exchange for an EZPass related contract.
The DRJTBC operates several bridges along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, inluding the US 1 bridge between Morrisville and Trenton and the US 202 bridge between New Hope and Lambertville.
Five leaders of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission last year dined in Florida and played golf at the Ritz Carlton's Tiburon course at the expense of contractors who went on to win millions of dollars in agency business.
The favors accepted by Executive Director Frank G. McCartney and four commissioners are the latest instance to be uncovered in a pattern of resort activities and commission parties paid for in 2002 by contractors that won E-ZPass contracts during an invitation-only bidding process that year.
The commission said that, although the cost of meals and golf were picked up by contractors, the agency paid for airfare, lodging and other expenses — for a total of about $5,000 for the trip. The commission said it does not know the value of the gifts.
The contractors who provided the favors during an April 2002 trip are TransCore of Hummelstown, Dauphin County, and Washington Group International, which has an office in Princeton, N.J.
They subsequently received more than $10 million in commission business.
''This incident is really appalling,'' said state Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Democrat who represents parts of Lehigh, Northampton and Monroe counties. ''We have a long way to go as we reform this agency.''
Boscola is among a group of legislators supporting measures in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures that would force the commission to open its records of travel expenses and other commission business to public inspection.
The commission's bidding process is already under review by the 10 commissioners who oversee the agency. They have promised to release the findings of that review at their meeting (September 29) in New Hope.
The review was announced after The Morning Call reported in June that E-ZPass contractors also paid for meals and golf at resorts in Hilton Head, S.C., last year. The commission has also acknowledged that the vendors paid for a December party at the Trenton Country Club.
E-ZPass was implemented on the agency's 20 bridges, spanning an area between Bucks County and the New York state line, in November — the same time that tolls were increased by up to 400 percent.
Both trips came to light slowly because information for both trips did not appear in travel records the commission voluntarily provided to reporters at the end of 2002. McCartney said through a staffer at the commission's public affairs consultant, The Bravo Group of Harrisburg, the omissions were ''oversights.''
In addition to McCartney, New Jersey Commissioners Harry Parkin and Gloria Decker and former Pennsylvania Commissioners Hal Saxton and Daniel Wassmer traveled to Florida on the trip that also included visits to two toll authorities that use E-ZPass-like electronic toll collection systems.
The toll authority released the Florida information in a letter to The Morning Call after the newspaper asked about the trip.
The New Jersey Executive Commission on Ethical Standards enforces the state's conflicts of interest law prohibiting gifts from vendors to New Jersey bridge commissioners. It is investigating the Hilton Head trip and the Trenton Country Club party.
The Pennsylvania commissioners who accepted the favors were replaced when Gov. Ed Rendell's five appointees arrived in February. Pennsylvania's commissioners are not regulated by the state's conflicts of interest rules, but the Rendell-appointed commissioners have said they will voluntarily comply with a ban on vendor gifts.
Saxton and Wassmer, the former Pennsylvania commissioners who participated in the trip, said they were not aware of payment arrangements for the golf and meals and that payment arrangements for the trip were arranged by McCartney.
Decker, the former mayor of Phillipsburg, said, ''All of my expenses, as far as I know, were paid for by the commission.''
Parkin, who leads the New Jersey delegation, did not return phone calls made to his office where he serves as chief of staff to Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti.
Wassmer said the commission bypassed local E-ZPass systems to visit the Florida systems because New Jersey was having problems with its system at the time and because TransCore, the firm the commission wanted to use for its own project, had not done E-ZPass work in Pennsylvania.
TransCore and the Washington Group won their E-ZPass contracts at the commission through an invitation-only bidding process. Unlike the Pennsylvania and New Jersey departments of transportation, the commission does not typically open contract competitions to all qualified contractors.
The commission's letter said both contractors paid for meals and TransCore also paid for a ''golf outing.''
Saxton said the outing occurred at the Ritz Cartlon's Tiburon golf course in Naples, Fla. The 36-hole course was designed by PGA star Greg Norman. - Allentown Morning Call; 27 September 2003 (article is not available at Morning Call website)
Wow, a SEPTA Board member involved in a contract controversy. That couldn't possibly happen, could it? It's interesting how irrelevant the DRJTBC is in the Philadelphia area - at least when compared to the Delaware River Port Authority. Yet, it seems that some of the same patronage and cronyism takes place in Morrisville (headquarters of the DRJTBC) as it does in Camden. And, for that matter, at 1234 Market...
The Executive Director and four members of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission are being targeted by legislatures in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania following reports that Executive Director Frank McCartney - a SEPTA Board member appointed by House Republicans - and four Commissioners recieved gifts from vendors in exchange for an EZPass related contract.
The DRJTBC operates several bridges along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, inluding the US 1 bridge between Morrisville and Trenton and the US 202 bridge between New Hope and Lambertville.
Five leaders of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission last year dined in Florida and played golf at the Ritz Carlton's Tiburon course at the expense of contractors who went on to win millions of dollars in agency business.
The favors accepted by Executive Director Frank G. McCartney and four commissioners are the latest instance to be uncovered in a pattern of resort activities and commission parties paid for in 2002 by contractors that won E-ZPass contracts during an invitation-only bidding process that year.
The commission said that, although the cost of meals and golf were picked up by contractors, the agency paid for airfare, lodging and other expenses — for a total of about $5,000 for the trip. The commission said it does not know the value of the gifts.
The contractors who provided the favors during an April 2002 trip are TransCore of Hummelstown, Dauphin County, and Washington Group International, which has an office in Princeton, N.J.
They subsequently received more than $10 million in commission business.
''This incident is really appalling,'' said state Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Democrat who represents parts of Lehigh, Northampton and Monroe counties. ''We have a long way to go as we reform this agency.''
Boscola is among a group of legislators supporting measures in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey legislatures that would force the commission to open its records of travel expenses and other commission business to public inspection.
The commission's bidding process is already under review by the 10 commissioners who oversee the agency. They have promised to release the findings of that review at their meeting (September 29) in New Hope.
The review was announced after The Morning Call reported in June that E-ZPass contractors also paid for meals and golf at resorts in Hilton Head, S.C., last year. The commission has also acknowledged that the vendors paid for a December party at the Trenton Country Club.
E-ZPass was implemented on the agency's 20 bridges, spanning an area between Bucks County and the New York state line, in November — the same time that tolls were increased by up to 400 percent.
Both trips came to light slowly because information for both trips did not appear in travel records the commission voluntarily provided to reporters at the end of 2002. McCartney said through a staffer at the commission's public affairs consultant, The Bravo Group of Harrisburg, the omissions were ''oversights.''
In addition to McCartney, New Jersey Commissioners Harry Parkin and Gloria Decker and former Pennsylvania Commissioners Hal Saxton and Daniel Wassmer traveled to Florida on the trip that also included visits to two toll authorities that use E-ZPass-like electronic toll collection systems.
The toll authority released the Florida information in a letter to The Morning Call after the newspaper asked about the trip.
The New Jersey Executive Commission on Ethical Standards enforces the state's conflicts of interest law prohibiting gifts from vendors to New Jersey bridge commissioners. It is investigating the Hilton Head trip and the Trenton Country Club party.
The Pennsylvania commissioners who accepted the favors were replaced when Gov. Ed Rendell's five appointees arrived in February. Pennsylvania's commissioners are not regulated by the state's conflicts of interest rules, but the Rendell-appointed commissioners have said they will voluntarily comply with a ban on vendor gifts.
Saxton and Wassmer, the former Pennsylvania commissioners who participated in the trip, said they were not aware of payment arrangements for the golf and meals and that payment arrangements for the trip were arranged by McCartney.
Decker, the former mayor of Phillipsburg, said, ''All of my expenses, as far as I know, were paid for by the commission.''
Parkin, who leads the New Jersey delegation, did not return phone calls made to his office where he serves as chief of staff to Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti.
Wassmer said the commission bypassed local E-ZPass systems to visit the Florida systems because New Jersey was having problems with its system at the time and because TransCore, the firm the commission wanted to use for its own project, had not done E-ZPass work in Pennsylvania.
TransCore and the Washington Group won their E-ZPass contracts at the commission through an invitation-only bidding process. Unlike the Pennsylvania and New Jersey departments of transportation, the commission does not typically open contract competitions to all qualified contractors.
The commission's letter said both contractors paid for meals and TransCore also paid for a ''golf outing.''
Saxton said the outing occurred at the Ritz Cartlon's Tiburon golf course in Naples, Fla. The 36-hole course was designed by PGA star Greg Norman. - Allentown Morning Call; 27 September 2003 (article is not available at Morning Call website)
Wow, a SEPTA Board member involved in a contract controversy. That couldn't possibly happen, could it? It's interesting how irrelevant the DRJTBC is in the Philadelphia area - at least when compared to the Delaware River Port Authority. Yet, it seems that some of the same patronage and cronyism takes place in Morrisville (headquarters of the DRJTBC) as it does in Camden. And, for that matter, at 1234 Market...
CAC FOLLOW-UP
Friday's Delaware County Daily Times followed up on an earlier Inquirer story regarding the high number of vacancies and members with expired terms on SEPTA's Citizens Advisory Committee. Two of the members listed as serving beyond their allotted terms are from Delaware County.
MEMO TO IGGLES FANS...
Forget about the playoffs. After the team's poor performance against Dallas, I would start thinking about who's going to replace Andy Reid next season. Reid's crappy play calling has apparently exposed the fact that Donovan McNabb is one of the most inaccurate passers in the NFL, the "talent" at the skill positions (running back and wide reciever) is thin, and the defense has been mailing it in the past few weeks. Don't even get me started on how bad the kick return coverage teams have been in the last two games, especially late in the game. Oh, and how about that onside kick to start the game? How stupid was that?
To make matter worse, they lost to the hated Cowgirls, which is almost a criminal offense in Iggles Nation. Hell, if the Iggles lose to the Cowgirls at "The New $512 million, Partially Taxpayer Subsidized License for Lurie and Banner to Gouge Prices at 11 St and Pattison Av", then Reid ought to be fired on the spot. It's bad enough when the Iggles lose, but losing to the Cowgirls is even worse than death (well, almost).
By the way, those away game parties that the Iggles sponsor are fairly dull. The only real excitement at today's Iggles Away Game Party at Casey's in Drexel Hill was a bar fight - in which 8 Upper Darby police cars arrived; they seem to be used to that place, there always seems to be some mention every month or so of fights there in the Daily Times police blotter - that sent two to the hospital and a third man to jail. Nice.
I know that last item has nothing to do with SEPTA, but I am not in a good mood right now...
Friday's Delaware County Daily Times followed up on an earlier Inquirer story regarding the high number of vacancies and members with expired terms on SEPTA's Citizens Advisory Committee. Two of the members listed as serving beyond their allotted terms are from Delaware County.
MEMO TO IGGLES FANS...
Forget about the playoffs. After the team's poor performance against Dallas, I would start thinking about who's going to replace Andy Reid next season. Reid's crappy play calling has apparently exposed the fact that Donovan McNabb is one of the most inaccurate passers in the NFL, the "talent" at the skill positions (running back and wide reciever) is thin, and the defense has been mailing it in the past few weeks. Don't even get me started on how bad the kick return coverage teams have been in the last two games, especially late in the game. Oh, and how about that onside kick to start the game? How stupid was that?
To make matter worse, they lost to the hated Cowgirls, which is almost a criminal offense in Iggles Nation. Hell, if the Iggles lose to the Cowgirls at "The New $512 million, Partially Taxpayer Subsidized License for Lurie and Banner to Gouge Prices at 11 St and Pattison Av", then Reid ought to be fired on the spot. It's bad enough when the Iggles lose, but losing to the Cowgirls is even worse than death (well, almost).
By the way, those away game parties that the Iggles sponsor are fairly dull. The only real excitement at today's Iggles Away Game Party at Casey's in Drexel Hill was a bar fight - in which 8 Upper Darby police cars arrived; they seem to be used to that place, there always seems to be some mention every month or so of fights there in the Daily Times police blotter - that sent two to the hospital and a third man to jail. Nice.
I know that last item has nothing to do with SEPTA, but I am not in a good mood right now...
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
HAPPY TRAILS...
The money drain that is the 203 bus may be running its last miles this month. The early indications are that the 203 will either be scaled back or eliminated entirely due to poor ridership. Weekday ridership in the most recent quarter (April through June) has fallen to under 50 passenger trips per day. The 203, which connects the Woodbourne Rail Station on the R3 West Trenton line with Oxford Valley Mall and Bucks County Office Park in Middletown (Bucks), had been funded in part by a CMAQ grant, which is set to expire at the end of this month.
According to inside sources, a SEPTA Board member recently rode the 203, and was the only person on the bus for the entire round trip, save for the operator. It would not be a shock if elimination of the 203 - which may have been well intentioned, but a total failure - comes up as part of next month's SEPTA Board meeting, with the elimination or reduction in service to take place as early as October 27, when timetables change for Frontier routes.
MISSING BUS FOLLOW-UP
It turns out there are quite a few buses out of service due to accidents or missing parts. As noted earlier, several artics from Midvale are out of service due to parts shortages (7210, 7211, 7214, 7221, and 7251 were confirmed to be awaiting parts) or accidents (7212 and 7252). Two ElDorados from Frontier - 4519 and 4528 are out due to accidents, as is Red Arrow 5317. Callowhill's 5275 is out due to fire damage, as was Southern 5399.
Some New Flyers are also out of service for various reasons. Southern 5597 was returned to the New Flyer factory for various repairs, while 5637 is out due to a damaged engine block. And, in what can only be described as very strange, Midvale 5684 is reportedly being used as a "parts bus," complete with stripped windows. 5684 has only been on SEPTA property for a few months, and already, it's being stripped of most of its parts.
Hopefully that $15 million in flexible highway funding that will be transferred to SEPTA will go towards getting most of these buses back on the road.
EL LAWSUIT UNDERWAY
The Daily News reported in yesterday's editions that the lawsuit filed by a construction group which lost a bid to reconstruct the Market Street El despite a lower bid is underway. Testimony is being taken in federal court in which Conti Enterprises, which submitted a bid of $138 million, accuses SEPTA of favoritism by granting the contract to Market Street Constructors, a group which includes the Bucks County based Neshaminy Constructors, whose bid was $1 million higher than Conti's. Earlier reports state that Conti claimed that SEPTA may have interfered with MSC's bid following the bid opening process.
The money drain that is the 203 bus may be running its last miles this month. The early indications are that the 203 will either be scaled back or eliminated entirely due to poor ridership. Weekday ridership in the most recent quarter (April through June) has fallen to under 50 passenger trips per day. The 203, which connects the Woodbourne Rail Station on the R3 West Trenton line with Oxford Valley Mall and Bucks County Office Park in Middletown (Bucks), had been funded in part by a CMAQ grant, which is set to expire at the end of this month.
According to inside sources, a SEPTA Board member recently rode the 203, and was the only person on the bus for the entire round trip, save for the operator. It would not be a shock if elimination of the 203 - which may have been well intentioned, but a total failure - comes up as part of next month's SEPTA Board meeting, with the elimination or reduction in service to take place as early as October 27, when timetables change for Frontier routes.
MISSING BUS FOLLOW-UP
It turns out there are quite a few buses out of service due to accidents or missing parts. As noted earlier, several artics from Midvale are out of service due to parts shortages (7210, 7211, 7214, 7221, and 7251 were confirmed to be awaiting parts) or accidents (7212 and 7252). Two ElDorados from Frontier - 4519 and 4528 are out due to accidents, as is Red Arrow 5317. Callowhill's 5275 is out due to fire damage, as was Southern 5399.
Some New Flyers are also out of service for various reasons. Southern 5597 was returned to the New Flyer factory for various repairs, while 5637 is out due to a damaged engine block. And, in what can only be described as very strange, Midvale 5684 is reportedly being used as a "parts bus," complete with stripped windows. 5684 has only been on SEPTA property for a few months, and already, it's being stripped of most of its parts.
Hopefully that $15 million in flexible highway funding that will be transferred to SEPTA will go towards getting most of these buses back on the road.
EL LAWSUIT UNDERWAY
The Daily News reported in yesterday's editions that the lawsuit filed by a construction group which lost a bid to reconstruct the Market Street El despite a lower bid is underway. Testimony is being taken in federal court in which Conti Enterprises, which submitted a bid of $138 million, accuses SEPTA of favoritism by granting the contract to Market Street Constructors, a group which includes the Bucks County based Neshaminy Constructors, whose bid was $1 million higher than Conti's. Earlier reports state that Conti claimed that SEPTA may have interfered with MSC's bid following the bid opening process.
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
SOME HELP ON THE WAY
SEPTA may be in line for a one-shot infusion of flexible funding as one part of a solution out of the budget crisis. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is considering transferring $15 million in state highway funding originally earmarked for reconstruction of PA 309 in the Fort Washington area. Rehabilitation of the PA 309 segment between Haws Rd and Highland Av in Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh Twps and the interchange between PA 309 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is being delayed due to enviromental issues. A portion of the earmark for that project - $15 million - would be transferred to SEPTA pending approval by the full DVRPC Board later this month.
The $15 million that would be "flexed" will be put towards day-to-day maintenance of the bus and rail fleet. The issue is a major concern at some depots, but none more so than Midvale, which reports several Neoplan artics out of service due to a parts shortage.
SEPTA is also stepping up efforts in Harrisburg to restore the $15 million in state funding cuts for this fiscal year. A third strategy, which would net $11 million in added savings, combined with restored state funding and the transfer of the PA 309 funds to SEPTA, would resore the $41 million shortfall for this fiscal year.
SEPTA's counterpart in Pittsburgh, the Port Authority of Allegheny County, recently recieved a $10 million in funding via the Southwestern Pennsylvania Planning Commission (the DVRPC counterpart in the Pittsburgh area) for the same reason. PAAC is facing a $19 million budget gap and was planning even more draconian cuts than what SEPTA was planning.
PROBLEMS ON WEST CHESTER PIKE
An accident along Lansdowne Av near Cobbs Creek (right before it becomes State Rd) caused major delays along West Chester Pike and Market St towards the end of the morning peak. As a result, most West Chester Pike buses - the 103, 104, 110, 111, 112, and 123 were delayed anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes as traffic was diverted off of State Rd via West Chester Pike and Market St into West Philadelphia. The 9:10am 112 Express to Delaware County Community College (5142/4490 block) left 20 minutes late due to its late arrival coming in from Lawrence Park. The 8:05am 104 West Chester Express (5588/4225 block) was 20 minutes late arriving into Newtown Square. Those were just a couple of the delays caused by the State Rd/Lansdowne Av shutdown.
This is the second time in the past week that service along West Chester Pike was impacted due to problems beyond SEPTA's control. Last Wednesday, a fire at the Elizabeth Court Apartments at 7100 West Chester Pike forced all West Chester Pike buses off the pike and over State Rd and Victory Av to reach 69 St Terminal in both directions.
SEPTA may be in line for a one-shot infusion of flexible funding as one part of a solution out of the budget crisis. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission is considering transferring $15 million in state highway funding originally earmarked for reconstruction of PA 309 in the Fort Washington area. Rehabilitation of the PA 309 segment between Haws Rd and Highland Av in Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh Twps and the interchange between PA 309 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is being delayed due to enviromental issues. A portion of the earmark for that project - $15 million - would be transferred to SEPTA pending approval by the full DVRPC Board later this month.
The $15 million that would be "flexed" will be put towards day-to-day maintenance of the bus and rail fleet. The issue is a major concern at some depots, but none more so than Midvale, which reports several Neoplan artics out of service due to a parts shortage.
SEPTA is also stepping up efforts in Harrisburg to restore the $15 million in state funding cuts for this fiscal year. A third strategy, which would net $11 million in added savings, combined with restored state funding and the transfer of the PA 309 funds to SEPTA, would resore the $41 million shortfall for this fiscal year.
SEPTA's counterpart in Pittsburgh, the Port Authority of Allegheny County, recently recieved a $10 million in funding via the Southwestern Pennsylvania Planning Commission (the DVRPC counterpart in the Pittsburgh area) for the same reason. PAAC is facing a $19 million budget gap and was planning even more draconian cuts than what SEPTA was planning.
PROBLEMS ON WEST CHESTER PIKE
An accident along Lansdowne Av near Cobbs Creek (right before it becomes State Rd) caused major delays along West Chester Pike and Market St towards the end of the morning peak. As a result, most West Chester Pike buses - the 103, 104, 110, 111, 112, and 123 were delayed anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes as traffic was diverted off of State Rd via West Chester Pike and Market St into West Philadelphia. The 9:10am 112 Express to Delaware County Community College (5142/4490 block) left 20 minutes late due to its late arrival coming in from Lawrence Park. The 8:05am 104 West Chester Express (5588/4225 block) was 20 minutes late arriving into Newtown Square. Those were just a couple of the delays caused by the State Rd/Lansdowne Av shutdown.
This is the second time in the past week that service along West Chester Pike was impacted due to problems beyond SEPTA's control. Last Wednesday, a fire at the Elizabeth Court Apartments at 7100 West Chester Pike forced all West Chester Pike buses off the pike and over State Rd and Victory Av to reach 69 St Terminal in both directions.
Monday, October 06, 2003
TRENTON-CAMDEN DELAYED ... AGAIN
In what is seemingly becoming a broken record, NJ Transit announced that the Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit system, which was to have initiated service this fall will be delayed yet again. The Burlington County Times reports that NJ Transit continues to stall as it pertains to a start-up date, with a major reason being financial considerations. The BCT also reports that the start-up date was buried deep in a financial document issued by the state treasurer's office.
Well, if there was ever any ammunition to be gathered by those who want SEPTA to scale back the Schuylkill Valley project to a more reasonable and financially feasible project, just take a good long look at the progress - or lack thereof - of what has become a boondoggle and permanent monument to the GOP machine that runs Burlington County...
In what is seemingly becoming a broken record, NJ Transit announced that the Southern New Jersey Light Rail Transit system, which was to have initiated service this fall will be delayed yet again. The Burlington County Times reports that NJ Transit continues to stall as it pertains to a start-up date, with a major reason being financial considerations. The BCT also reports that the start-up date was buried deep in a financial document issued by the state treasurer's office.
Well, if there was ever any ammunition to be gathered by those who want SEPTA to scale back the Schuylkill Valley project to a more reasonable and financially feasible project, just take a good long look at the progress - or lack thereof - of what has become a boondoggle and permanent monument to the GOP machine that runs Burlington County...
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
BLOCKED ... AGAIN The fencing that effectively rendered the walkway between the front of the center platform and the trolley boarding platform at 69 St Terminal has been reinstalled. It had been removed while the interior corridors connecting the West Terminal with the Main Terminal area was being rehabbed to comply with ADA regulations. An inquiry as to why the fencing was installed was met by a rude SEPTA Transit Police officer who didn't give a straight answer and two other SEPTA employees who said nothing at all. The rumor from a Red Arrow operator was that the fencing was installed to comply with the ADA. Wonderful. In order to comply with a well-intentioned law to assist the disabled, SEPTA has once again made it more difficult for people getting off the trolleys or the 107, 109, 110, 111, and 122 in order to connect with outbound trolleys or West Chester Pike buses. I wonder what portion of the cost to reinstall the fencing will be applied to SEPTA's burgeoning budget defecit...
Sunday, September 28, 2003
FAREWELL TO THE VET ... AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO THE 03 PHILS! As expected, a large crowd attended the Phils swan song/disappearing act at the Vet this afternoon. As you can also expect, reports that the lower level at Pattison Station would be in use today turned out to be false (surprise, surprise). After the closing ceremonies at the Vet, a large crowd waited at the platform as a grand total of ... 2 trains were in the station, with an express pulling out and the local train parked with its doors closed. And, as you'd expect from the liars at SEPTA, the lower level sat unused. When I asked a whiteshirt (SEPTA-speak for "service manager") about the lower level, all I got was a ton of attitude. Let's just say that it was appropriate that he was assigned to Pattison, since he is about as overpaid for his job as Jose Mess-up was as the Phils closer...
This is not surprising, since it seems virtually most management level people on the operations side seems to have an attitude problem and have no concept of professional courtesy when dealing with the public (case in point: Red Arrow managers at 69 St Terminal, who either know about delays and can't be bothered to explain the situation to irate passengers, or don't know what they're doing). There's no reason as to why at least 2 or 3 trainsets couldn't be stored on the lower level instead of deadheading trains to Fern Rock or Walnut-Locust. Wait, that would require something very unusual at SEPTA: managers doing some actual thinking...
On a brighter note, the Iggles did win today. Bring on Spurrier and the Skins!
This is not surprising, since it seems virtually most management level people on the operations side seems to have an attitude problem and have no concept of professional courtesy when dealing with the public (case in point: Red Arrow managers at 69 St Terminal, who either know about delays and can't be bothered to explain the situation to irate passengers, or don't know what they're doing). There's no reason as to why at least 2 or 3 trainsets couldn't be stored on the lower level instead of deadheading trains to Fern Rock or Walnut-Locust. Wait, that would require something very unusual at SEPTA: managers doing some actual thinking...
On a brighter note, the Iggles did win today. Bring on Spurrier and the Skins!
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
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.
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.
Monday, September 22, 2003
ISABEL RECAP Most of SEPTA's bus and rail lines were operating as close to normal on Friday, just after the worst of Tropcial Storm Isabel passed through the area. The only lines that were out of service for most or all of Friday were the R5 Paoli/Thorndale, R6 Cynwyd, and R8 Chestnut Hill West. Service was restored to the Chestnut Hill West line by mid-day, however Paoli and Cynwyd line service was out all day. Paoli service was out all day due to numerous downed trees along the line. Despite SEPTA's announcements to keep the system running, thousands of Paoli Line riders were forced to find alternate routes, with no SEPTA shuttles available. Now, it's one thing to inconvenince less important lines like Cynwyd, but Paoli? Service was restored in time for the start of Saturday service.
TROLLEY ACCIDENTS Within a 72 hour period, two accidents were reported along the subway-surface lines.
The first accident occured on Friday morning at 49 St/Woodland Av when one K-Car rear-ended a second. About 20 people were injured.
The second occured on the diversion route, when K-Car 9001 derailed and struck a house at 42 St/Spruce St while working on the 13. About 10 people, including the operator, were injured.
TROLLEY ACCIDENTS Within a 72 hour period, two accidents were reported along the subway-surface lines.
The first accident occured on Friday morning at 49 St/Woodland Av when one K-Car rear-ended a second. About 20 people were injured.
The second occured on the diversion route, when K-Car 9001 derailed and struck a house at 42 St/Spruce St while working on the 13. About 10 people, including the operator, were injured.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
ISABEL UPDATE Most of the routes out of 69 St Terminal are operating as close to schedule as possible. The 4241 block on the 104, however, was running about 15 minutes late getting into Newtown Square (unfortunately for those who normally take that block, which includes the 11:05pm West Chester to 69 St run, that's close to normal), however the 4299 block (10:05pm West Chester to 69 St) was operating close to schedule, arriving only a couple minutes late. Most of the traffic lights along High St between Rosedale and Union in West Chester and along West Chester Pike between PA 352 (Chester Rd) and PA 252 in Newtown Square are out. The signal at West Chester Pike and Old West Chester Pike is flashing, but operable (sort of).
The P&W, however, is another story. KYW NewsRadio 1060 reports that the P&W is operating a bus-bridge along the entire line, however a SEPTA employee reports that buses are only running as far as Bryn Mawr. In either case, expect major delays tonight if you're travelling between 69 St and Norristown. Also, 102 riders may want to be alert in case of flooding at the CSX underpass between Collingdale and Sharon Hill.
The R5 is still running with approximately 30 minute delays on the Paoli/Thorndale side (and my boss is going to be thrilled when I have to tell him why I'm late for work tonight, but what can you do?). There is no word just yet as to what the status of Regional Rail service is
There have also been reports of scattered tree falls throughout the region, particularly in Philadelphia. As a result, most lines may experience unscheduled diversions and/or cutbacks due to Isabel. SEPTA may not be able to report all of these delays (despite my constant complaining about this issue, there are probably tons of delays - KYW can't even report all of the tree and wire incidents), so prepare for a long night, and a very long day tomorrow.
The P&W, however, is another story. KYW NewsRadio 1060 reports that the P&W is operating a bus-bridge along the entire line, however a SEPTA employee reports that buses are only running as far as Bryn Mawr. In either case, expect major delays tonight if you're travelling between 69 St and Norristown. Also, 102 riders may want to be alert in case of flooding at the CSX underpass between Collingdale and Sharon Hill.
The R5 is still running with approximately 30 minute delays on the Paoli/Thorndale side (and my boss is going to be thrilled when I have to tell him why I'm late for work tonight, but what can you do?). There is no word just yet as to what the status of Regional Rail service is
There have also been reports of scattered tree falls throughout the region, particularly in Philadelphia. As a result, most lines may experience unscheduled diversions and/or cutbacks due to Isabel. SEPTA may not be able to report all of these delays (despite my constant complaining about this issue, there are probably tons of delays - KYW can't even report all of the tree and wire incidents), so prepare for a long night, and a very long day tomorrow.
WELCOME, ISABEL ... NOW GO AWAY! As you can imagine, the next 24 hours will be very difficult from a commuting standpoint, as Hurricane Isabel - or the remnants thereof - strike Philadelphia. As of 6:00pm, the R5 Paoli-Thorndale and R6 Cynwyd lines are already impacted. The R5 is running with nearly 1 hour delays due to a downed tree near Merion. The R6 is not running at all, with passengers being forced to transfer to shuttle buses at Overbrook.
On another weather related note, the 104 and 119 were also running with delays, due to an accident on West Chester Pike at PA 352 in Westtown. 4232 block, which normally runs short-turns between 69 St and Newtown Square was forced to cover missing West Chester runs, with 4231 block catching up to it at West Chester. The 119 that normally arrives in West Chester at 5:35pm was running about 10 minutes late, which is highly unusual for that section of the line.
It would not be a surprise if SEPTA ran Regional Rail (or at least the lines they can safely operate) on a Saturday or Sunday schedule (at least on the Paoli-Thorndale line, it better be a Saturday schedule, otherwise there'd be no service between Malvern and Thorndale) tomorrow. SEPTA reports that shuttle buses would be deployed as required on major rail lines, so it's also possible that transit service could end up operating on a Saturday or Sunday schedule as well.
The only advice that I can offer is to listen to as many news outlets as possible tomorrow (as sometimes, information tends to vary from station to station).
On another weather related note, the 104 and 119 were also running with delays, due to an accident on West Chester Pike at PA 352 in Westtown. 4232 block, which normally runs short-turns between 69 St and Newtown Square was forced to cover missing West Chester runs, with 4231 block catching up to it at West Chester. The 119 that normally arrives in West Chester at 5:35pm was running about 10 minutes late, which is highly unusual for that section of the line.
It would not be a surprise if SEPTA ran Regional Rail (or at least the lines they can safely operate) on a Saturday or Sunday schedule (at least on the Paoli-Thorndale line, it better be a Saturday schedule, otherwise there'd be no service between Malvern and Thorndale) tomorrow. SEPTA reports that shuttle buses would be deployed as required on major rail lines, so it's also possible that transit service could end up operating on a Saturday or Sunday schedule as well.
The only advice that I can offer is to listen to as many news outlets as possible tomorrow (as sometimes, information tends to vary from station to station).
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
OPEN HOUSE AT ELMWOOD The first of 18 refurbished "PCC-II" trolleys will be on display at Elmwood Depot tomorrow between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. PCC-II 2320 recently returned from a major overhaul in Brookville, Pa. and will be used on the 15 starting in April 2004.
MAJOR BUS MOVES The most notable bus moves as part of the Fall signups saw the 73 return to Frankford from Comly; Comly also lost parts of the 19/67 and the R to Frankford with the rehab of Frankford Depot now complete. In addition, Callowhill's portion of the G was moved to Southern. Now, all G and 64 runs operate out of Southern, despite terminal points in West Philadelphia that are closer to Callowhill than Southern. So much for efficiency...
MAJOR BUS MOVES The most notable bus moves as part of the Fall signups saw the 73 return to Frankford from Comly; Comly also lost parts of the 19/67 and the R to Frankford with the rehab of Frankford Depot now complete. In addition, Callowhill's portion of the G was moved to Southern. Now, all G and 64 runs operate out of Southern, despite terminal points in West Philadelphia that are closer to Callowhill than Southern. So much for efficiency...
Monday, September 15, 2003
WHAT A ME$$ The Inquirer reported that SEPTA may be in worse financial shape than originally anticipated, as if that's even possible. SEPTA is reportedly delaying action on the DRACONIAN SERVICE CUTS and fare increase that was proposed to have taken effect this month. Meanwhile, SEPTA's deficit has grown from $41 million to $50 million since the start of the fiscal year on July 1. That's an average of $790,000 per week. Short of blaming Harrisburg (which seems to be the only defense from Fearless Leader and the Rotating Resumes at 1234 Market), SEPTA seems to think that the legislature is going to hand SEPTA a blank check without any pressure to institute reforms.
"We hoped that buckets of money would be delivered to us ... We may still have service cuts and fare increases. I am optimistic that will not happen." - Fearless Leader on the current financial situation
Of course, the Iggles did the same thing for Donovan McNabb, and look where it got them - an 0-2 mark after two terrible games at the new $512 million taxpayer subsidized playpen known as Lincoln Financial Field, and the real possibility of an 0-3 start in two weeks. Pretty soon, you may have thousands of fans dressing up as empty seats as the season progresses (or regresses as the case may be).
Considering the report from Gov. Rendell's point person on SEPTA and the Port Authority of Allegheny County should be finished and released soon, the chances of SEPTA making any significant changes in it's structure and in the corporate attitude are slim and none - and slim just left the station. If SEPTA continues to bleed money at it's current pace ($790,000/week), the budget deficit may be close to $80 million by the time June 30 rolls around - that's $41 million ON TOP OF the current $41 million hole. In short, that's double what SEPTA's current hole is now.
Then again, if SEPTA wouldn't waste it's money for ads on Howard Stern (one aired on that show last Tuesday) or on those stupid "Race to the Vet" promos at Phillies games (among other things), maybe we might be looking at a better financial situation than what we're starting at now...
"We hoped that buckets of money would be delivered to us ... We may still have service cuts and fare increases. I am optimistic that will not happen." - Fearless Leader on the current financial situation
Of course, the Iggles did the same thing for Donovan McNabb, and look where it got them - an 0-2 mark after two terrible games at the new $512 million taxpayer subsidized playpen known as Lincoln Financial Field, and the real possibility of an 0-3 start in two weeks. Pretty soon, you may have thousands of fans dressing up as empty seats as the season progresses (or regresses as the case may be).
Considering the report from Gov. Rendell's point person on SEPTA and the Port Authority of Allegheny County should be finished and released soon, the chances of SEPTA making any significant changes in it's structure and in the corporate attitude are slim and none - and slim just left the station. If SEPTA continues to bleed money at it's current pace ($790,000/week), the budget deficit may be close to $80 million by the time June 30 rolls around - that's $41 million ON TOP OF the current $41 million hole. In short, that's double what SEPTA's current hole is now.
Then again, if SEPTA wouldn't waste it's money for ads on Howard Stern (one aired on that show last Tuesday) or on those stupid "Race to the Vet" promos at Phillies games (among other things), maybe we might be looking at a better financial situation than what we're starting at now...
Thursday, September 11, 2003
IT TOOK LONG ENOUGH... After having the same 9/11 related message on her official page for nearly a year and a half, Fearless Leader has done something that can almost be described as amazing...
She updated her "Message from the GM" page.
That should, in theory, dispel rumors of her departure. Unfortunately for us...
She updated her "Message from the GM" page.
That should, in theory, dispel rumors of her departure. Unfortunately for us...
SEPTA STUPIDITY STRIKES AGAIN... It's amazing how SEPTA's parochial attitudes manage to affect not only commuters travelling to Philadelphia, but now residents of southern Bucks County who travel to New York and North Jersey are feeling the impact as well. Last month, the Bucks County Courier Times reported that plans for a NJ Transit rail station in Falls Twp, which was proposed as part of NJT's new rail yard for Northeast Corridor Line trains, has stalled. Let the finger pointing begin...
Last week, NJ Transit spokesman Ken Hitchner said his agency is still receptive to picking up commuters in Bucks. As proof, he noted that in designing the maintenance yard - which is scheduled to be completed this fall - space was left to accommodate a passenger station. But ironically, now that the philosophical hurdles have been cleared, neglect, lack of money and engineering problems have conspired to kill the project.
For example, Falls township Manager Wayne Bergman said that while there was initially some interest over the station, that has since waned.
"Perhaps SEPTA can take the lead now," he said.
Mr. Bergman, welcome to the world of SEPTA, where stupidity in planning reigns supreme, even over providing quality transit service. Asking SEPTA to take the lead in another agency's project is like asking Larry Bowa to coach the Iggles (though he can't do any worse than Dumbo Reid did last Monday night).
SEPTA's director of capital and long-range planning, Chris Patton, did indeed meet with NJ Transit officials earlier this year. But during that meeting, they talked about space set aside for a SEPTA station in Falls, not the NJ Transit station.
That SEPTA station would be the last stop on the Cross Country Metro connecting Bucks and Chester counties. That line is many, many years in the future, Patton concedes.
"It's news to me that NJ Transit won't pay for the station," he said last week about a Falls NJ Transit station.
Yes, friends, this is the same Cross County Boondoggle that SEPTA is attempting to extort nearly $1 billion from Washington and Harrisburg (on top of the nearly $2 billion for Schuylkill Valley), complete with the ridiculous bells and whistles that will drive the project costs upward.
PennDOT is also putting pressure on SEPTA to take the lead in constructing the station. Yeah, right. We're talking about a transit agency that took four years to renovate the Overbrook Rail Station, not to mention a transit system that claims wheelchair access to new rail stations, but forgets to build the proper ramps to allow access while claiming the project is "complete" (see Chester, Radnor, and Strafford stations as prime examples) - and it appears that Overbrook will be in the same situation.
Yet, the problems may be more than just inter-state finger pointing. State Rep. Dave Steil (R-Bucks) claims that despite three possibile locations for the platform, all three are unworkable due to various engineering quirks. Uh huh. He also added this gem right out of the SEPTA Ministry of Misinformation's playbook:
"It just proved to be too costly ... It probably won't happen until SEPTA builds the Cross County Metro and that probably won't happen in my lifetime."
That would be the understatement of the century...
Meanwhile, the Courier Times penned an editorial on this issue the very next day. The editorial passed the blamed - among other people - the overrated Congressman from Bucks County Jim Greenwood (R-8th), who despite his relative high senority in Washington, has done very little in recent years, except get into a shouting match last year with a Pennsbury High student, and the Bucks County Commissioners, who won't sign off on the plan unless parking fees pay for the construction.
Conspicously missing from all of this? None other than your favorite SEPTA Board Chairman/Turnpike Commissioner/Radio Station Owner/Land Developer and alleged champion of public transit (at least in Bucks County) Pasquale T. Deon, Sr. Considering that Don Pasquale has done a lot for SEPTA riders in Bucks (at the expense of the other three suburban counties and the City of Philadelphia), he has been remarkably silent on this issue.
Perhaps he's too busy irritating homeowners in a section of Bristol Twp where the Turnpike Commission is planning to build a massive interchange between the Turnpike and I-95, at the expense of dozens of homes in that area.
Perhaps he's too busy turning SEPTA Board meetings into a less democratic forum that is more inflexible to public comment than your typical United Nations meetings (now, public comments are limited to 2 minutes, which is dangerously close to being a borderline violation of open meetings laws).
Or, perhaps, he just doesn't give a damn...
Last week, NJ Transit spokesman Ken Hitchner said his agency is still receptive to picking up commuters in Bucks. As proof, he noted that in designing the maintenance yard - which is scheduled to be completed this fall - space was left to accommodate a passenger station. But ironically, now that the philosophical hurdles have been cleared, neglect, lack of money and engineering problems have conspired to kill the project.
For example, Falls township Manager Wayne Bergman said that while there was initially some interest over the station, that has since waned.
"Perhaps SEPTA can take the lead now," he said.
Mr. Bergman, welcome to the world of SEPTA, where stupidity in planning reigns supreme, even over providing quality transit service. Asking SEPTA to take the lead in another agency's project is like asking Larry Bowa to coach the Iggles (though he can't do any worse than Dumbo Reid did last Monday night).
SEPTA's director of capital and long-range planning, Chris Patton, did indeed meet with NJ Transit officials earlier this year. But during that meeting, they talked about space set aside for a SEPTA station in Falls, not the NJ Transit station.
That SEPTA station would be the last stop on the Cross Country Metro connecting Bucks and Chester counties. That line is many, many years in the future, Patton concedes.
"It's news to me that NJ Transit won't pay for the station," he said last week about a Falls NJ Transit station.
Yes, friends, this is the same Cross County Boondoggle that SEPTA is attempting to extort nearly $1 billion from Washington and Harrisburg (on top of the nearly $2 billion for Schuylkill Valley), complete with the ridiculous bells and whistles that will drive the project costs upward.
PennDOT is also putting pressure on SEPTA to take the lead in constructing the station. Yeah, right. We're talking about a transit agency that took four years to renovate the Overbrook Rail Station, not to mention a transit system that claims wheelchair access to new rail stations, but forgets to build the proper ramps to allow access while claiming the project is "complete" (see Chester, Radnor, and Strafford stations as prime examples) - and it appears that Overbrook will be in the same situation.
Yet, the problems may be more than just inter-state finger pointing. State Rep. Dave Steil (R-Bucks) claims that despite three possibile locations for the platform, all three are unworkable due to various engineering quirks. Uh huh. He also added this gem right out of the SEPTA Ministry of Misinformation's playbook:
"It just proved to be too costly ... It probably won't happen until SEPTA builds the Cross County Metro and that probably won't happen in my lifetime."
That would be the understatement of the century...
Meanwhile, the Courier Times penned an editorial on this issue the very next day. The editorial passed the blamed - among other people - the overrated Congressman from Bucks County Jim Greenwood (R-8th), who despite his relative high senority in Washington, has done very little in recent years, except get into a shouting match last year with a Pennsbury High student, and the Bucks County Commissioners, who won't sign off on the plan unless parking fees pay for the construction.
Conspicously missing from all of this? None other than your favorite SEPTA Board Chairman/Turnpike Commissioner/Radio Station Owner/Land Developer and alleged champion of public transit (at least in Bucks County) Pasquale T. Deon, Sr. Considering that Don Pasquale has done a lot for SEPTA riders in Bucks (at the expense of the other three suburban counties and the City of Philadelphia), he has been remarkably silent on this issue.
Perhaps he's too busy irritating homeowners in a section of Bristol Twp where the Turnpike Commission is planning to build a massive interchange between the Turnpike and I-95, at the expense of dozens of homes in that area.
Perhaps he's too busy turning SEPTA Board meetings into a less democratic forum that is more inflexible to public comment than your typical United Nations meetings (now, public comments are limited to 2 minutes, which is dangerously close to being a borderline violation of open meetings laws).
Or, perhaps, he just doesn't give a damn...
FAKE TROLLEYS IN DEPTFORD? Officials in Deptford Twp, Gloucester County, are looking into a possible shuttle system, using fake replica trolley buses. The Gloucester County Times reports that the Deptford Township Council approved funding to study such a system. Township officials note that traffic in the township's shopping district - which includes the Deptford Mall and several other major chain stores - has increased significantly, due in large part to the easy access from NJ 42 and NJ 55. The study is expected to be complete by next year.
NJT service to the Deptford Mall and other shopping centers in the adjacent area could be described as mediocre at best. The only two routes that serve the mall are the 400 between Center City Philadelphia, Camden, and Sicklerville, which only operates hourly, even during peak hours (very poor, even by South Jersey standards, when you consider the high amount of service to Cherry Hill and Moorestown Malls) and the 455 which connects Cherry Hill Mall with Paulsboro via Deptford Mall and Haddonfield, and also operates hourly; on Sundays, the 455 only operates between Paulsboro and Deptford Mall on a limited schedule.
Bear in mind that Cherry Hill Mall is served by the 317 (stops on NJ 38), 404, 405, 413 (on NJ 38), 450, and 455; Moorestown Mall is directly served by the 317, 407, 413, and 457. How TPTB in Newark can ignore the increased number of traffic generators in Deptford Twp is really not surprising, considering that South Jersey has long been the rotten stepchild of the entire NJT system (as evidenced by the North Jersey junkers that are constantly sent south to run their last miles).
NJT service to the Deptford Mall and other shopping centers in the adjacent area could be described as mediocre at best. The only two routes that serve the mall are the 400 between Center City Philadelphia, Camden, and Sicklerville, which only operates hourly, even during peak hours (very poor, even by South Jersey standards, when you consider the high amount of service to Cherry Hill and Moorestown Malls) and the 455 which connects Cherry Hill Mall with Paulsboro via Deptford Mall and Haddonfield, and also operates hourly; on Sundays, the 455 only operates between Paulsboro and Deptford Mall on a limited schedule.
Bear in mind that Cherry Hill Mall is served by the 317 (stops on NJ 38), 404, 405, 413 (on NJ 38), 450, and 455; Moorestown Mall is directly served by the 317, 407, 413, and 457. How TPTB in Newark can ignore the increased number of traffic generators in Deptford Twp is really not surprising, considering that South Jersey has long been the rotten stepchild of the entire NJT system (as evidenced by the North Jersey junkers that are constantly sent south to run their last miles).
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
MORE 104 PROBLEMS ... AGAIN Stop me if you've heard this one before... There are more problems with late running buses on the 104. Yesterday's 5:05pm to West Chester departed 69 St 10 minutes late. One would think that the schedule change would improve on-time performance. But no, that's not the case. And, to make things worse, it seems that the slowest operator from Red Arrow is now working 4241 block, meaning that one of the two late night buses coming in from West Chester will always be running 10-15 minutes late. And there's still no PM express service from West Chester, hence the same overcrowding continues on inbound buses from West Chester during the PM peak. Here we go again...
BROAD ST LINE SETS RECORD Nearly 12,000 Iggles fans travelled to the Linc via the Broad St Subway, exceeding last year's totals for the Monday Night Football game against the New York football giants. Now, if Andy Reid can interrupt his cheesesteak dinner to actually develop a game plan that doesn't look like something that the Strath Haven football team can figure out, then maybe next week's game against New England will have a better result.
The 12,000 passengers could increase by a few more if SEPTA could actually add extra buses on some bus routes operating from Bridge-Pratt and 69 St which end service after the game, but that would be asking too much...
DANGER ZONE IN ANGORA It appears that for the second time in three days, bullets struck a SEPTA bus at 58 St/Baltimore Av. On Sunday, one man was shot to death on 58 St south of Baltimore. The incident occured at 2:54pm, when shots were fired in the area. Bullets struck both a SEPTA bus and a taxi. On Tuesday, the curb side windshield on 3346, working as a northbound G to Overbrook (7696 block), suffered damage, as a small hole which appeared to come from a bullet (that had not been confirmed) was seen in the bottom of the windshield near the front door. There was no other indication that it was a shooting, but considering what had happened 48 hours earlier, nothing could be ruled out.
BROAD ST LINE SETS RECORD Nearly 12,000 Iggles fans travelled to the Linc via the Broad St Subway, exceeding last year's totals for the Monday Night Football game against the New York football giants. Now, if Andy Reid can interrupt his cheesesteak dinner to actually develop a game plan that doesn't look like something that the Strath Haven football team can figure out, then maybe next week's game against New England will have a better result.
The 12,000 passengers could increase by a few more if SEPTA could actually add extra buses on some bus routes operating from Bridge-Pratt and 69 St which end service after the game, but that would be asking too much...
DANGER ZONE IN ANGORA It appears that for the second time in three days, bullets struck a SEPTA bus at 58 St/Baltimore Av. On Sunday, one man was shot to death on 58 St south of Baltimore. The incident occured at 2:54pm, when shots were fired in the area. Bullets struck both a SEPTA bus and a taxi. On Tuesday, the curb side windshield on 3346, working as a northbound G to Overbrook (7696 block), suffered damage, as a small hole which appeared to come from a bullet (that had not been confirmed) was seen in the bottom of the windshield near the front door. There was no other indication that it was a shooting, but considering what had happened 48 hours earlier, nothing could be ruled out.
Thursday, September 04, 2003
SEPTA SCHEDULE CHANGES Here is a partial listing of schedule changes and service adjustments in the City and Red Arrow divisions, which will take effect this weekend:
MARKET-FRANKFORD LINE Mid-day service reduced to every 8 minutes.
ROUTE C Artics will be deployed on Ogontz Loop/City Hall service, with headways increasing from 10 to 12 minutes; Sheaff Lane trips will be replaced by a shuttle from Broad St/Oregon Av.
ROUTE J Officially designated as a bike route; also designated as a 100 percent wheelchair accessible line.
ROUTE 8 Mid-day service is eliminated; service will not operate eastbound between 9:00am and 2:00pm; westbound service between 8:35am and 1:25pm will also be eliminated; officially designated as a bike route.
ROUTES 9, 11, 33, and 48 Peak service on these lines will be reduced.
ROUTE 12 Officially designated as a bike route.
ROUTE 26 Weekday AM peak eastbound service will be adjusted between Germantown and Olney Terminal.
ROUTE 27 Weekday PM peak service between CAPA (Broad/Washington) and Plymouth Meeting Mall is revised; a new 5:14pm northbound departure from 15 St/JFK Blvd has been added (presumably to Plymouth Meeting, but I'd have to check the timetables).
ROUTE 28 The detour routing along Rhawn St in Fox Chase will be lifted; all 28 buses will be back on it's normal routing.
ROUTE 31 Buses will continue to be detoured off of Market between 46 St and 63 St; a 31 Shuttle will be introduced, operating between 52 and 60 Sts between 11:00am and 7:00pm Monday-Saturday; eastbound service will be reduced between 8:00am and 11:00am to every 30 minutes; evening service will operate hourly starting at 7:20pm.
ROUTE 37 Officially re-designated as a bike route.
ROUTE 44 A new westbound short turn will depart 54 St/City Av at 7:08am to Ardmore; all Ardmore trips will now return to 52 St and Overbrook Av.
ROUTE 52 The new routing to Overbrook will be reflected on the new timetables.
ROUTE 53 Officially designated as a bike route.
ROUTES 63/64 Routes 63 and 64 will be consolidated; the 63 routing along Christian and Catharine Sts will be eliminated; the new 64 will operate mainly along Washington Av through South Philadelphia, with a diversion to the Ellsworth-Federal station; service also extended west from Wyalusing Av/Lancaster Av to Parkside Loop.
ROUTE 65 Buses re-routed to improve connections at 63 St/Malvern Av loop.
ROUTE 66 AM Express service eliminated.
ROUTE 77 Weekday 7:25am departure from Roosevelt Blvd/Cottman Av will run 20 minutes earlier to improve connections to Bishop McDevitt High School in Cheltenham Twp.
ROUTES 101/102 Mid-day service reduced from 20 minutes to every 30 minutes between 8:30am and 12:30pm.
ROUTE 103 Ardmore-bound service to be re-routed via County Line Rd and Ardmore Av; southbound service to operate via Cricket Av.
ROUTE 105 Ardmore short-turns to terminate at Cricket Terrace.
ROUTE 108 New weekday round trip departs 69 St Terminal at 8:12pm to 67 St/Elmwood Av; return trip departs 67/Elmwood at 8:35pm.
ROUTES 111 and 119 Outbound service from 69 St Terminal or Chester will only serve Franklin Mint on request to operator.
ROUTE 112 Sunday service will be discontinued.
ROUTE 113 Owl service eliminated; no service between 1:00am and 5:00am; new 6:45pm departure from 69 St Terminal to Darby Loop, return trip departs Darby at 7:04pm.
ROUTE 114 Sunday service will now operate between 6:00am and 11:00pm.
ROUTE 115 All service after 6:30pm discontinued.
ROUTE 120 Fewer through trips between 69 St and Cheyney; more shuttle trips between Newtown Square and Cheyney connecting (in theory) with 104 buses, much to the delight of those who deal with already overcrowded 104 buses coming in from West Chester.
ROUTE 305 Mid-day time adjustments due to 102 schedule changes; service to Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center (DelCo Community Coorections satellite site) in Darby Twp eliminated (however, the official SEPTA press release indicates that it "will be adjusted to maintain connections with Route 102."
In addition, Red Arrow routes service Chester Terminal will see adjusted times due to new traffic patterns in downtown Chester, which were implemented earlier this summer.
In addition, Red Arrow routes service Chester Terminal will see adjusted times due to new traffic patterns in downtown Chester, which were implemented earlier this summer.
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