The Bucks County TMA is planning to introduce a new shuttle service in the Bensalem Township area on September 11. The new service, called the Bensalem RUSH, will provide peak-hour connections between SEPTA R-7 trains at Cornwells Heights Station and employment centers in Bensalem Township, including Philadelphia Park Casino, Neshaminy Mall, ITT Technical Institute, and the Bridgewater Industrial Park. This is the latest service that will be funded by the FTA's Job Access and Reverse Commute funding program. More comments on the new BCTMA services are coming later in this post...
Meanwhile, in the Great Valley area, several services will be initiated to expand transit services in from the Great Valley and Paoli areas to the Coatesville and West Chester areas. The TMA of Chester County will sponsor a new "B" route between Coatesville, Downingtown, and Exton to Great Valley, which is expected to begin sometime this fall. The service, along with two new SEPTA routes, are part of the US 202 Congestion Mitigation Strategy for the Section 300 construction between PA 29 and US 30.
The two new SEPTA routes will be the 205, which will cover some portions of the existing 206, but will be extended to office parks further up PA 29 and into Charlestown Twp. The 306 will connect Great Valley with West Chester and the Brandywine Town Center in Delaware, operating via Frazer, US 202, West Chester, Chadds Ford, and Wilmington Pike. The two SEPTA routes, however, will not be started until December at the earliest due to issues in awarding contracts to a third-party (read: Krap(f)'s). This raises a very troubling issue...
When SEPTA added two new routes "from scratch" in Lower Bucks - the late 203 between Woodbourne and Oxford Valley and the 304 between Torresdale and Bristol - SEPTA kept those routes in house. When the 305 between the Airport and Darby was created, that too was kept in house. However, with every new SEPTA service in Chester County (the original 202, 314, 204, 208, 207/WHIRL) came a contract with Krap(f)'s to operate the service as opposed to keeping the service in house.
Why SEPTA repeatedly opts to contract out new services in Chester County but not the other counties is beyond any rational logic, unless Krap(f)'s -which can't even run a halfway decent transit service between Coatesville and West Chester (including using school buses on several occasions) - is greasing the palms in West Chester and at 1234 Market.
Meanwhile, back to Bucks. From what I've been able to gather, the new Bensalem RUSH will honor SEPTA fare instruments (at least SEPTA passes) as it does on all their other RUSH routes and the Doylestown DART. As best as I can tell, SEPTA does not have a similar arrangement in place with the other TMAs in the region. This is yet another double standard that SEPTA is not really in a hurry to correct in the forseeable future. This is a relevant point, because there's been nothing to indicate that the TMACC's new "B" route will honor SEPTA fare instruments.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
BUS BERTHS RE-ASSIGNED
Now that the historic Bridge St Terminal station at the Frankford Terminal is close to completion, as is the new mulit-level parking deck, major changes to the bus boarding locations at Bridge-Pratt will take place this Sunday:
ROUTE 3 - One boarding berth on Pratt St is eliminated except during peak hours
ROUTE 5 - Buses will move up one berth on Pratt St, taking over one of the existing 3 berths; existing 5 berth will become a discharge-only berth for the 3 and 5
ROUTE 8 - Will continue to board inside the Bridge-Pratt complex along the Bridge St side (adjacent to Frankford Depot)
ROUTE 14 - Existing berths will become discharge-only for the 8, 24, and R; new berths will be moved to the current 20 berths
ROUTE 19 - Will be relocated to the current 24 berth
ROUTE 20 - Will be relocated to the current 19/67 berths
ROUTE 24 - Will be relocated to the current 88 berth on near the corner of Frankford Av/Pratt St (near the newsstand)
ROUTE 25, 73, and 84 - Will be relocated off of Bridge St to the south side of the new Bridge St Terminal building (parallel to Bustleton Av)
ROUTE 26 - Will continue to board inside the Bridge-Pratt complex along the Bridge St side (adjacent to Frankford Depot)
ROUTE 58 - NO CHANGE; will continue to board in the bus lane on the south side of the main terminal building
ROUTE 66 - Will be relocated off of Bridge St to the north side of the new terminal building
ROUTE 67 - Will be relocated to one of the current R berths
ROUTE 88 - Will be relocated off the terminal property and board on Bridge St at the current 66 bus berths
ROUTE R - One of the two berths will be eliminated
The new parking deck will officially open for business on Tuesday. The facility will be a "self-park" facility with no cashiers at the exit gate, however there will also be no free parking on the weekend ($3.25 daily rate weekdays, $2.00 on weekends).
ROUTE 3 - One boarding berth on Pratt St is eliminated except during peak hours
ROUTE 5 - Buses will move up one berth on Pratt St, taking over one of the existing 3 berths; existing 5 berth will become a discharge-only berth for the 3 and 5
ROUTE 8 - Will continue to board inside the Bridge-Pratt complex along the Bridge St side (adjacent to Frankford Depot)
ROUTE 14 - Existing berths will become discharge-only for the 8, 24, and R; new berths will be moved to the current 20 berths
ROUTE 19 - Will be relocated to the current 24 berth
ROUTE 20 - Will be relocated to the current 19/67 berths
ROUTE 24 - Will be relocated to the current 88 berth on near the corner of Frankford Av/Pratt St (near the newsstand)
ROUTE 25, 73, and 84 - Will be relocated off of Bridge St to the south side of the new Bridge St Terminal building (parallel to Bustleton Av)
ROUTE 26 - Will continue to board inside the Bridge-Pratt complex along the Bridge St side (adjacent to Frankford Depot)
ROUTE 58 - NO CHANGE; will continue to board in the bus lane on the south side of the main terminal building
ROUTE 66 - Will be relocated off of Bridge St to the north side of the new terminal building
ROUTE 67 - Will be relocated to one of the current R berths
ROUTE 88 - Will be relocated off the terminal property and board on Bridge St at the current 66 bus berths
ROUTE R - One of the two berths will be eliminated
The new parking deck will officially open for business on Tuesday. The facility will be a "self-park" facility with no cashiers at the exit gate, however there will also be no free parking on the weekend ($3.25 daily rate weekdays, $2.00 on weekends).
SOME RED ARROW CHANGES
Without having done a route-by-route review as of yet, here are a few of the more notable changes that took effect on Monday:
101/102 - Pre-construction service has been restored; mid-day 101 trolleys depart for Media at :00 and :30 after the hour; mid-day 102 trolleys depart for Sharon Hill at :15 and :45 after the hour
108 - Additional early evening service added between 19:00 and 22:00
110/111/117 - The bus stop at Penn State/Delaware County has been relocated to the new driveway to the front of the Commons Building
111 - Trip time adjustments to/from Chadds Ford
113 - Now service the new Chester Downs racetrack/slots parlor* at 4 St/Morton Av; additionally, the SEPTA web site now indicates that buses will terminate/originate in Marcus Hook at 4 St/Green St instead of Delaware Av/Green St
119 - New trip between Chester and Cheyney University added
120 - All weekday trips, with the exception of one early evening trip, are one-seat rides between 69 St and Cheyney (which was long overdue; the shuttles that were initiated a few years ago should never have seen the light of day)
Meanwhile, on Monday, the day of the schedule change, there were no new timetables available at 1234 Market, Suburban Station, or Market East. On Tuesday, new timetables were available at 1234 Market, however, not all of the new timetables were printed out at any location. As of yesterday, timetables for the 100, 104, 105, 108, 110, 114, and 118 were photocopied as opposed to the printed timetables for all other routes. To not have the new timetables available to the public on the day they take effect is just staggering.
And, to top it all off, yesterday, there were still timetables available for the old 122 route at 1234 Market. Brilliant...
* - Slots parlor subject to Harrisburg figuring out what the hell they're doing...
101/102 - Pre-construction service has been restored; mid-day 101 trolleys depart for Media at :00 and :30 after the hour; mid-day 102 trolleys depart for Sharon Hill at :15 and :45 after the hour
108 - Additional early evening service added between 19:00 and 22:00
110/111/117 - The bus stop at Penn State/Delaware County has been relocated to the new driveway to the front of the Commons Building
111 - Trip time adjustments to/from Chadds Ford
113 - Now service the new Chester Downs racetrack/slots parlor* at 4 St/Morton Av; additionally, the SEPTA web site now indicates that buses will terminate/originate in Marcus Hook at 4 St/Green St instead of Delaware Av/Green St
119 - New trip between Chester and Cheyney University added
120 - All weekday trips, with the exception of one early evening trip, are one-seat rides between 69 St and Cheyney (which was long overdue; the shuttles that were initiated a few years ago should never have seen the light of day)
Meanwhile, on Monday, the day of the schedule change, there were no new timetables available at 1234 Market, Suburban Station, or Market East. On Tuesday, new timetables were available at 1234 Market, however, not all of the new timetables were printed out at any location. As of yesterday, timetables for the 100, 104, 105, 108, 110, 114, and 118 were photocopied as opposed to the printed timetables for all other routes. To not have the new timetables available to the public on the day they take effect is just staggering.
And, to top it all off, yesterday, there were still timetables available for the old 122 route at 1234 Market. Brilliant...
* - Slots parlor subject to Harrisburg figuring out what the hell they're doing...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
DRILL AT STRAFFORD
Today's drill at the Strafford Rail Station was essentially nothing more than a major radio test to judge the inter-operability of the various county-wide radio systems along with SEPTA . Tredyffrin Twp Police, Amtrak Police, Radnor Fire Co., Berwyn Fire Co., and Narberth Ambulance were the agencies that were on scene along with Chester County's COMM-1 mobile command post and DelCo's Mobile 3 command post. For the most part, while there was a lot of radio traffic, this wasn't a traditional emergency drill that SEPTA has conducted in the past. R5 service through Strafford was largely unaffected.
CONFLICTS "R" US
As one can expect, the controversy over proposed slots parlors across the state seems to have many layers of controversy, ranging from nepotism among ranking officials of the state's gaming control board (aka business as usual in Harrisburg) to the governor shoving a highly unpopular property tax reform plan down the collective throats of the taxpayers and school boards across the state. It was only a matter of time before SEPTA ended up getting caught up in this mess in an indirect fashion.
According to an AP article, at least three SEPTA Board members are among the many investors, albeit small, in two groups vying for slots licenses in different parts of the state:
Two board members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Pasquale Deon and James Schwartzman, joined Las Vegas Sands Inc. in its pursuit of a Bethlehem slots parlor by virtue of their long-standing personal and professional ties to company executives, a Sands spokesman said.
Another SEPTA board member and Philadelphia labor leader, Herman Wooden, joined a sprawling group of business people in the city in search of a company to run the casino. They eventually found Robert Earl, the founder of Planet Hollywood, said the group's spokesman, Jay Devine.
Many of the stakes owned by local partners will be tiny.
Great. Politics as usual at 1234 Market...
According to an AP article, at least three SEPTA Board members are among the many investors, albeit small, in two groups vying for slots licenses in different parts of the state:
Two board members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Pasquale Deon and James Schwartzman, joined Las Vegas Sands Inc. in its pursuit of a Bethlehem slots parlor by virtue of their long-standing personal and professional ties to company executives, a Sands spokesman said.
Another SEPTA board member and Philadelphia labor leader, Herman Wooden, joined a sprawling group of business people in the city in search of a company to run the casino. They eventually found Robert Earl, the founder of Planet Hollywood, said the group's spokesman, Jay Devine.
Many of the stakes owned by local partners will be tiny.
Great. Politics as usual at 1234 Market...
DRILL TODAY ON THE R-5
According to an posting in a scanning related group that I belong to, a drill is scheduled sometime around 10:00 hours today at the Strafford Train Station on the R5 Paoli/Thorndale line. This is reported to be an communications interoperability drill involving Chester County, Delaware County, SEPTA, Amtrak, and the federal government in order to test the inter-op capabilities between the various communications systems. There's no word on what exactly the "incident" will be nor if it will have an direct impact on rail service.
RENDELL FUMBLES ON $CHUYLKILL VALLEY
Just in time for the electoral silly season, Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) is pleased to offer the following gift for those who were seeking an extension of the R-6 Norristown line to Phoenixville, Pottstown and Reading...
"Schuylkill Valley Metro -- gone -- that isn’t going to happen."
This according to the Daily Local News in today's editions. While gracious enough to interrupt his very busy schedule as an Iggles commentator to play the role that the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania elected him to do - you know, that rather minor position known as Governor which requires the person to competently run the state government. Rendell told the editorial board of the Norristown Times-Herald (a sister paper to the Daily Local) that exact quote in describing the current status of the controversial project.
"We’ll never get the (necessary) funding."
The sad part is that anyone with half a brain (which automatically disqualifies 90 percent of teh Rotating Resumes at 1234 Market) could've figured that out.
The state’s share for the rail project is $300 million. The rest would have to come from the federal government or private investors. Rendell said cost-cutting measures had been discussed.
"In light of the new construction costs, it’s untenable," he said.The cost of highway construction has gotten so expensive the state is considering toll roads in the future to pay for building and maintaining the Commonwealth’s roadways, said the governor.
Obviously, Rendell seems to have bigger priorities in mind, such as, the Iggles pre-season and getting re-elected.
The Ink-waster reports in today's edition that the super-secret task force established by state Transportation czar Allen Biehler was in the process of pulling the plug on said task force, a group so secret, even SEPTA officials were left out of the loop (which, to an extent, may not have been such a bad idea at the time).
Biehler conceded yesterday that those discussions proved futile. No option that the group discussed, he said, would meet the stringent cost per passenger formulas needed to qualify for federal funding.
The task foce has not met since last fall, and Biehler said it will soon disband.
I think I speak for a majority of the riding public when I ask, "Who the hell knew you guys were meeting in the first place?"
Not surprsingly, many elected officals in the western suburbs, still recovering from the freshly placed wounds in their collective backs were less than thrilled with King Eddie's "no can do" addy-tude. Leading off, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6th/West Pikeland):
"It was unfortunate and premature for the governor to make that statement ... But there are still a lot of things to look at yet before someone says it's dead.
"Thirty million dollars, that’s a significant investment by taxpayers, which tells me that we still have a significant amount of work that should" be done to justify that expenditure...
"You can run with a diesel train, you can run with ground-level platforms, you can run with less frequent service ... you don't necessarily need the Cadilac version in order to reestablish service."
Next up, State Sen. James Refferty (R-44th/Collegeville):
"We’re all in agreement there’s a need for a line in the area."
Commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis (R-Montgomery County/Anger Management Class):
"The county’s definitely committed to this for a number of reasons." ... Ellis referenced the need for revitalizing local areas in cities like Pottstown and Reading where there is already development.
"We don’t want to see any more sprawl in this area," he said.
Barry Cassidy, executive director of Phoenixville’s Main Street program, said he was not sure of the status of the project.
"But if the Schuylkill Valley Metro is dead, then we will try to push for an (SEPTA) R-6 extension from Norristown," he said Wednesday.
Which is exactly what should've been done in the first place! DUH!
State Rep. Carole Rubley, R-157th, of Tredyffrin,called Rendell’s comments "discouraging." "It is discouraging to hear him say that because we will need his support to free up those funds," she said Wednesday, referring to the state’s $300 million share of the project. "It’s a terrific project. Whether its doable remains to be seen."
Rubley emphasized that there is still a lot of interest in the project and stakeholders were working to find creative solutions to pare down costs.
Whether or not the geniuses at 1234 Market get the message remains to be seen...
(NOTE: As of the time of this posting - 03:04 hours - the Inky had yet to update it's web site to accomodate posting of it's article.)
"Schuylkill Valley Metro -- gone -- that isn’t going to happen."
This according to the Daily Local News in today's editions. While gracious enough to interrupt his very busy schedule as an Iggles commentator to play the role that the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania elected him to do - you know, that rather minor position known as Governor which requires the person to competently run the state government. Rendell told the editorial board of the Norristown Times-Herald (a sister paper to the Daily Local) that exact quote in describing the current status of the controversial project.
"We’ll never get the (necessary) funding."
The sad part is that anyone with half a brain (which automatically disqualifies 90 percent of teh Rotating Resumes at 1234 Market) could've figured that out.
The state’s share for the rail project is $300 million. The rest would have to come from the federal government or private investors. Rendell said cost-cutting measures had been discussed.
"In light of the new construction costs, it’s untenable," he said.The cost of highway construction has gotten so expensive the state is considering toll roads in the future to pay for building and maintaining the Commonwealth’s roadways, said the governor.
Obviously, Rendell seems to have bigger priorities in mind, such as, the Iggles pre-season and getting re-elected.
The Ink-waster reports in today's edition that the super-secret task force established by state Transportation czar Allen Biehler was in the process of pulling the plug on said task force, a group so secret, even SEPTA officials were left out of the loop (which, to an extent, may not have been such a bad idea at the time).
Biehler conceded yesterday that those discussions proved futile. No option that the group discussed, he said, would meet the stringent cost per passenger formulas needed to qualify for federal funding.
The task foce has not met since last fall, and Biehler said it will soon disband.
I think I speak for a majority of the riding public when I ask, "Who the hell knew you guys were meeting in the first place?"
Not surprsingly, many elected officals in the western suburbs, still recovering from the freshly placed wounds in their collective backs were less than thrilled with King Eddie's "no can do" addy-tude. Leading off, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-6th/West Pikeland):
"It was unfortunate and premature for the governor to make that statement ... But there are still a lot of things to look at yet before someone says it's dead.
"Thirty million dollars, that’s a significant investment by taxpayers, which tells me that we still have a significant amount of work that should" be done to justify that expenditure...
"You can run with a diesel train, you can run with ground-level platforms, you can run with less frequent service ... you don't necessarily need the Cadilac version in order to reestablish service."
Next up, State Sen. James Refferty (R-44th/Collegeville):
"We’re all in agreement there’s a need for a line in the area."
Commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis (R-Montgomery County/Anger Management Class):
"The county’s definitely committed to this for a number of reasons." ... Ellis referenced the need for revitalizing local areas in cities like Pottstown and Reading where there is already development.
"We don’t want to see any more sprawl in this area," he said.
Barry Cassidy, executive director of Phoenixville’s Main Street program, said he was not sure of the status of the project.
"But if the Schuylkill Valley Metro is dead, then we will try to push for an (SEPTA) R-6 extension from Norristown," he said Wednesday.
Which is exactly what should've been done in the first place! DUH!
State Rep. Carole Rubley, R-157th, of Tredyffrin,called Rendell’s comments "discouraging." "It is discouraging to hear him say that because we will need his support to free up those funds," she said Wednesday, referring to the state’s $300 million share of the project. "It’s a terrific project. Whether its doable remains to be seen."
Rubley emphasized that there is still a lot of interest in the project and stakeholders were working to find creative solutions to pare down costs.
Whether or not the geniuses at 1234 Market get the message remains to be seen...
(NOTE: As of the time of this posting - 03:04 hours - the Inky had yet to update it's web site to accomodate posting of it's article.)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
YOU'RE KIDDING, RIGHT?
Today's Ink-waster reports that the blue-ribbon commission established by Gov. Edward G. Rendell (D-Pa./Comcast SportsNet) is slated to release a preliminary report on the future of funding SEPTA and other systems across the Commonwealth. One comment that caught our attention was as follows:
Part of the commission's work has been to audit the efficiency of SEPTA and other state transit agencies. That report is not yet available, but SEPTA's efficiency "stacked up quite well among transit organizations of similar size," [PennDOT czar Allen] Biehler said.
You're kidding, right? Either this audit was yet another rubber stamp of the status quo at 1234 Market, or mass transit in this country is poorly managed across the board (the article does note that the article should be available on the commission's web site as early as today)...
The preliminary report reveals little of the commission's preferences but does affirm that SEPTA has not been exaggerating budget woes, SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney said.
"It confirms and validates the scope of the financial crisis that we have been struggling with for years," Maloney said. "For us, that is a great step forward... . It isn't an answer, but it's a good starting point."
A really good starting point would be for the Minister of Mis-Information to get served his walking papers, but that's been a long standing position of this blog for quite some time...
The audit did note SEPTA's "unusually large" 15-member board. It noted that 80 percent of the SEPTA board, but only 20 percent of SEPTA's riders and local funding, come from outside Philadelphia, creating friction between the city and its suburban counties.
Friction between the city and suburbs? Really, you don't say... Even the most veteran of SEPTA observers could've said that the friction has existed.
Once the report is available on the state's web site, I'll review it and offer more comments...
Part of the commission's work has been to audit the efficiency of SEPTA and other state transit agencies. That report is not yet available, but SEPTA's efficiency "stacked up quite well among transit organizations of similar size," [PennDOT czar Allen] Biehler said.
You're kidding, right? Either this audit was yet another rubber stamp of the status quo at 1234 Market, or mass transit in this country is poorly managed across the board (the article does note that the article should be available on the commission's web site as early as today)...
The preliminary report reveals little of the commission's preferences but does affirm that SEPTA has not been exaggerating budget woes, SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney said.
"It confirms and validates the scope of the financial crisis that we have been struggling with for years," Maloney said. "For us, that is a great step forward... . It isn't an answer, but it's a good starting point."
A really good starting point would be for the Minister of Mis-Information to get served his walking papers, but that's been a long standing position of this blog for quite some time...
The audit did note SEPTA's "unusually large" 15-member board. It noted that 80 percent of the SEPTA board, but only 20 percent of SEPTA's riders and local funding, come from outside Philadelphia, creating friction between the city and its suburban counties.
Friction between the city and suburbs? Really, you don't say... Even the most veteran of SEPTA observers could've said that the friction has existed.
Once the report is available on the state's web site, I'll review it and offer more comments...
RED ARROW CHANGES THIS WEEKEND
Some major timetable changes are in place on the Red Arrow side starting next Monday. For starters, the 122 will be absorbed into the 107, while the 107 will be extended from Springfield Mall to the Lawrence Park Shopping Center in Broomall. This will be the third different route designator for service between MacDade Mall (or what's left of it) and the Springfield Mall in the past 5 years. The 122 service was previously known as the 111 before the 111 was re-branded as the 110 express service between 69 St and Granite Run Mall (with an extension to Chadds Ford).
The 101/102 will revert back to it's standard scheduling as opposed to the same departure/arrival times that had been in place due to construction on the MSHL main line between Drexel Hill Jct and 69 St. The 108 will now be operated entirely out of Red Arrow as opposed to the current Red Arrow/Southern split, presumably as a cost saving measure. Will try to post more information as it becomes available...
The 101/102 will revert back to it's standard scheduling as opposed to the same departure/arrival times that had been in place due to construction on the MSHL main line between Drexel Hill Jct and 69 St. The 108 will now be operated entirely out of Red Arrow as opposed to the current Red Arrow/Southern split, presumably as a cost saving measure. Will try to post more information as it becomes available...
Monday, July 24, 2006
OTHER SEPTA NOTES...
There are a couple other things happening at SEPTA other than the El shuttle...
The first interesting observation is that SEPTA "Transit Police" are putting new patrol cars on the street. The new cars are Chevy Impala's, which are (1) less expensive than the current fleet of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor models and (2) get better fuel mileage (approx. 3 mpg) than the Ford CVPI. I guess all those years imploring SEPTA to become more fuel efficient are slowly starting to pay off. Now, if they could start to phase out those SUV's for the white-shirts and replace them with vehicles that don't guzzle as much gas, then I'd believe there's a committment to cutting costs.
Meanwhile, on the operations front, there's talk that all Southern's portion of the 108 could be moved to Red Arrow by the fall picking. Whether or not that means that all 108 trips would originate and terminate at 69 St instead of seeing buses deadhead from Upper Darby to the Airport or Southwest Philadelphia remains to be seen. There's also no word on how this will affect the school trippers that operate to and from the Pepper Middle School or Bartram High that are based off of the 108.
The first interesting observation is that SEPTA "Transit Police" are putting new patrol cars on the street. The new cars are Chevy Impala's, which are (1) less expensive than the current fleet of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor models and (2) get better fuel mileage (approx. 3 mpg) than the Ford CVPI. I guess all those years imploring SEPTA to become more fuel efficient are slowly starting to pay off. Now, if they could start to phase out those SUV's for the white-shirts and replace them with vehicles that don't guzzle as much gas, then I'd believe there's a committment to cutting costs.
Meanwhile, on the operations front, there's talk that all Southern's portion of the 108 could be moved to Red Arrow by the fall picking. Whether or not that means that all 108 trips would originate and terminate at 69 St instead of seeing buses deadhead from Upper Darby to the Airport or Southwest Philadelphia remains to be seen. There's also no word on how this will affect the school trippers that operate to and from the Pepper Middle School or Bartram High that are based off of the 108.
EL SHUTTLE COMMENTS
Once again, SEPTA attempted to run a resonable facsimile of the El during one of it's 10-day shutdowns. The good news is this time, the service was restored when it was supposed to be. The bad news is that SEPTA seems to take pleasure in sticking it to riders trying (sometimes in vain) to connect to Red Arrow buses at 69 St. Would it really have been that difficult to designate at least 1/3 of the 40+ buses used on the shuttle to run non-stop between 40 St and 69 St to at least give suburban bus riders at least a sliver of hope of making connections in a reasonable amount of time? At least when the Frankford side of the El underwent major shutdowns on weekends, riders connecting from buses at Bridge-Pratt were able to get a close to non-stop ride to Center City (with a stop at Bridge and Torresdale) via I-95.
Of course, there's no limited access highway connecting West Philly with Upper Darby, but traffic flow during most hours along Walnut and Chestnut isn't too bad, so there's no reason why non-stop service couldn't be implemented.
And, of course, SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney made an appearance on Monday. After a stop at 69 St, Maloney made his way over to 40 St to "assist" with the operation of the shuttle. So, of course, being a good SEPTA hack, Maloney did ride with the people on the shuttle buses from 69 St to 40 St, right? Ummm, no...
Apparently using status that would nominally be reserved for Fearless Leader or some other high ranking Rotating Resume, Maloney and an unidentified female Hack were given a non-stop ride from 69 St to 40 St ... in the back of a SEPTA "Transit Police" cruiser driven by a high ranking "Transit Police" Lieutenant.
Well, at least someone was able to secure a SEPTA-operated non-stop ride between the two endpoints...
The running of the shuttles also allowed for the largest gathering of SEPTA "Transit Police" seen in Upper Darby since ... well, let me get back to you on that. No fewer than 8 "Transit Police" officers were observed going what they tend to do best - stand around, do very little, and wait for the next call to come in. Now, if only SEPTA's "Transit Police" were only half as vigilant at NJ Transit Police, then perhaps the quote marks around "Transit Police" will be removed. Until then, nothing's going to change...
Of course, there's no limited access highway connecting West Philly with Upper Darby, but traffic flow during most hours along Walnut and Chestnut isn't too bad, so there's no reason why non-stop service couldn't be implemented.
And, of course, SEPTA's Minister of Mis-Information Richard Maloney made an appearance on Monday. After a stop at 69 St, Maloney made his way over to 40 St to "assist" with the operation of the shuttle. So, of course, being a good SEPTA hack, Maloney did ride with the people on the shuttle buses from 69 St to 40 St, right? Ummm, no...
Apparently using status that would nominally be reserved for Fearless Leader or some other high ranking Rotating Resume, Maloney and an unidentified female Hack were given a non-stop ride from 69 St to 40 St ... in the back of a SEPTA "Transit Police" cruiser driven by a high ranking "Transit Police" Lieutenant.
Well, at least someone was able to secure a SEPTA-operated non-stop ride between the two endpoints...
The running of the shuttles also allowed for the largest gathering of SEPTA "Transit Police" seen in Upper Darby since ... well, let me get back to you on that. No fewer than 8 "Transit Police" officers were observed going what they tend to do best - stand around, do very little, and wait for the next call to come in. Now, if only SEPTA's "Transit Police" were only half as vigilant at NJ Transit Police, then perhaps the quote marks around "Transit Police" will be removed. Until then, nothing's going to change...
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
SEPTA TESTING A "NEW" NEW FLYER
Last Tuesday, SEPTA had a New Flyer DE40LF in the new streamlined design on display in front of 1234 Market. Today, SEPTA engineers were doing testing of the bus on, of all places, the 104. No passengers were taken, as most of the seats were occupied with bags of rock salt (I recall someone once mentioning that was a weight simulation test, but don't quote me on it). The hybrid system on this particular test bus is different from the existing hybrids running out of Southern presently.
MULTIPLE PERSON v. VEHICLE INCIDENTS
Yesterday was one very busy day for EMS workers across the region, as far as SEPTA related incidents are concerned.
The mess started at around 07:00, when two teenage girls were struck by a SEPTA bus at 29-Allegheny in North Philadelphia. The injuries were non-life threatening.
Shortly after that incident, a 23 bus was involved in an accident involving 3 other vehicles on the 7500 block of Germantown Av in Chestnut Hill. At least two passengers on the bus were taken to local hospitals.
Later in the afternoon, police and EMS were dispatched at around 13:30 to Glenolden, where a tresspasser was struck and killed by a train along the NEC/R2 Marcus Hook line in the area of Ashland Av bridge. Service was delayed by about 20 minutes in both directions until around 17:00, when service slowly returned to normal (my R2 from Delaware - scheduled to depart Claymont at 16:51 - was delayed by less than 10 minutes; arrived in Chester only 7 minutes down, but missed my connection to the 118).
Two hours later, in Bucks County, a 24-year-old male was struck and killed by a train near Chalfont Station on the R5 Lansdale line. The victim was discovered at around 15:30 by a northbound train crew. It is believed that the victim may have been struck by an earlier train; the matter is still under investigation.
Finally, a 73-year-old woman was struck and seriously injured in South Philadelphia. The incident occured shortly before 21:00 last night on the 400 block of Oregon in South Philadelphia as the victim was struck by a 57 bus. The victim was taken to Jefferson Hospital with severe leg injuries.
That's 7 people confirmed to have been killed or injured on the SEPTA system in a nearly 14 hour period due to accidents. Yipes...
The mess started at around 07:00, when two teenage girls were struck by a SEPTA bus at 29-Allegheny in North Philadelphia. The injuries were non-life threatening.
Shortly after that incident, a 23 bus was involved in an accident involving 3 other vehicles on the 7500 block of Germantown Av in Chestnut Hill. At least two passengers on the bus were taken to local hospitals.
Later in the afternoon, police and EMS were dispatched at around 13:30 to Glenolden, where a tresspasser was struck and killed by a train along the NEC/R2 Marcus Hook line in the area of Ashland Av bridge. Service was delayed by about 20 minutes in both directions until around 17:00, when service slowly returned to normal (my R2 from Delaware - scheduled to depart Claymont at 16:51 - was delayed by less than 10 minutes; arrived in Chester only 7 minutes down, but missed my connection to the 118).
Two hours later, in Bucks County, a 24-year-old male was struck and killed by a train near Chalfont Station on the R5 Lansdale line. The victim was discovered at around 15:30 by a northbound train crew. It is believed that the victim may have been struck by an earlier train; the matter is still under investigation.
Finally, a 73-year-old woman was struck and seriously injured in South Philadelphia. The incident occured shortly before 21:00 last night on the 400 block of Oregon in South Philadelphia as the victim was struck by a 57 bus. The victim was taken to Jefferson Hospital with severe leg injuries.
That's 7 people confirmed to have been killed or injured on the SEPTA system in a nearly 14 hour period due to accidents. Yipes...
Saturday, March 25, 2006
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE...
A man was stabbed on the El yesterday, reportedly by 4 males. The incident occured last night at around 19:00 as the eastbound train pulled into Spring Garden station. The suspects fled the station after stabbing the victim twice in the ribs. Serivce was delayed as PPD East Detectives were called in to secure the train as a crime scene.
On a related note, Inky reporter Stephanie L Arnold must not be from around here. According to her article in today's editions, there are a couple of errors:
A 25-year-old man was stabbed twice in the ribs on the El last night at the Girard Street stop, according to police.
Police said the man, whose name was not released, was attacked about 7 p.m. by several men. The victim was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Witnesses said the attackers ran from the station.
SEPTA police held the train until East Detectives could respond to investigate. Inquirer
For starters, I've never heard of Girard Street - I have heard of Girard Avenue. Secondly, there were other reports from other reliable sources that place the incident at Spring Garden rather than Girard.
In any case, there hadn't been too many violent incidents on the system lately, but that's the way it goes... Perhaps we were due...
On a related note, Inky reporter Stephanie L Arnold must not be from around here. According to her article in today's editions, there are a couple of errors:
A 25-year-old man was stabbed twice in the ribs on the El last night at the Girard Street stop, according to police.
Police said the man, whose name was not released, was attacked about 7 p.m. by several men. The victim was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition. Witnesses said the attackers ran from the station.
SEPTA police held the train until East Detectives could respond to investigate. Inquirer
For starters, I've never heard of Girard Street - I have heard of Girard Avenue. Secondly, there were other reports from other reliable sources that place the incident at Spring Garden rather than Girard.
In any case, there hadn't been too many violent incidents on the system lately, but that's the way it goes... Perhaps we were due...
Thursday, January 12, 2006
GUN PULLED ON BUS
State Police responded to an incident on board a SEPTA bus earlier this afternoon according to CBS 3:
During a ride into Center City on I-76, two passengers on a SEPTA bus got into a heated confrontation, police said.
Almost a dozen passengers were on the bus during the altercation.
“I’m glad I’m alive, that’s all I got to say,” said Mark Martin. “I heard two guys arguing, then I looked up and this guy had a 9mm in his hand asking him whether this guy had a problem with him. That’s when I ran up to the front.”
According to passengers, the suspect with the handgun approached the driver and asked to be let off.
“That’s when the guy with the gun ran up to the front and asked the bus driver to let him off the bus, he asked him like two or three times because the guy with the gun was trying to avoid the confrontation,” said Martin.
The operator of the 124 bus then pulled over near the Gladwynne on-ramp and waited for State Police/Belmont to arrive. Two Philadelphia men, Sidney Clayton and Sherman Jerome Bush-Knox, were arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.
During a ride into Center City on I-76, two passengers on a SEPTA bus got into a heated confrontation, police said.
Almost a dozen passengers were on the bus during the altercation.
“I’m glad I’m alive, that’s all I got to say,” said Mark Martin. “I heard two guys arguing, then I looked up and this guy had a 9mm in his hand asking him whether this guy had a problem with him. That’s when I ran up to the front.”
According to passengers, the suspect with the handgun approached the driver and asked to be let off.
“That’s when the guy with the gun ran up to the front and asked the bus driver to let him off the bus, he asked him like two or three times because the guy with the gun was trying to avoid the confrontation,” said Martin.
The operator of the 124 bus then pulled over near the Gladwynne on-ramp and waited for State Police/Belmont to arrive. Two Philadelphia men, Sidney Clayton and Sherman Jerome Bush-Knox, were arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.
PASSENGER STRUCK BY TROLLEY
A 51 year old male was struck in the head by a mirror of a trolley at 69 St Terminal. The incident occured at around 08:20 this morning as the AM peak was winding down. The victim was transported to HUP; there is no word on his condition. This comes on the heels of a pedestrian v. bus accident in University City on Tuesday. The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that the victim (about whom nothing was known about as of press-time Wednesday AM) was crossing Walnut St when a westbound 30 turning off of 40 St onto Walnut struck the victim.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
AFTER THE FACT
It's hard to believe (well, no really it isn't) that people are still flogging SEPTA over their half-a**ed operation during the Live 8 aftermath. In case you need a refresher, the entire system went into chaos as SEPTA seemed unprepared for the massive influx of riders trying to get home after the concert. Well, the Daily News (a fully-paid subsidiary of Michael Moore, Inc.) offered a couple of New Year's resolutions to SEPTA's Board Chairman Don Pasquale and SEPTA's Minister of Mis-information Richard Maloney in yesterday's editions:
Now, if only Fearless Leader would resolve to resign as SEPTA boss, "Brooksie" would resolve to keep his yap shut for the next 4 years, and the SEPTA "Tranist Police" could resolve to operate like a real police department instead of as glorified rent-a-cops who can't get a job with the Philadelphia Police, then all will be well in SEPTA land...SEPTA's chief spokesman resolves to remember that his agency's job is to move people. All of them. And his boss, Pat Deon, vows to consider leasing equipment from New Jersey Transit when facing a holiday crunch.
The crush of people heading home from the July 2 Live8 concert turned Suburban Station into a transit nightmare. Thousands waited for hours in stifling heat for trains because SEPTA didn't have enough cars to handle the load. "This was our best day in SEPTA rail history," Maloney declared in grand "Baghdad Bob" style. "It could not have gone better."
TRESPASSER STRUCK BY AMTRAK TRAIN
A tresspasser was struck and killed along the NEC near Folcroft, Delaware County earlier today. At approximately 14:25, the victim was struck by a southbound Amtrak train in the area of the 1800 block of Baltimore Av near the Folcroft station; the train involved was either Acela Express 2159 or Acela Regional 171, both of which were scheduled to have left 30 St Station a few minutes prior to the incident (14:12 and 14:13, respectively). Folcroft PD requested DelCo Station 01 (Folcroft Fire Co) to assist in the removal of the victim. Service had been shut down for most of the mid-afternoon as police investigated.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
SOME GOOD DEED...
Last month, SEPTA donated 20 retired Neoplans to the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) to help replenish their bus fleet that was damaged due to Hurricane Katrina. New York City Transit, the MBTA, and at least one other agency had sent buses to New Orleans as well. Now, there's word that NORTA has rejected the donated buses from SEPTA and the other agencies for reasons that are unknown at this time, but one would have to guess the condition of the used buses had something to do with it.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
CAR v. TROLLEY IN U.D.
SEPTA "Transit Police" are on the scene of a car v. trolley accident at Bywood Station on the 101/102 main line in Upper Darby; 1 patient has been extricated from the struck car and is being treated by Delco Medics 101 and 108. There are no reports of injuries to any passengers on the trolleys, as the incident occured within the past 20 minutes. As expected, service is being disrupted while the investigation is under way. Shuttle buses should be operating soon (if they're not already) between 69 St and Shadeland Av/Drexel Hill Jct.
FATAL AT DEL VAL STATION
An R5 Doylestown train struck and killed a man near the Delaware Valley College station in Central Bucks. The incident occured at around 12:25, as the #535 (12:22 Doylestown to Malvern) pulled into Del Val; according to reports, the victim was struck by the southbound train and pronounced DOA. More details should be available tomorrow.
Monday, October 31, 2005
IT'S ON...
The worst case scenario has come true...
SEPTA's City, Red Arrow, and Frontier divisions are officially on strike. The strike began shortly after 00:01, when TWU 234 and SEPTA couldn't reach an agreement on a new contract. The union claimed it had made progress with SEPTA in agreeing to a sliding scale payment plan for health care, based on a proposal by Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel, who floated the idea late last week. As of right now, no talks are scheduled...
There are reports at 01:20 that there are still passengers stranded on the subway-surface platforms at 15, 19, 22, and 30 St stations. Also, white-shirts are reporting approximately 40 picketers at the north gate at Midvale.
There will be a lot more to come over the next few days...
SEPTA's City, Red Arrow, and Frontier divisions are officially on strike. The strike began shortly after 00:01, when TWU 234 and SEPTA couldn't reach an agreement on a new contract. The union claimed it had made progress with SEPTA in agreeing to a sliding scale payment plan for health care, based on a proposal by Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel, who floated the idea late last week. As of right now, no talks are scheduled...
There are reports at 01:20 that there are still passengers stranded on the subway-surface platforms at 15, 19, 22, and 30 St stations. Also, white-shirts are reporting approximately 40 picketers at the north gate at Midvale.
There will be a lot more to come over the next few days...
Saturday, October 29, 2005
ROUTE CHANGES IN MONTCO
Tomorrow, route changes in the Norristown and North Penn areas will take effect. Riders may not have long to experience those changes, as the threat of a strike is still looming.
The 97 will officially be split into two routes - the west end of the 97 will become the 90, and will operate between Norristown and Plymouth Meeting, via Norristown State Hospital and Penn Square. Sunday service to Norristown State Hospital would also be eliminated. As a result of the 90 terminating at Plymouth Meeting Mall, the 95 will be cut back accordingly. Also, the 95 will no longer serve the IKEA off of Ridge Pike.
The east end of the 97 will be extended from Spring Mill station in Conshohocken to Barren Hill. There will also be a re-routing of the line to offer direct service to the Conshohocken Rail Station.
The 98 will see some routing adjustments, mainly on weekends and evenings. Westbound evening service will operate via Germantown Pike instead of via Blue Bell, however, eastbound service to Blue Bell will still operate during the evening hours. All weekend service will bypass Blue Bell.
In the North Penn area, the 94 and 96 will see significant restructuring. The 94 express service via Bethlehem Pike (PA 309) will now be designated Route 134. The 94 local service via Ambler and Montgomery County Community College will remain unchanged. The 134 routing will remain virtually the same, however there will be a re-routing to serve job sites along McKean Rd in Horsham Twp.
The 96 will be cut back to Lansdale; service between Lansdale and Telford will be replaced by new Route 132, which will be extended to serve the Montgomery Mall. Service levels between Norristown and Lansdale will remain unchanged.
The 132 will operate over most of the existing 96 routing between Telford and Lansdale, but will be re-routed off of Penn St and Souderton Pike in the Hatfield area onto County Line Rd (PA 309) and Unionville Pike. There will also be a routing change in the Souderton area, with service operating via Main St and Reliance Rd instead of via Summit St and School Ln. New evening and Sunday service will be offered, marking the first Sunday service between Lansdale and Telford in recent memory.
The changes will take effect tomorrow, but, with the threat of a strike, riders may only have one day to adjust to the new services...
The 97 will officially be split into two routes - the west end of the 97 will become the 90, and will operate between Norristown and Plymouth Meeting, via Norristown State Hospital and Penn Square. Sunday service to Norristown State Hospital would also be eliminated. As a result of the 90 terminating at Plymouth Meeting Mall, the 95 will be cut back accordingly. Also, the 95 will no longer serve the IKEA off of Ridge Pike.
The east end of the 97 will be extended from Spring Mill station in Conshohocken to Barren Hill. There will also be a re-routing of the line to offer direct service to the Conshohocken Rail Station.
The 98 will see some routing adjustments, mainly on weekends and evenings. Westbound evening service will operate via Germantown Pike instead of via Blue Bell, however, eastbound service to Blue Bell will still operate during the evening hours. All weekend service will bypass Blue Bell.
In the North Penn area, the 94 and 96 will see significant restructuring. The 94 express service via Bethlehem Pike (PA 309) will now be designated Route 134. The 94 local service via Ambler and Montgomery County Community College will remain unchanged. The 134 routing will remain virtually the same, however there will be a re-routing to serve job sites along McKean Rd in Horsham Twp.
The 96 will be cut back to Lansdale; service between Lansdale and Telford will be replaced by new Route 132, which will be extended to serve the Montgomery Mall. Service levels between Norristown and Lansdale will remain unchanged.
The 132 will operate over most of the existing 96 routing between Telford and Lansdale, but will be re-routed off of Penn St and Souderton Pike in the Hatfield area onto County Line Rd (PA 309) and Unionville Pike. There will also be a routing change in the Souderton area, with service operating via Main St and Reliance Rd instead of via Summit St and School Ln. New evening and Sunday service will be offered, marking the first Sunday service between Lansdale and Telford in recent memory.
The changes will take effect tomorrow, but, with the threat of a strike, riders may only have one day to adjust to the new services...
MEANWHILE, IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL
SEPTA isn't letting a little thing like a threatened work stoppage keep it from doing what it seems to do best - beg for money...
According to the Norristown Times-Herald, SEPTA is seeking an increase in the county's subsidy from $6.13 million to $6.28 million for next year.
The good news, said county SEPTA Board member Michael O'Donoghue, is that the proposed increase is less than the approximate 5 percent increase requested for this year by the transit agency.
And the bad news? SEPTA may have to return to the county in the spring, seeking additional dollars for the final six months of the year to keep service intact.
To prevent major service cutbacks, Gov. Ed Rendell earmarked flexible highway funds for mass transit use, explained county Commissioner Thomas J. Ellis, the county's other representative on the SEPTA Board. These funds, which do not require a local match, will continue through June of next year, Ellis said.
The state hopes to have some type of dedicated funding for mass transit in place by that time, he said. It is likely that the dedicated funds would require matching local funds, which would mean that SEPTA would need additional dollars from participating counties, according to Ellis.
He added that there is no guarantee that the governor would be inclined to, or even able to, use more highway funds to offset transit operating losses if a dedicated funding source is not in place.
"By this time next year, we will be on our way to solving the funding problem or it will be a big mess," said county Transportation Planning Chief Leo D. Bagley. Norristown Times-Herald
Yup, business as usual...
According to the Norristown Times-Herald, SEPTA is seeking an increase in the county's subsidy from $6.13 million to $6.28 million for next year.
The good news, said county SEPTA Board member Michael O'Donoghue, is that the proposed increase is less than the approximate 5 percent increase requested for this year by the transit agency.
And the bad news? SEPTA may have to return to the county in the spring, seeking additional dollars for the final six months of the year to keep service intact.
To prevent major service cutbacks, Gov. Ed Rendell earmarked flexible highway funds for mass transit use, explained county Commissioner Thomas J. Ellis, the county's other representative on the SEPTA Board. These funds, which do not require a local match, will continue through June of next year, Ellis said.
The state hopes to have some type of dedicated funding for mass transit in place by that time, he said. It is likely that the dedicated funds would require matching local funds, which would mean that SEPTA would need additional dollars from participating counties, according to Ellis.
He added that there is no guarantee that the governor would be inclined to, or even able to, use more highway funds to offset transit operating losses if a dedicated funding source is not in place.
"By this time next year, we will be on our way to solving the funding problem or it will be a big mess," said county Transportation Planning Chief Leo D. Bagley. Norristown Times-Herald
Yup, business as usual...
GETTING CLOSER TO D-DAY...
With slightly more than 24 hours left in the current CBA, SEPTA and TWU 234 continue to negotiate in hopes of avoiding a strike. The current line (as of 22:20) is that the union is willing to negotiate "non-economic" (work rules, et al) issues before dealing with the "economic" (health care, wages, et al). SEPTA, however, wants to deal with everything at the same time.
Meanwhile, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association announced plans to operate shuttles for its employees. I don't think they're quite as familiar with West Philly as one would expect:
The West of City Hall Route will run on Market Street from the 69th Street (sic)
to City Hall. The West of Market Street (sic) route begins at 68th and Market (sic) with stops along Market Street at 63rd, 58th, 50th, 42nd, 32nd, 22nd, ending at 15th and Market.
West of Market Street? Since when did Market Street run north and south? One presumes that they're referring to Broad Street instead of Market. And, I know I haven't been around 69 St Terminal as much as I used to be, but I don't recall there being a 68 Street in Upper Darby.
I wonder if SEPTA loaned this group their proof-readers...
Meanwhile, the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association announced plans to operate shuttles for its employees. I don't think they're quite as familiar with West Philly as one would expect:
The West of City Hall Route will run on Market Street from the 69th Street (sic)
to City Hall. The West of Market Street (sic) route begins at 68th and Market (sic) with stops along Market Street at 63rd, 58th, 50th, 42nd, 32nd, 22nd, ending at 15th and Market.
West of Market Street? Since when did Market Street run north and south? One presumes that they're referring to Broad Street instead of Market. And, I know I haven't been around 69 St Terminal as much as I used to be, but I don't recall there being a 68 Street in Upper Darby.
I wonder if SEPTA loaned this group their proof-readers...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
