SEPTA adds more rail trips to Delaware stations
Melissa Nann Burke, The News Journal6:08 p.m. EST December 14, 2014
SEPTA is extending more commuter rail trips to Delaware, starting Monday.
The new
train schedule closes a two-hour gap between trains leaving Center City, Philadelphia, and running to Delaware stations after 7:45 p.m. on weekday evenings.
Commuters will also have a new inbound option with Train No. 274 leaving Newark at 9:15 p.m. Previously, it had run from Marcus Hook.
A new afternoon express train will depart Center City shortly after 3 p.m., serving all four stations in Delaware, in addition to Chester and Marcus Hook. A local train leaving Philly at 3:21 p.m. will also terminate in Wilmington, rather than Marcus Hook.
The increase in trips came about in part as a result of suggestions made by Delaware commuters in a
petition, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.
“When someone has a good suggestion – as long as it’s doable on financial end and will reach the ridership expectations – we’re open to making it happen,” Busch said.
To date, more than 1,730 people have signed the petition, which was started in July by graduate student David Curtis of Wilmington, urging Delaware to pay to run more SEPTA trains to Wilmington.
“It is simple for transit agencies to accurately assess demand for trains that already run, but it's much harder to gauge demand for trains that don't run. That is why the petition was helpful,” Curtis said.
He is keeping the petition going, advocating for an upgrade to hourly train service by July 2015, he said.
Trains only run to Wilmington every two hours off-peak. On weekends, the last train to Wilmington leaves Center City around 7:30 p.m. At least 10 trains a day on the Wilmington/Newark line terminate in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, then reverse to Philly.
The Delaware Transit Corp., a division of DelDOT, would likely need $2 million more a year to fund hourly trains to Wilmington, Curtis said.
DelDOT has it’s own budget woes, and transit officials have said ridership doesn’t justify the expense of running additional trains to Delaware stations. However, ridership is growing incrementally each year.
In Delaware, transit officials are trying to plug some of the gaps between trains by running additional buses between Newark and Wilmington, connecting stops along the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark line, said Julie Theryl, a spokeswoman for the agency.
It’s “less expensive than extending a train,” Theryl said by email. “We feel that there is increasing demand to take the trains to Fairplay (JP Morgan Chase) and Newark.”
Starting Monday, Route 59 will make two northbound, afternoon trips, departing Newark at 2 and 9:15 p.m. and stopping at Churchmans Crossing before arriving at Wilmington Station in time for the north SEPTA trains departing at 2:45 and 9:58 p.m., respectively.
The bus will also make two return runs to serve commuters arriving on the SEPTA trains terminating at Wilmington at 2:28 and 9:38 p.m. The bus will depart Wilmington Station at 2:40 and 9:45 p.m., then make stops at Churchmans Crossing and Newark.
DART has also considered expanding service, including more weekend trips, in conjunction with plans to expand the train station in Newark, in conjunction with the University of Delaware's emerging science and technology campus. Planning for that project, however, is more than a year behind schedule.
Contact Melissa Nann Burke at (302) 324-2329,
[email protected] or on Twitter
@nannburke.
SEPTA REGIONAL RAIL CHANGES
The following
changes go into effect Dec. 15:
•Weekday outbound Train No. 273, which departs Jefferson Station at 8:29 p.m., will now serve Wilmington Station.
•Weekday inbound train No. 74 traveling inbound towards Center City will now originate from Newark, instead of Marcus Hook. Train No. 274 will depart from Newark Station at 9:15 p.m.
•A new, afternoon-express service has been added: Train No. 7239 will depart Jefferson Station at 3:05 p.m. and serve Suburban Station, 30th Street, University City, Chester, Marcus Hook, Claymont, Wilmington, Churchmans Crossing and Newark stations.
•Weekday outbound train No. 7241, which departs Temple University Station at 3:03 p.m., will operate local service to Wilmington.
BUS SERVICE CONNECTING RAIL STATIONS
DART First State is operating an additional bus service, Route 59, between Newark and Wilmington, connecting stops along the SEPTA Wilmington/Newark line:
BUS DEPARTS NEWARK
CHURCHMANS CROSSING
WILMINGTON
NB TRAIN DEPARTS
2 p.m.
2:15 p.m.
2:35 p.m.
2:45 p.m.
9:15 p.m.
9:30 p.m.
9:45 p.m.
9:58 p.m.
SB TRAIN ARRIVES
BUS DEPARTS WILMINGTON
CHURCHMANS CROSSING
NEWARK
2:28 p.m.
2:40 p.m.
2:55 p.m.
3:10 p.m.
9:38 p.m.
9:45 p.m.
10 p.m.
10:15 p.m.
