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  • SEPTA opens new $50M Wissahickon Transit Center in Manayunk

    SEPTA opens new $50M Wissahickon Transit Center in Manayunk

    SEPTA officially unveiled its long-awaited Wissahickon Transportation Center in Manayunk, which is about six times the size of the previous small bus depot.

    The new center on Ridge Avenue, near Main Street, is expected to serve 5,000 bus riders a day, officials said Monday at the ribbon cutting.

    Construction of the $50 million project began in 2023 at what was already one of SEPTA’s busiest transportation hubs. It is located within walking distance of the Wissahickon Regional Rail Station.

    Officials say the center improves connections, provides a better waiting experience for riders, and serves as a key transportation link to busy Main Street. They also say it makes navigating the immediate area easier for buses, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

    “We are making bus service safer and more reliable at one of our busiest transportation facilities,” SEPTA board chair Kenneth Lawrence said in a statement. “This new hub provides better access to work, school, and other opportunities, including reverse commute connections for Philadelphia residents to Montgomery and Delaware Counties.”

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    Among the improvements:

    • Weather-protected waiting areas, benches, and bicycle racks
    • Better lighting, signs, and security cameras
    • A supervisor’s booth
    • A new left turn lane dedicated to buses on a wider road
    • Improved crosswalks for pedestrians crossing Ridge Avenue
    • Bicycle racks
    • Improved crosswalks
    • Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant boarding areas

    The previous center that fronted Ridge Avenue was basically a large bus shelter where commuters who live in neighborhoods in the city’s northwest and pass through on their way to jobs in King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting change buses.

    SEPTA’s new Wissahickon bus station promises better connections. But it could harm a beloved Philly landscape. | Inga Saffron

    Nearly three-quarters of the passengers who board at Wissahickon are transferring to or from other SEPTA services.

    “This is our largest customer-centric bus project to date,” said SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer.

    Officials say the center lays the groundwork for SEPTA’s new bus network. For about five years, the transit agency had been taking steps toward launching its first comprehensive overhaul of the bus system since SEPTA opened in 1964, but last year SEPTA put the project on indefinite pause due to funding issues.

    The new center, which is immediately behind the old facility, is part of the city’s larger Wissahickon Gateway Plan to grow and improve the area where the Schuylkill and Wissahickon Creek meet at Ridge Avenue and Main Street.

    The gateway plan’s goal is to address stifling traffic, dangerous conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, and provide easier access to the river.

    As part of the gateway, a new trail segment is also planned that would include a paved path allowing walkers, runners, and cyclists to circumvent the busy nexus of roads, giving easier access to the Schuylkill River Trail.

  • Philly roads will be closed for Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan’s funeral

    Philly roads will be closed for Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan’s funeral

    Philadelphia roads will be closed Monday and Tuesday for the funeral services of Highway Patrol Officer Andy Chan.

    Several streets in the Callowhill, Chinatown, and Center City neighborhoods will begin closing Monday evening for a first viewing, with additional roads closing Tuesday for the second viewing and funeral.

    Chan, 55, who suffered a critical brain injury six years ago in a motorcycle crash on his way to work, died Dec. 2. Since the crash, the 24-year police veteran had required around-the-clock care. His fellow officers fundraised for his medical expenses.

    A viewing will be held Monday at Holy Redeemer Chinese Catholic Church, 915 Vine St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The second viewing will be held Tuesday at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, 1723 Race St., from 8:15 a.m. to 10:40 a.m., with the funeral following directly after.

    Highway Patrolman Andy Chan (l) at the promotional ceremony of his old partner Sgt. Kyle Cross.

    Road closures

    Drivers should avoid the areas listed, use alternate routes, and expect delays.

    These streets will be closed at 4 p.m. Monday and will reopen at the conclusion of the viewing procession:

    • Ridge Avenue between Wood Street and Hamilton Street 
    • Vine Street (westbound) between Eighth and 10th Streets
    • 10th Street between Hamilton and Vine Streets
    • Ninth Street between Callowhill and Wood Streets
    • Callowhill Street between Eighth and 11th Streets
    • Wood Street between Ninth and 10th Streets

    These streets will close at 5 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the service:

    • 18th Street between the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Vine Street

    These streets will close at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the procession:

    • 15th Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill Streets
    • Broad Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill Streets
    • Callowhill Street between Broad and 17th Streets
    • 17th Street between Callowhill and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

    These streets will close at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will reopen at the conclusion of the service:

    • Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th and 22nd Streets
    • Vine Street between Logan Circle and 16th Street
    • Race Street between 16th and 18th Streets
    • 17th Street between Vine Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
    • 19th Street between Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Cherry Street

    Additional streets near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Eakins Oval may be closed or detoured.

    Parking restrictions

    Parking is not allowed on the streets listed above during the designated times. “Temporary No Parking” signs are displayed along the streets.

    Vehicles parked in these zones during the posted hours will be relocated. The Inquirer has a guide on what to do if your vehicle is “courtesy towed.”

    Public transportation

    SEPTA Bus detours will be in place, according to the city, but SEPTA has not shared these details yet. Get live service updates at septa.org.

  • Gov. Shapiro ‘was instrumental’ in preventing SEPTA strike

    Gov. Shapiro ‘was instrumental’ in preventing SEPTA strike

    Transport Workers Union Local 234 and SEPTA agreed Sunday night to continue contract talks in the morning, avoiding for now a strike that could have ground to a halt much of Philadelphia.

    Beginning in late afternoon, members of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s staff met with union leaders and SEPTA senior managers at the governor’s Philadelphia office. The goal was to unstick talks that had faltered, seeing if compromise was possible.

    The union’s push for an increase in pensions and SEPTA’s proposal for union members to pay a greater share of the cost of their healthcare coverage emerged over the last week as the biggest obstacles to an agreement, according to both union and transit authority sources.

    “Gov. Shapiro’s office brought the parties together and they made progress,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. “It was significant.”

    In a statement, the union said “significant progress” was made.

    “Gov. Shapiro was instrumental in preventing a strike that could have started as soon as Monday morning. We’re grateful for his close involvement,” said TWU Local 234 President Will Vera.

    Sticking points

    On Friday, Vera declared he was out of patience at what the union saw as SEPTA’s intransigence and threatened to lead members in a walkout.

    A work stoppage would have brought chaos to a mass transit system that carries a weekday average of 790,000 riders.

    TWU Local 234 represents 5,000 bus, subway, elevated train and trolley operators, as well as mechanics, cashiers, maintenance people and custodians, primarily in the city.

    Their one-year labor contract expired Nov. 7, but members stayed at their posts. On Nov. 16, they authorized Local 234’s leaders to call a strike if needed. The vote was unanimous.

    SEPTA and the union were not far apart on salary and both wanted a two-year deal after a series of one-year pacts during a time of financial crisis for the transit agency, sources said.

    Management wanted to hike what union members pay for health coverage and increase co-pays for doctor and hospital visits.

    The union pushed for an enhancement to the formula that determines retirees’ monthly pensions, based on years of service. It was last increased in 2016.

    SEPTA officials calculated that TWU’s proposed changes would have created an annual unfunded liability of about $6 million for an undetermined length of time. The union says the pension plan books showed a bump was affordable.

    Because TWU Local 234 is the largest SEPTA union, its contracts are used as a template for the other locals working for the transit system, which could boost costs.

    Regional Rail was a concern to SEPTA because commuter railroad workers, like others, receive a federal pension that has tended to be less generous. Those unions would have wanted a SEPTA sweetener to their retirement benefits too.

    TWU Local 234 also wanted changes to work rules involving sick time benefits and the length of time it takes new members to qualify for dental and vision benefits — currently 15 months.

    The local also represents several hundred suburban workers, primarily operators, in SEPTA’s Frontier district, which runs 24 bus routes in Montgomery County, Lower Bucks County, and part of Chester County.

    The Victory district has a similar number of employees, who are represented by SMART Local 1594. They run Delaware County’s two trolley lines, the Norristown High Speed Line, and 20 bus routes in the suburbs.

    Unions for both the Frontier and Victory districts could choose to strike alongside TWU Local 234. If that happened, Regional Rail, already plagued by delays and cancellations due to federally-mandated repairs on train cars, would be the only public transit running.

    Strike-prone reputation

    SEPTA unions have walked off the job at least 12 times since 1975, earning the authority a reputation as the most strike-prone big transit agency in the United States.

    TWU last struck in 2016. It lasted for six days and ended the day before the general election. Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was worried about voter turnout, and the city sought an injunction to end the strike. That proved unnecessary.

    Regional Rail would operate during a TWU strike. Locomotive engineers and conductors on the commuter service are represented by different unions than transit employees, and are working under current contracts.

  • SEPTA strike is ‘imminent,’ say TWU leaders

    SEPTA strike is ‘imminent,’ say TWU leaders

    Transport Workers Union Local 234, SEPTA’s largest union, may soon strike, according to president Will Vera.

    At a Friday afternoon news conference at TWU headquarters in Spring Garden, Vera said his “patience has run out,” and he said the union’s executive committee was meeting to decide when to call a strike.

    “I’m tired of talking, and we’re going to start walking,” said Vera, who was elected president in October.

    Local 234’s latest contract expired Nov. 7, and the 5,000-member local voted unanimously on Nov. 16 to authorize leaders to call a strike if needed during contract negotiations.

    The union represents bus, subway, and trolley operators, mechanics, cashiers, maintenance people, and custodians, primarily in the city.

    SEPTA unions have walked off the job at least 12 times since 1975, earning the authority a reputation as the most strike-prone big transit agency in the United States.

    John Samuelsen, president of TWU International and former president of NYC’s local, joined Vera at the news conference.

    “A strike is imminent,” Samuelsen said. “SEPTA is the most incompetent transit agency in the country … SEPTA is triggering a strike.”

    In an email sent Friday evening, Samuelsen called on leaders and staff members of TWU locals to travel to Philadelphia to help Local 234 in the event of a strike.

    Andrew Busch, spokesperson for SEPTA, said negotiations were “at an impasse,” noting that the negotiating committees met only twice this week. He said SEPTA’s leaders hoped TWU would “take us up on the offer to continue to talk so we can avoid a strike and the massive service disruption it would cause.” No meetings are scheduled for the weekend as of Friday evening.

    Vera agreed there was room for the two groups to keep talking, if SEPTA provided “a fair and reasonable” contract proposal.

    What TWU wants

    Three TWU contracts in a row have run for one year each.

    The union says it is looking for a two-year deal with raises and changes to what it views as onerous work rules, including the transit agency’s use of a third party that Vera said makes it hard for members to use their allotted sick time.

    SEPTA officials have signaled they are open to a two-year deal as a step toward labor stability.

    In recent weeks, TWU and SEPTA have been negotiating contributions to the union’s healthcare fund. Pensions have arisen as a sticking point.

    Union sources told The Inquirer that TWU leaders are increasingly frustrated with the pace of negotiations.

    Vera said the executive board meeting began at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. He hoped the board would reach a decision on when members would walk off the job.

    TWU last went on strike in 2016. It lasted for six days and ended the day before the general election. Democrat Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign was worried about voter turnout, and the city sought an injunction to end the strike. It proved unnecessary.

    SEPTA’s financials

    TWU’s contract negotiations are happening as SEPTA is emerging from what it has called the worst period of financial turmoil in its history.

    Like many transit agencies, SEPTA was facing a recurring deficit due to inflation, fewer federal dollars, and flat state subsidies. It reported a $213 million recurring hole in its operating budget.

    Following a prolonged and contentious debate over mass transit funding in the state budget, Gov. Josh Shapiro in September directed PennDot to allow SEPTA to tap $394 million in state money allocated for future capital projects to pay for two years of operating expenses.

    And last month, he allocated $220 million to SEPTA, the second time in two years he’s flexed state dollars to support the financially beleaguered transit agency. While the $220 million is expected to go primarily toward capital expenses related to Regional Rail, the move helps SEPTA’s overall balance sheet.

    What riders should know

    SEPTA riders are no strangers to service disruptions.

    In August, the transit agency cut 32 bus routes, shortened 16 others, and trimmed service across the board as part of drastic cost-cutting measures. Riders complained bitterly about skipped stops, crowded vehicles, and longer commutes until a few days later when a Common Pleas Court judge ordered SEPTA to reverse the cuts.

    In the event of a strike, SEPTA says riders should monitor the app for news of service disruptions.

    A strike would shut down buses, trolleys, and the subway and elevated train lines operating in Philadelphia.

    It would not affect Regional Rail, paratransit, or the Norristown High Speed Line.

    SEPTA says 790,000 people ride transit each day. Eighty percent of those riders travel within the city limits.

  • SEPTA will be 7,000 feet of wire short of meeting Silverliner IV repair deadline

    SEPTA will be 7,000 feet of wire short of meeting Silverliner IV repair deadline

    Time and parts ran out on SEPTA.

    The transit agency says it will miss Friday’s federal deadline to finish outfitting all 223 Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars with a new heat-detection system. The reason: It needs to wait for 7,000 additional feet of thermal wire.

    About 30 of the 50-year-old cars have not yet had the safety feature installed, officials said. The wire required to finish the job is on back order.

    “I don’t think the suppliers expected one agency to raid their entire stockpile,” spokesperson Andrew Busch said.

    SEPTA needed about 39,000 feet of the thermal wire to outfit the entire fleet of Silverliner IV cars, he said. “It was an unusual demand on the supply chain,” Busch said. SEPTA has worked with two manufacturers and four distributors.

    The missing link is expected to arrive next week, and the installations should be finished the following week, Busch said.

    SEPTA worked with two manufacturers and distributors to get the large rolls of wire.

    The thermal wire is made of spring steel, separated by a polymer that melts at high temperature, allowing the steel conductor to touch and connect the electric circuit. That allows it to provide earlier warning of a potential problem so cars can be pulled from service.

    Delays, cancellations, station skips, and overcrowded trains running with fewer than the normal number of cars have been regular challenges for riders during the work, which started in October.

    Meanwhile, SEPTA is leasing 10 passenger coaches from Maryland’s commuter rail system, MARC, which Amtrak is scheduled to deliver late Friday night at 30th Street Station. They will be towed to SEPTA’s nearby Powelton yard.

  • SEPTA won $43 million for diesel-electric hybrid buses from the Trump administration

    SEPTA won $43 million for diesel-electric hybrid buses from the Trump administration

    Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has moved to cancel tax incentives and spending for clean-energy technology and prioritized expanded production of oil and natural gas.

    But the federal government apparently is not 100% out of the green fuels business.

    Last week, SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered 30-foot buses with an equal number of cleaner diesel-electric hybrid buses that are 32 feet long.

    The money comes from the FTA’s Bus Low- and No-Emission grant program.

    When the new buses are delivered, expected to be in 2028, SEPTA no longer will have diesel-only buses in its fleet.

    Most SEPTA buses are 40 feet long or 60-foot articulated models (the ones with the accordion in the middle). The shorter hybrids will be used on the LUCY Loop in University City and Routes 310, 311, 312, and Route 204, which runs from Eagleville to Paoli Station.

    “These new hybrid buses will increase operational efficiency and help ensure that SEPTA can continue to provide reliable service for customers,” general manager Scott Sauer said.

    SEPTA applied for the grant in July, a spokesperson said.

    “This is a major win for Philadelphia,” U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia said. “These new hybrid buses will mean more reliable service, a stronger transit system, and cleaner air for the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on SEPTA every day.”

    Boyle, a Democrat, said the money came from President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, which Boyle helped champion. The grants were given from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget.

    “Delivering new-and-improved bus infrastructure is yet another example of how America is building again under President Trump,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. “More people travel by bus than any other form of public transportation.”

    SEPTA’s grant was part of $1.1 billion distributed from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget. The U.S. Department of Transportation said in the announcement that $518 million would be added to the low- and no-emission bus grant program from the fiscal 2026 budget.

  • Gov. Shapiro allocated $220 million to SEPTA to get Regional Rail back on track

    Gov. Shapiro allocated $220 million to SEPTA to get Regional Rail back on track

    Gov. Josh Shapiro is sending $220 million to SEPTA as it repairs fire-prone Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars and a damaged overhead power system in the trolley tunnel that together have brought commuting chaos.

    With the new capital funds, SEPTA will be able to restore Regional Rail to its normal capacity within a few weeks.

    Shapiro has directed PennDot to transfer money set aside for emergencies from the Public Transit Trust Fund to SEPTA, his office said.

    Is there actually $1 billion sitting in a fund for SEPTA? Explaining the Public Transportation Trust Fund.

    SEPTA’s increasing needs

    He announced the aid Monday at the transit agency’s train yard and maintenance shop in Frazer, Chester County.

    Federal regulators on Oct. 1 ordered SEPTA to inspect and repair, as needed, all of its Silverliner IV fleet after five train fires involving the 50-year-old cars.

    Delays, cancellations, station skips, and overcrowded Regional Rail trains running with fewer than the normal number of cars have been regular challenges for riders during six weeks of inspections and repairs focused on electrical components of the 223 Silverliner IVs.

    Earlier this month, the Federal Transit Administration ordered SEPTA to inspect its trolley power system after four incidents, including two times trolleys stalled in the Center City tunnel, requiring 415 passengers to be evacuated.

    The budget impasse

    Shapiro said he was forced to act for the second straight year because Senate Republicans wouldn’t support additional recurring funding for mass transit operations in the state budget.

    “They’ve come up with a ton of excuses, but they haven’t come up with the funding,” Shapiro said.

    Last November, he redirected $153 million in federal highway funding to SEPTA following a similar impasse in passing state transit subsidies.

    After the governor decided in September that no budget agreement on transit funding was possible, PennDot allowed SEPTA to tap $394 million in state money allocated for future capital projects to pay for two years of operating expenses.

    The transit agency was facing a $213 million recurring deficit in its operating budget.

    In late August, SEPTA had canceled 32 bus lines and significantly curtailed other service as part of a “doomsday scenario” the agency said was caused by lack of new state funding.

    Riders were inconvenienced, a lawsuit was filed, and a Philadelphia judge ordered the cuts to be reversed.

    Then the $394 million reprieve arrived.

    Yet the problems with the rail cars and trolleys served to underscore the risks of using capital funds for day-to-day operations.

    “A history of chronic underinvestment has led us to this point,” said Chester County Commissioner Marian D. Moskowitz, who is vice chair of SEPTA’s board.

    She noted that SEPTA has a much smaller capital budget than other large transit agencies.

    What this money will do

    In addition to the repairs, $17 million of the new state money announced Monday is intended to pay for the lease of 10 Silverliner IV rail cars from Maryland’s commuter railroad and the possible purchase of 20 cars from Montreal.

    Highlights of SEPTA’s plans for the $220 million:

    • $95 million for electrical system upgrades, overhauled propulsion motors and more on the Silverliner IV train cars and the newer Silverliner V models.
    • $48.4 million to update the overhead catenary wires in the trolley tunnel, along with three new catenary-maintenance cars for the tunnel and along trolley lines, and on long Regional Rail lines.
    • $51.5 million to upgrade 13 escalators at SEPTA stations, install AI-powered inspection cameras to catch potential problems earlier, and technology improvements at SEPTA’s Control Center
    • $8 million to install replacement parts for Broad Street Line and Norristown High Speed Line cars.

    “These funds are going to make a significant difference in our efforts to overcome the current crises,” SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer said, and to help avoid future ones.

    He thanked the governor and pledged “a comprehensive effort to identify potential problems sooner before they grow and lead to delays, cancellations, or shutdowns.”

    Shapiro had proposed an increase in the share of general sales-tax revenue devoted to transit subsidies over five years.

    Leaders of the GOP-controlled Senate said the $1.5 billion price tag was too high and proposed shifting capital money to operating subsidies for the state’s transit systems and roads — an idea partially reflected in the Shapiro administration’s temporary solution.

    “I am glad the Governor continues to take our advice and use existing resources to support public transit,” Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) said in a statement.

    “It’s unfortunate that just one year ago, he took $153 million of funding from critical [road] infrastructure projects to fund transit, neglecting the needs of those who use our roadways every single day,” Pittman said.

    Republicans also argued that SEPTA had been mismanaged and needs change.

    As the next state budget cycle nears, the debate is likely to continue.

    “I want you to know I’m going to be a continue to be a governor who supports mass transit, who gives a damn about SEPTA, who cares about those 800,000 people that rely on SEPTA every single day,” Shapiro said.

  • Trolley tunnel to remain closed until at least Nov. 30

    Trolley tunnel to remain closed until at least Nov. 30

    SEPTA is extending its trolley tunnel closure through at least Nov. 30, hoping to use the extra time over the Thanksgiving holiday to complete repairs to the overhead catenary power system.

    The tunnel has been shut down for most of the last two weeks as crews work on the problem.

    Riders should use the Market-Frankford El to travel through Center City, catching the trolleys at 40th and Market Streets.

    “My wife, daughter and I are totally dependent on the trolley to get us to work and school, and with a prolonged trolley-tunnel diversion, the system has become unreliable and, frankly, unusable,” Will Tung, a Southwest Philly resident, told the SEPTA board during public comments at its Thursday meeting.

    Trolley ridership is typically lower during the week of the Thanksgiving holiday so the closure should be less of a disruption, spokesperson Andrew Busch said.

    What is wrong with the trolley tunnel?

    SEPTA is contending with glitches in the connection between the overhead catenary wires in the tunnel and the pole that conducts electricity to the vehicle.

    The issue led to two trolleys becoming stranded in October, with a total of 415 passengers needing to be evacuated.

  • Free SEPTA fares for low-income riders could end next year. Advocates are pushing to save it.

    Free SEPTA fares for low-income riders could end next year. Advocates are pushing to save it.

    SEPTA’s 21.5% increase in transit fares and service cuts fell hardest on disadvantaged Philadelphians this year, showing an urgent need to make the city’s Zero Fare program permanent, City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke argues.

    He touted his proposal to dedicate 0.5% of the city budget each year to pay for the initiative that provides free SEPTA passes to people living in poverty.

    O’Rourke’s proposed Transit Access Fund would be written into the City Charter “so it can’t be yanked away at a moment’s notice when somebody wants to shift something around in the budget,” he told about 150 people in a town hall at the Friends Center on Cherry Street.

    O’Rourke, Democratic State Sen. Nikil Saval, and the advocacy group Transit Forward Philadelphia called the meeting to push for affordable public transportation and ways to sustainably fund SEPTA after Harrisburg’s failure to provide new state money for mass transit agencies.

    Their affordability agenda is in keeping with the message in Democratic wins for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor of New York.

    A broad coalition and patience are needed in Pennsylvania, Saval said. ” Every major political win comes from months, years, sometimes decades, of work,” he said.

    Earlier this year, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s budget would have eliminated funding for Zero Fare, a two-year pilot program launched in 2023. Money was restored after backlash.

    “We pushed back hard,” said O’Rourke, a member of the Working Families Party. “People with the least income are paying a larger share of their money just to get around. That’s upside down.”

    Funding is not guaranteed after June 30, when the current budget expires, however.

    If enacted, a Transit Access Fund would generate an estimated $34 million in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, O’Rourke’s office calculates.

    That would generate enough money — between $20 million to $25 million, according to managers of the Zero Fare program — to give free SEPTA passes to 60,000 Philadelphians at or below the federal poverty standard.

    O’Rourke and his staff also are considering using the remaining $10 million to $14 million for matching grants to help businesses, landlords and housing developments to join the SEPTA Key Advantage program, which provides subsidized transit passes.

    People living at or below the federal poverty standard are eligible for the Zero Fare SEPTA passes. For 2025, that is $15,650 for an individual and $32,150 for a family of four.

    Philadelphia’s poverty rate was 19.7% in 2024, the latest figure available, according to the U.S. Census.

    To win sustainable state funding for SEPTA, activists need to break through the narrative that urban and rural areas of Pennsylvania are hopelessly divided on transit.

    This year, the Transit for All PA coalition campaigned for more state dollars for transit systems in every county of the state. About 45,000 people representing every legislative district participated.

    “When we’re made to feel like we’re on opposite sides of the fight, our numbers become smaller and we focus on the wrong targets,” said Saval.

    “It’s not the person in Schuylkill County frustrated about potholes and road conditions that’s to blame for lack of transit funding” he said. “That person deserves to get safely where they need to go, too.”

  • SEPTA trolley tunnel will stay closed until next week

    SEPTA trolley tunnel will stay closed until next week

    Philadelphia’s trolley tunnel has been closed for most of the last two weeks as SEPTA contends with glitches in the connection between the overhead catenary wires and the pole that conducts electricity to the vehicle.

    The tunnel will remain closed at least until next week for repairs, and city trolleys will operate from West Philadelphia. Riders can take the Market-Frankford El to get to and from Center City to 40th and Market Streets.

    At issue is a U-shaped brass part called a slider that carries carbon, which coats the copper wires above that carry electricity.

    “There’s a lot of friction and heat. The carbon acts as a lubricant,” said John Frisoli, deputy chief engineer for SEPTA.

    A 3-inch slider (left) and a 4-inch slider, which coats electric-powered wires with carbon to reduce friction. When they fail, trolleys are stranded.

    Earlier in the fall, SEPTA replaced 3-inch sliders with 4-inch models in an effort to reduce maintenance costs, but the carbon in the longer units wore out sooner than they should have, causing metal-on-metal contact between the trolley and the copper wires.

    Soon after, there were two major incidents when trolleys were stranded in the tunnels. On Oct. 14, 150 passengers were evacuated from one vehicle and 300 were evacuated from a stalled trolley on Oct. 21.

    SEPTA went back to the 3-inch sliders.

    On Nov. 7, SEPTA shut down the tunnel to deal with the issue, which had cropped up again, then reopened it on the morning of Nov. 13, thinking it was solved. But it discovered further damage to the catenary system and the tunnel was closed at the end of the day.

    “It’s just unfortunate that we’re dealing with the damage that decision caused,” said Kate O’Connor, assistant general manager for engineering, maintenance, and construction.

    The transit agency is running test trolleys and has found minimal wear of the wires rather than the extensive wear earlier, O’Connor said. Her department is working on a plan to replace wires by sections and will continue test runs until it’s determined the tunnel is safe for passenger traffic again, she said.

    “We have far more traffic in the tunnel than on the street — all five routes use it — and the overhead system there is more rigid,” O’Connor said.

    Trolleys have been unaffected traveling on the street. Jason Tarlecki, acting chief deputy engineer for power, said that the wires have “a lot more upward flexibility to absorb the shock,” he said, leading to less friction.

    The Federal Transit Administration on Oct. 31 ordered SEPTA to inspect the overhead catenary system along all its trolley routes.

    The directive came in response to four failures of the catenary system in September and October, including the tunnel evacuations.