A train of brand new Silverliner V’s glides over the Delaware River at Yardley, Pa., on August 30, 2012. SEPTA service extends across the river to West Trenton, New Jersey on this former Reading route.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AT EVERY TURN SEPTA at 30 BY PATRICK J. YOUGH/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR EXCEPT AS NOTED
COMMUTING IN PHILADELPHIA is a study in contrasts and comparisons. Modern electric trains call at stations that have changed little since the 1950s. SEPTA spent millions to join the former Read- ing Company and Pennsylvania Rail- road systems together, while at the same time routes were being cut back due to deferred maintenance. But de- spite a series of challenges, a modern transportation system now unites the City of Brotherly Love and its sur- rounding counties.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is the fifth largest transit system in the nation and sixth in terms of ridership. SEPTA operates a diverse mix of commuter rail, rapid transit subway and elevated lines, light rail and trolleys, motorized
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buses, electric trolleybuses, and para- transit services. The service territory includes the city of Philadelphia and surrounding counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, plus New Castle County in Delaware, and Mer- cer County in New Jersey. SEPTA pro- vides commuter rail service to Wilm- ington and Newark, Del., under contract with the Delaware Depart- ment of Transportation (DelDOT) and it connects with NJ Transit at Trenton allowing for an economical alternative to Amtrak between New York and Philadelphia. Following the example of the New Haven’s Connecticut main line, the Pennsylvania Railroad began electrifi- cation of the Philadelphia commuter
zone in late 1913 utilizing 11,000 volt a.c. power. The first route selected was between Paoli and Broad Street sta- tion, a distance of 20 miles, with service starting on September 12, 1915. A new shop was built at Paoli to maintain the newly converted P54 commuter coach- es into the classic owl-eyed MP54 m.u. cars. The PRR eliminated grade cross- ings on the electrified routes and in- stalled position light signals in place of semaphores. The electrification was quickly extended to the Chestnut Hill branch (1918), to West Chester, via Me- dia (1928), and to Wilmington (1928). The Schuylkill branch was electrified as far as Norristown in 1930. On December 14, 1927, the Reading Company announced a plan to electrify suburban service from Reading Termi-
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