Article straight from SEPTA. Read the full Capital Budget & 12-Year Proposal (or highlights). To fund, or not to fund, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the ville to suffer The gaps and...
To fund, or not to fund, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the ville to suffer
The gaps and delays of outrageous schedules,
Or to take arms against a sea of traffic
And by opposing end it. To die—to drive,
No more; and by a drive to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That trains are heir to...
If you'll pardon the disservice I've done to Shakespeare and all resultant misinterpretation, I'm always interested to read more about Philadelphia's transit situation. The Pennsylvania legislature could do a lot better funding SEPTA, the transit agency serving Philly and its surrounding communities. However, while it leaves a lot to be desired, the capital projects described in this article look very promising.
I'm particularly interested in the "Reimagining Regional Rail" initiative. The idea of having 30-minute service on all lines, and 15-minute service on popular routes, is extremely appealing. I find that the Regional Rail is an important way to get around the city and I think it could be improved significantly by more frequent trains. I sincerely hope that the Airport line is one of the routes prioritized for 15-minute service, for reasons that should be obvious.
Philly's surprisingly small subway network is also due for some work for any number of reasons. I won't get into the, uh, aesthetic virtues of the Market–Frankford Line, but its traincars are aging, as are those of its north-south sister on Broad Street to perhaps a lesser extent. I don't know enough about the nitty Gritty of the network to comment on it in depth, but new vehicles, upgrades to infrastructure, and improvements to signaling technology sound like good investments. (From a frequent rider's perspective, I particularly appreciate the new countdown clocks at some subway stations: they're a convenience and also make the place feel considerably more... supported. One might even say safer.)
Conversation around accessibility is also exciting. SEPTA's plan to make their trolley routes fully ADA-accessible will open up an entire sub-network to people with disabilities. It will also make transportation easier and more comfortable for the elderly, for whom even a few steps up a trolley can be a challenge. These are some of the populations who can benefit the most from accessible transportation and I think we owe it to them as a society to give them the services they require.
Miscellaneous improvements to infrastructure and buses are also of note, as are upgrades to signage—looking at you, Suburban Station—but this article actually doesn't go into that much depth about what that entails. Also, the article doesn't mention it, but I personally don't care a whole lot for KOP Rail. I hope SEPTA focuses its attention on more pressing transit needs than providing access to a single suburban mall for several billion dollars.
SEPTA has taken action to prepare for a new post-pandemic normal. Plans are moving forward to make bus service more efficient and effective with the Bus Revolution initiative. The authority has prioritized replacing the Market-Frankford Line fleet to ensure the critical artery is reliable for customers in both the short-and long-term, and the Reimagining Regional Rail plan will make the system more useful for more people.
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SEPTA’s FY24 capital budget is $976 million – just shy of FY23's record-breaking billion-dollar plus plan while the 12-Year Program represents SEPTA’s largest-ever investment in the system at $12.6 billion. However, SEPTA is historically underfunded, especially compared to peer transit agencies in other major metro areas.
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The capital program advances several SEPTA Forward initiatives, including:
Trolley Modernization: $1.63 billion for vehicle acquisition and infrastructure upgrades.
Market-Frankford Line Railcar Replacement: $950 million for vehicle acquisition, infrastructure upgrades and a new signal system.
Regional Rail Fleet Replacements: $650 million to initiate the replacement of 50-year-old railcars
Wayfinding Improvements: $40 million for signage, real-time information and website/mobile app upgrades.
State of Good Repair & Safety: $3.6 billion to rehabilitate and modernize aging legacy assets.
Accessibility for All: Nearly $1 billion to provide full ADA accessibility at 45 Rail Transit and Regional Rail stations over the next 12 years. By the end of this 12-year program, 100 percent of subway/elevated and trolley stations will be ADA accessible.
Bus Revolution: $163 million for end-of-line facilities and transit prioritization improvements.
Article straight from SEPTA. Read the full Capital Budget & 12-Year Proposal (or highlights).
To fund, or not to fund, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the ville to suffer
The gaps and delays of outrageous schedules,
Or to take arms against a sea of traffic
And by opposing end it. To die—to drive,
No more; and by a drive to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That trains are heir to...
If you'll pardon the disservice I've done to Shakespeare and all resultant misinterpretation, I'm always interested to read more about Philadelphia's transit situation. The Pennsylvania legislature could do a lot better funding SEPTA, the transit agency serving Philly and its surrounding communities. However, while it leaves a lot to be desired, the capital projects described in this article look very promising.
I'm particularly interested in the "Reimagining Regional Rail" initiative. The idea of having 30-minute service on all lines, and 15-minute service on popular routes, is extremely appealing. I find that the Regional Rail is an important way to get around the city and I think it could be improved significantly by more frequent trains. I sincerely hope that the Airport line is one of the routes prioritized for 15-minute service, for reasons that should be obvious.
Philly's surprisingly small subway network is also due for some work for any number of reasons. I won't get into the, uh, aesthetic virtues of the Market–Frankford Line, but its traincars are aging, as are those of its north-south sister on Broad Street to perhaps a lesser extent. I don't know enough about the nitty Gritty of the network to comment on it in depth, but new vehicles, upgrades to infrastructure, and improvements to signaling technology sound like good investments. (From a frequent rider's perspective, I particularly appreciate the new countdown clocks at some subway stations: they're a convenience and also make the place feel considerably more... supported. One might even say safer.)
Conversation around accessibility is also exciting. SEPTA's plan to make their trolley routes fully ADA-accessible will open up an entire sub-network to people with disabilities. It will also make transportation easier and more comfortable for the elderly, for whom even a few steps up a trolley can be a challenge. These are some of the populations who can benefit the most from accessible transportation and I think we owe it to them as a society to give them the services they require.
Miscellaneous improvements to infrastructure and buses are also of note, as are upgrades to signage—looking at you, Suburban Station—but this article actually doesn't go into that much depth about what that entails. Also, the article doesn't mention it, but I personally don't care a whole lot for KOP Rail. I hope SEPTA focuses its attention on more pressing transit needs than providing access to a single suburban mall for several billion dollars.
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You might like DoNotEat.
They've not put out new videos in awhile, but they're based out of Philly and cover a lot of Philly problems.