This is a reminder that the SEPTA Trolley Tunnel Blitz, the annual maintenance and construction project in the trolley tunnel connecting West Philadelphia and Center City, is underway until Monday, Aug. 17. All trolleys are being diverted to 40th and Market where passengers can switch to the Market-Frankford line.
Over the weekend, SEPTA crews were also repairing tracks at the 40th Street Trolley Portal at 40th and Woodland (see photo below).
August 10th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Will the trolley portal be quieter with the new tracks? And are they still planning on putting a cafe at the portal?
August 10th, 2015 at 1:37 pm
I sure hope it’ll be quieter with new tracks, but as for the cafe, that’s a separate project being led by University City District (in partnership with SEPTA, of course). Last I heard, they were still in fundraising mode for the project, but it should still be going forward. I haven’t heard any news about the timeline, though.
August 15th, 2015 at 10:28 am
Not to be a Debbie Downer but I’m recalling a conversation I had with a trolley fan about 10 years ago who happens to live on Woodland Terrace. He told me that the new Kawasaki cars from 1979-81 are actually noisier than the older PCC cars. I’m not sure if track repairs and replacement will stop that deafening screech of the cars going around curves at the 40th street portal.