A two-block portion of Spruce Street will be closed or restricted to vehicular traffic beginning Monday, March 18 to accommodate trolley track renewal work, according to an announcement by SEPTA. The project includes the excavation and renewal of the existing corroded and broken rail on Spruce Street between 40th Street and 42nd Street. The intersections at 40th and Spruce and 42nd and Spruce will not be impacted by this work.

Posted traffic detours will be erected and maintained around the work area in progress.

Normal construction hours will be Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or sometimes later. Occasional weekend work may also be needed to maintain the project’s timeline.

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SEPTA is expected to receive $317,160,000 in infrastructure funding to purchase approximately 200 new rail cars on the Market-Frankford Line, according to a recent joint announcement by U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), U.S. Representatives Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Dwight Evans (D-PA-3), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-5), and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Pennsylvania delegation in Congress has consistently fought for federal funding for SEPTA to improve accessibility, promote sustainability and reduce emissions. This investment is thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

“A few weeks ago, I led a letter to the Department of Transportation on the urgent need to support SEPTA. Today, I am thrilled to join with my colleagues and announce DOT’s $317 million investment to support new cars on the Market-Frankford Line,” Fetterman said.

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Beginning Monday, Nov. 6, SEPTA will conduct a trolley track renewal project on a portion of Filbert Street, and the construction work will affect local traffic. The project will involve excavation and renewal of existing corroded and broken rail on Filbert Street between 38th and 40th Streets. Intersections within this area will be closed to through traffic during the work period from November 6 through December 9, 2023.

The project will be broken into three phases, each with parking lane restrictions and accommodations. Traffic detours will be posted and maintained around the work area in progress. Access to medical facilities, businesses or private property will not be hampered.

Normal construction hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., but on some weekdays crews may work past 3:30 p.m. Occasional weekend work may also be needed to maintain or advance the project’s timeline.

For more detailed information about each phase of the project, visit the SEPTA website.

After a break, SEPTA is set to resume public hearings on Bus Revolution, the comprehensive redesign of its entire bus network. The first hearing is scheduled for tomorrow, Sept. 12 at SEPTA headquarters (1234 Market St.), beginning at 5 p.m.. Then, two virtual hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 13 – from 12-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Registration is required for these hearings.

SEPTA will hold more in-person hearings in Philadelphia and other counties in its service area throughout this month. For more details, see the image below. To register for the virtual hearings on Wednesday, visit: https://iseptaphilly.com/blog/busrevpublichearings.

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Photo from septa.org.

Beginning July 22 and through Aug. 26, SEPTA will continue work on its multi-year Southwest Connection Improvement Program (SCIP), which will improve and upgrade mainline Regional Rail infrastructure between 30th Street Station and just past Penn Medicine Station. The work will impact regional rail service between 30th Street Station and Penn Medicine Station, which will be closed for the duration of the project.

Special Regional Rail construction timetables and service changes will be in effect July 22 through Aug. 26, 2023, for the following regional rail lines:

– Media/Wawa
– Wilmington/Newark
– Airport Lines

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SEPTA Trolley Tunnel, which connects West Philadelphia with Center City, will be closed for the annual maintenance from July 7 through July 24 for the annual “Trolley Tunnel Blitz.”

The tunnel closure will impact trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36, all of which will temporarily divert to 40th and Market, where riders can transfer to/from the Market-Frankford Line to continue their travel.

A temporary shelter will be set up for riders switching to/from the Market-Frankford Line. The trolley diversion map is available here.

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