A Route 15 trolley decorated for the holidays. (Photo courtesy of SEPTA)

SEPTA  will suspend 15 trolley service beginning Sunday, Jan. 26 for 12 to 18 months due to ongoing trolley car maintenance issues and road projects. Bus service will be offered during this time, according to SEPTA.

Most of the 73-year-old Route 15 trolleys are aging fast, according to SEPTA. Only four out the 18 cars used on the route are in good working order. The 18 historic green-and-tan cars were rebuilt during the first Route 15 trolley service suspension (due to budget cuts), which lasted from 1992 until 2005.

Route 15 serves over 8,200 riders each day, according to SEPTA.

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The annual SEPTA trolley tunnel maintenance project, the “Trolley Tunnel Blitz,” is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9 and will continue until Monday, Aug. 19 at 5 a.m., SEPTA has announced. For the duration of the project, which will include trolley track replacement, station upgrades, painting and cleaning, and other maintenance work, Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the tunnel.

During the Trolley Tunnel Blitz, all trolleys will divert to 40th and Market Streets where passengers can transfer to the Market-Frankford line at no additional cost for service to/from Center City.  Continue Reading

Beginning Sunday, May 5 through Saturday, July 20, SEPTA will conduct a major track replacement and switch improvement project in the area of Lancaster and Lansdowne Avenues. Shuttle buses will replace all Route 10 trolleys between 63rd Street and Malvern Avenue and 33rd and Market for the duration of the project.

For service towards 13th and Market Streets, passengers can transfer to any trolley at 33rd and Market.

Temporary detours are expected through the spring and into the summer in the area of 54th St. & Lansdowne Ave. and Girard & Lancaster Avenues die to construction. But here’s the good news: the new tracks will provide a smoother ride for passengers, and new concrete and asphalt paving will also be installed the area.

For more information or updates, visit Septa.org.

SEPTA has announced a trolley track replacement project at 40th and Spruce, which will affect traffic in the area for eight days at the beginning of next month. From Saturday, March 2 to Sunday, March 10, Spruce Street will be closed between 38th and 41st Streets, and 40th Street will be closed between Locust and Spruce Streets for the duration of this work, with the exception of emergency vehicles, deliveries, and trash pick-up.

Local traffic will be permitted up to the construction site, and walking access will not be restricted during the project. Penn Dental Medicine and Ryan Veterinary Hospital will be accessible during this closure.  Continue Reading

After a few years of planning, which included community meetings and open houses, SEPTA is finally ready to launch a new bus route that will connect the University City section with Brewerytown, Fairmount, Grays Ferry and Strawberry Mansion. The new Bus Route 49 service (33rd/Dauphin – 29th/Snyder) will begin on Sunday, Feb. 24.

The new bus service will address a north-south gap that exists in the current transit network. It will also serve the 30th Street Station and the Ben Franklin Parkway attractions. Here are other key destinations along Bus 49 Route:  Continue Reading

If you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day, check out events below, plus some useful information on SEPTA service during these days.

There will be two New Year’s Eve fireworks shows on the Delaware River waterfront – at 6 p.m. and midnight. There are several locations where you can watch the show, including Penn’s Landing, Race Street Pier, and more. For more details, go here.

SEPTA will have enhanced New Year’s Eve service on Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines on New Year’s Eve:  Continue Reading