Septa rail lines hold future hopes

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The Manayunk/ Norristown SEPTA line offers so many great breweries within walking (or Uber/Lyft) distance of various stops. (MONTCO.Today file photo)

The proposed King of Prussia Rail line, a spur from Norristown into the shopping mecca, still hinges on funding. A feasibility study is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Two years from now, the multimillion-dollar public transit system that crisscrosses Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties will look a lot different, writes Alison Burdo for the Philadelphia Business Journal.


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By the end of 2019, SEPTA will roll out its first route under the Direct Bus brand (a first step towards possible bus rapid transit); integrate double decker rail cars into multiple Regional Rail lines; complete signal replacement across its entire rail network with the “resignaling” of the Sharon Hill and Ridge Spur lines; make inroads on its $2 billion vehicle replacement backlog; and expand its electronic card payment system, the Key Fare Program.

Add on the research SEPTA is commencing in the near future – studying the logistics of running subway trains with eight, instead of six, cars; determining if trolley cars with the accordion-style pivot point are practical; and figuring out how to bring positive train control to its Norristown High Speed Line – and passengers could see even more changes.

But does the nation’s sixth-largest transit agency, which hasn’t been profitable in decades, have the money to do the work? Yes… and no.

To read the complete story click here.

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