Transportation
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Want To Know How Philadelphia’s Suburban Station Got Its Name? The Answer is in Montco
While some might find it confusing that a structure in the heart of Philadelphia carries the name Suburban Station, there is a good reason for it that can be found in Montgomery County, writes Katherine Nails for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Broad Street Suburban Station opened at 16th Street and Pennsylvania Boulevard on September 28, 1930.…
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SEPTA Wayfinding: Philadelphia’s $40 Million Public Transit Reorg Includes Simplifying Its Maze of a Map
SEPTA wayfinding — the Philadelphia transit authority’s concept guiding its Norristown regional rail, subway, streetcar, and bus system reorg — will also address its present map, reports Laura Bliss for Bloomberg. The goal of the $40 million, multiyear initiative is to ease users’ passage among destinations, even when trips involve various modes of transportation. The…
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Federal Grant to SEPTA to Increase Safety of Rail-Car/Passenger-Car Hot Spots
A $15 million federal grant is funding a SEPTA initiative to increase traffic safety at 22 Regional Rail lines crossings. Thomas Fitzgerald tracked down the story details for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The grant is funded through a Federal Highway Administration program that assists transit authorities with safety measures at grade crossings. Locally, the need to…
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SEPTA Lowers Montco Regional Rail Fares and Facilitates Transfers to Boost Ridership
To adapt to a ridership drastically changed by the pandemic, SEPTA wants to be more commuter-friendly. Toward that goal, it plans to lower its Montgomery County Regional Rail fares and make travel across different modes of transportation — buses, subways, rail, trolleys — more convenient. Thomas Fitzgerald navigated the details for The Philadelphia Inquirer. This…
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Amtrak Wants to Expand Montco Service by Adding New Routes in PA, Increasing Frequency of Existing Ones
Amtrak is planning to expand its service in Montgomery County and around Pennsylvania in the near future by adding new routes and increasing the frequency of the existing ones, writes David Tristan for abc27 News. Rail officials shared their proposal during a virtual meeting with Governor Tom Wolf and several state and local leaders. The…
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SEPTA’s Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line is Back in Business
SEPTA’s Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line to Norristown has resumed normal operations after it was partially shut down due to the flooding damage from Hurricane Ida, according to a staff report from CBS3 Philly. According to SEPTA, officials in municipalities along the line have been working with the transportation agency around the clock on temporary road…
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The Switch to All-Electronic Tolling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Takes a Toll on the Agency’s Finances
For many Montgomery County residents, driving the turnpike is a way of life—taking us to work, going home, to see our families. But the Pennsylvania Turnpike has lost more than $104 million in uncollected tolls in the past year. The losses can be traced directly to the agency’s conversion to all-electronic tolling. Mark Scolforo tallied…
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Halloween Themed? New Pa. Driver’s Licenses to Start Releasing; Changes Include a Ghost Portrait
Newly designed driver’s licenses with enhanced security features will soon be available to drivers in Pa., according to a staff report from 6abc. The licenses and identification cards are part of PennDOT’s ongoing security improvements. The Summerdale Driver License Center in Enola, Cumberland County, will first start issuing new licenses this week. By mid-November, all…
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SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line and Other Popular Transit Lines May Get a New Name
Paris’ infamous transit system is known as the Metro. Philadelphia’s may follow suit. A SEPTA rebrand is part of an effort to make it easier for riders to identify its network of trains and trolleys. David Chang navigated the details for the Philadelphia Business Journal. The transportation authority wants to implement new signage and rename…
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In Anticipation of Ridership Surge This Fall, SEPTA Gears Up Service to Nearly Pre-Pandemic Levels
In anticipation of a surge in ridership this fall, SEPTA has begun adding more services across the system. The returning buses, trolleys, and rail lines will bring its reach nearly to pre-pandemic levels, writes Hannah Kanik for Philly Voice. Starting this week, the transportation authority is implementing new transit schedules for buses and trolleys, as…
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Amtrak’s Proposed Reading to New York Line Would Run Through Montgomery County
As part of its Amtrak Connects US initiative, Amtrak has announced additional details about a planned line that would run from Reading to New York and would pass through both Montgomery and Chester counties, according to a staff report from WFMZ-TV 69 News. The proposed line, which now has a dedicated webpage, would see the…
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Sikorsky Plant in Coatesville to Close After Reprieve Proves Unsuccessful, Taking 240 Jobs with It
Despite continuous efforts by officials to keep it running, Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky helicopter plant in Coatesville will close in March, write Jonathan Tamari and Joseph DiStefano for The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result, 240 people will lose their jobs. The company will offer another 120 workers the chance to relocate or work remotely. Lockheed Martin…
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Philadelphia Traffic Improved by 58 Percent in 2020 for Montco Drivers, But Chronic Congestion is Coming
While traffic congestion remained high in the Philadelphia metropolitan area in 2020, year-over-year data analysis of showed it had been more than halved, according to a staff report from the News Chant. That’s the good news. The bad news is the reason for the improvement. The recently published 2021 Urban Mobility Report ranked the City…
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Are You Paying Attention? See How Many Distracted Drivers Get Cited in Montgomery County
Are you a distracted driver? Montgomery County took the top spot among the counties with the most distracted drivers with citations in Pennsylvania, according to a new report from www.pacourts.us. Drivers get issued a distracted-driving citation for using headphones while driving, using a handheld mobile phone while driving a commercial vehicle, or texting while driving…
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Premium Edition of Uber Expands the Luxury Ride Options in Philadelphia Region
Uber has notified some of its Philadelphia drivers it’s replacing the luxury ride option UberBlack with UberPremium. The swap provides more drivers with a chance for bigger earnings, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Around two percent of area Uber drivers who also serve UberX riders — the brand’s most requested service — are…
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SEPTA’s Battery-Powered Buses Need a Major Jolt to Keep Up With Expectations
Nearly a year and a half after SEPTA rolled out its fleet of battery-powered buses — each costing nearly a million dollars — each, most of them are no longer on the streets. A host of issues has sidelined them, writes Ryan Briggs for WHYY. Instead of the 25 all-electric Proterra Catalyst buses, the diesel-and-hybrid…
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Amtrak Spending Billions to Replace Its Old Rail Cars with New Multi-Powered Trains
Amtrak has signed a $7.3 billion deal to acquire a fleet of up to 83 new train sets that will replace its almost 50-year-old rolling stock, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The new multi-powered train sets will replace the rail cars on the Northeast Corridor as well as a number of state-supported routes,…
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Massive Transportation Bill Intended to Ease Commutes Throughout Montgomery County and Nearby Suburbs
The massive transportation bill that recently passed the U.S. House would provide around $115 million for critical projects in Southeast Pennsylvania, writes Thomas Fitzgerald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The bill is separate from the bipartisan infrastructure-spending framework recently negotiated between President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans. It would provide an additional five years to federal…
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