Beginning Friday, July 12 at 10 pm and continuing through Monday, July 29 at 6 am, SEPTA forces will work around the clock to tackle critical track and power maintenance and upgrades. In addition to painting, tile replacement and general maintenance work, the 2024 Trolley Tunnel Blitz involves intensive tunnel, track area and station cleaning.
Trolleys will not operate in the tunnel at any time during the Blitz.
Route 10 [T1], Route 34 [T2], Route 13 [T3], Route 11 [T4] and Route 36 [T5] are suspended between 13th Street and 40th Street Portal until 6 am, July 29. Subway-Surface Trolleys [T] pick up and drop off riders at any bus stop along the diversion routes.
Navigating SEPTA during the Tunnel Closure
- Eastbound trolleys go to 40th and Market streets where riders can transfer to the eastbound Market-Frankford Line [L] for service to Center City
- Westbound riders can take the westbound Market-Frankford Line [L] to the trolleys at 40th and Market streets for service to points west
- For late-night travel, riders may transfer to Market-Frankford Line [L] Night Owl Bus Service
- Bus routes 21 and 42 provide local east/west service between West Philadelphia and Center City
2024 Trolley Blitz Diversion Map
Planned Improvements in the Track Right-of-Way
- Replace worn track at various locations, which helps maintain safe operations in the tunnel
- Clean out and flush all pipes, drains and vent wells
- Replace and/or re-tension overhead contact wire
Planned Improvements at Stations
Heavy cleaning, maintenance and overall improvements at all trolley stations including lighting upgrades, painting, graffiti removal, drain and pipe cleaning.
Benefits of the Trolley Tunnel Blitz
When SEPTA forces can tackle maintenance, track construction, station cleaning and safety improvements in a concentrated timeframe, we are able to reduce the number of late night and weekend outages over the course of the year.
On average, 600 vehicles operate through the five-mile Trolley Tunnel every day. As with previous Blitz campaigns, which started in 2014, this work is scheduled in the summer when ridership is traditionally lower in an effort to impact the fewest number of regular riders.
Important Safety Information for Riders during the Blitz
Always be aware of your surroundings and look for signs posted at stations for boarding information. Do not enter areas that are gated or blocked off at any time. SEPTA is committed to providing riders with a safe riding experience and environment.
We thank you for your cooperation and patience while we continue our work to improve service, safety and travel comfort.
Trolley Modernization
The work underway during this year’s Trolley Blitz helps SEPTA prepare for Modernization, the complete replacement of the trolley fleet with state-of-the-art, accessible vehicles. Trolley Modernization will bring accessible, fast and easy-to-use service to all of SEPTA’s trolley routes. Once complete, the trolleys and stations will be accessible to people with disabilities and get riders where they’re going faster.
Some of the work being done this year to support Trolley Modernization includes keeping the tunnel in a state of good repair for new vehicles, redesigning the tunnel’s signal system for faster service, and updating electrical infrastructure to get ready for new vehicles.