Starting on Thursday, April 9, SEPTA will move to a new “Lifeline Service Schedule,” operating as much service as possible with our healthy and available employees, but with limited lines and routes.
SEPTA is now asking all riders to wear masks or other facial coverings, consistent with new CDC guidelines, to protect both riders and operators. SEPTA has started issuing masks to all frontline employees.
“Our SEPTA employees have been incredible in ensuring we maintain essential service to provide access to hospitals, grocery stores and other life-sustaining services,” said SEPTA General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “As this crisis continues, we are now experiencing what other transit agencies across the country already have – workforce shortages due to COVID-19-related absences.”
Access to stations will be limited, and SEPTA police will engage customers to ensure that they are traveling for essential purposes.
“If you are not traveling to an essential job or for urgent personal business like a medical appointment, you need to stay home and help us preserve service and space for those who need it most,” Richards said. “Unfortunately, too many people are not cooperating with this request, and they are putting the health and lives of our essential customers and employees at risk.”
The new schedules that go into effect on Thursday are focused on providing access to hospitals, grocery stores and other life-sustaining services. The Lifeline Service schedule will provide core services for essential travel, control access to the system and further focus cleaning efforts to protect the health and safety of our customers and employees.
Buses, subways and trolleys that are in service will continue to follow Saturday schedules, and available Regional Rail service will run every two hours. Below is a summary of the changes, and customers should check https://www.septa.org/ for full details.
Market-Frankford Line
Ten stations will be closed, with 18 remaining open. The closures will be at Church, Tioga, Somerset, York-Dauphin, 2nd Street, 5th Street, 13th Street, 56th Street, 63rd Street and Millbourne.
Broad Street Line/Broad-Ridge Spur
Eight stations will close, with 16 remaining open. The closures will be at Tasker-Morris, Lombard-South, Spring Garden, Fairmount, Susquehanna-Dauphin, Wyoming , Logan and Chinatown.
Buses and Trolleys
Service will be limited to approximately 60 core routes. SEPTA prioritized routes that provide access to essential services, as well as those with connections to the Broad Street, Market-Frankford Lines and Regional Rail. Approximately half of the Trolley stations in the Center City tunnel will be closed, including 13th Street, 19th Street, 33rd Street and 36th Street. The Route 101 Trolley will continue to operate with bus service, and the Route 102 remains suspended.
Norristown High Speed Line
No additional changes with this new schedule.
Regional Rail
Service on six lines will be suspended and two others shortened.
No service on the Chestnut Hill East, Chestnut Hill West, Cynwyd, Manayunk/Norristown, West Trenton and Wilmington Newark Lines.
Service on two additional lines will be truncated:
- Paoli/Thorndale: Service only between Center City and Malvern
- Lansdale/Doylestown: Service only between Center City and Lansdale
Airport Line service will be reduced from hourly trips to every two hours.
During the COVID-19 crisis, SEPTA is streamlining its social media communications on Twitter through the @SEPTAPHILLY account. Please follow and look for updates. In addition, SEPTA will continue to post the latest information on its website, and in announcements to the local news media.