PHILADELPHIA (August 26, 2024) – SEPTA is increasing Regional Rail service next month by adding 99 weekend trains and 24 weekday trains to the schedule. New timetables for all lines will go into effect on Sunday, September 8.
These service additions will restore 80% of pre-COVID service on weekdays (up from 77%) and 84% on weekends (up from 63%). Regional Rail ridership recovery is currently at about 67% of pre-pandemic levels, with weekend ridership growth outpacing weekdays.
“As we continue to rebuild ridership, SEPTA is still facing a $240 million annual budget deficit, and the need for a permanent solution grows more urgent by the day,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “Despite this funding crisis, we can not put critical investments in our system on hold. We must move forward with efforts to make our service more reliable for our riders who depend on us to get where they need to go.”
Thanks to a robust recruitment and training effort, the Authority will be able to add additional crews to address personnel shortages and provide more consistent service. With 189 engineers, SEPTA is on track to meet its budgeted headcount of 213 by next spring.
These schedule changes support the goals and vision of SEPTA’s Reimagining Regional Rail initiative by adding additional service to accommodate off-peak, evening, and weekend trips. Below are some highlights of the upcoming service changes:
- Full restoration of 30-minute weekend service to the Philadelphia International Airport
- Full restoration of hourly weekend service on most lines
- Additional off-peak (late-night and mid-day) and reverse peak service on most lines
- Additional railcars on select trains to mitigate overcrowding, particularly mid-week when ridership is highest
- Connection of Airport Line service to the Manayunk/Norristown Line for a one-seat ride between the airport and Norristown on weekends
- Schedule adjustments to help improve on-time performance
- State of good repair project on the Warminster Line will require shuttle bus substitution from September 7 through November 3
- Weekends between Warminster and Glenside stations
- Weekdays (mid-day only) between Warminster and Roslyn stations
As a reminder, after four years of offering free parking to help attract customers back to the system, SEPTA will reinstate parking fees with a phased approach beginning September 23.
Daily parking rates at SEPTA-owned surface lots will increase to $2 from $1 and to $4 from $2 at the three garages: Frankford Transit Center, Norristown, and Lansdale. Parking at surface lots will remain free on weekends and major holidays.
The new, state-of-the-art parking system will provide several convenient options to pay for parking, including the new SEPTA Park app.
For more information about SEPTA, visit septa.org, follow @SEPTA, or download the official SEPTA app.
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