Paoli/Thorndale Line

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Paoli/Thorndale Line
Paoli Thorndale.PA SEPTA Line.jpg
A westbound Paoli/Thorndale Line train departing from the Bryn Mawr station.
Overview
StatusOperating
TerminiTemple University
Thorndale
Stations26
Websitesepta.org
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemSEPTA Regional Rail
Operator(s)SEPTA Regional Rail
Rolling stockElectric Multiple Units, push-pull trains
Daily ridership20,962 (FY 2018)[1]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationCatenary
Route map

Legend
Keystone Corridor (Main Line)
to Harrisburg & Pittsburgh
Amtrak
Parkesburg
no SEPTA service since 1996
Amtrak
Coatesville
planned SEPTA service
35.2 mi
56.6 km
 Thorndale
32.8 mi
52.8 km
 Downingtown
Amtrak
28.7 mi
46.2 km
 Whitford
27.7 mi
44.6 km
 Exton
Amtrak
21.8 mi
35.1 km
 Malvern
19.9 mi
32 km
 Paoli
Amtrak
Zone
 4 
3
18.6 mi
29.9 km
 Daylesford
17.5 mi
28.2 km
 Berwyn
16.4 mi
26.4 km
 Devon
15.4 mi
24.8 km
 Strafford
14.5 mi
23.3 km
 Wayne
13.7 mi
22 km
 St. Davids
13.0 mi
20.9 km
 Radnor
12.0 mi
19.3 km
 Villanova
10.9 mi
17.5 km
 Rosemont
10.1 mi
16.3 km
 Bryn Mawr
Zone
 3 
2
9.1 mi
14.6 km
 Haverford
8.5 mi
13.7 km
 Ardmore
Amtrak
7.4 mi
11.9 km
 Wynnewood
6.8 mi
10.9 km
 Narberth
6.0 mi
9.7 km
 Merion
5.4 mi
8.7 km
 Overbrook
Zone
 2 
C
 CYN
to Cynwyd
52nd Street
closed
0.9 mi
1.4 km
 30th Street
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines MFL Atlantic City Line Amtrak
0 mi
0 km
 Suburban
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines BSL MFL
0.5 mi
0.8 km
 Jefferson
MFL
2.1 mi
3.4 km
 Temple University
SEPTA Main Line
to Glenside
This diagram:
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The Paoli/Thorndale Line, commonly known as the Main Line, is a SEPTA Regional Rail service running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County. It operates on Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, which in turn was once the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and is now part of the Keystone Corridor, a federally-designated high-speed rail corridor.

Route[]

SEPTA and Amtrak share the four-track "Main Line" grade of the "Keystone Corridor" between Philadelphia and Thorndale

This branch makes local stops between Thorndale and Center City, Philadelphia along Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, an electrified 104-mile two to four-track high-speed route between Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg and 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. The line was originally part of Pennsylvania's "Main Line of Public Works", a series of canals and railroads to connect Philadelphia with Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and points west built between 1826 and 1834 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The tracks subsequently became part of the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad before eventually becoming Amtrak's Keystone Corridor. The "Main Line" also refers to the affluent Philadelphia suburbs along the line of the same name.

Prior to the late 1980s, all commuter rail operations went from Suburban Station to Paoli, the westernmost census designated place along the Main Line. Because of this earlier operation, local residents called the R5 "the Paoli Local". Currently, all Paoli turn-around trains, which operate alternately on Saturdays and exclusively on Sundays, now use the nearby Malvern train station as its last stop (the Paoli train yard was closed down in the mid-1990s and is in the process of being converted into extra parking, and eventually, a new Paoli train station), and uses the Frazer train yard as a turn-around location. The Paoli yard became an EPA superfund site.[2] Prior to November 10, 1996 the service went as far west as Parkesburg,[3] but service was truncated to Downingtown because Amtrak lacked facilities to turn SEPTA trains around, and trains were forced to deadhead out to Lancaster. Service was extended from Downingtown to a new station in Thorndale on November 22, 1999.[4]

A recent proposal to extend the Paoli/Thorndale Line service further west from its terminus at Thorndale to Lancaster has been discussed by regional planning organizations, government officials, and members supporting the Capital Red Rose Corridor, which will provide commuter rail along the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line between Lancaster and Harrisburg.[5][6] Proponents of the Paoli/Thorndale Line extension to Lancaster, support that by allowing SEPTA and Capital Area Transit to operate commuter rail serving smaller stations along the Keystone Corridor, it will allow for fewer stops and increased speeds for Amtrak's Keystone and Pennsylvanian trains between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and the Harrisburg Transportation Center in downtown Harrisburg. It is also suggested by community leaders and transportation officials that the addition of commuter rail serving portions of Lancaster and Dauphin counties will help to alleviate future traffic congestion stemming from increased development along the same corridor.[6] The entire main line between Thorndale, Lancaster and Harrisburg is currently electrified.

SEPTA announced on March 7, 2019 that service would be extended back to Coatesville "in the near future." A new Coatesville station is planned to be constructed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) at 3rd Avenue and Fleetwood Street near the existing Amtrak station. The station is currently in the design phase and once construction begins, it will take three years to complete and bring SEPTA service to Coatesville.[7] In announcing the return of service to Coatesville, Chester County commissioner Terrence Farrell announced $1 million in funding to kick-start a parking garage to coincide with SEPTA's return to the station via the Paoli/Thorndale Line.[8]

Operation[]

The Paoli/Thorndale Line is the busiest regional rail line in the SEPTA system, carrying approximately 30,000 daily riders each way on weekdays.[9] It is also among the longest in the system, stretching out into the far western suburbs of Philadelphia, and as such has express service to some of the outer stations. In general, trains operate one of the following three itineraries:

There is also a round trip Great Valley Flyer service which operates nonstop between 30th Street and Paoli, skipping all intermediate stops including Bryn Mawr, before continuing to Thorndale. This is the last named train on SEPTA, and one of very few remaining named commuter trains.

History[]

R5 Paoli.gif
R5 Thorndale.gif

Electrified service between Philadelphia and Paoli was opened on September 11, 1915.[10][11] As the first of the local commuter and long-distance lines to be electrified, the line was used as an "experiment" for powering trains using AC overhead catenary wires.[12] The previous commuter line to be electrified was the Long Island Rail Road in New York City, but this line used the DC third rail similar in nature to the New York City Subway system and most other heavy-rail interurbans.[13][14] In addition, the original catenary poles are still in service in Lower Merion.[15] This was also the first line to get PRR position light signals between Overbrook and Bryn Mawr. [16]

Between 1915 and the 1960s, the former Pennsylvania Railroad used the MP-54 electric multiple-unit (EMU) railcars, which were brick red ("Tuscan Red") in color (green in the Penn Central era) and had characteristic "owl eye" round windows at car ends.[17]

The MP-54s were replaced in the 1960s and 1970s with the Silverliner EMU cars, which are still in use today.[18] More recently, SEPTA acquired push-pull coaches from the Bombardier corporation, which were hauled by AEM-7 electric locomotives similar to those used by Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. The AEM-7 locomotives were replaced with ACS-64 electric locomotives in 2018.

Between 1984 and 2010 the route was designated R5 Paoli and R5 Thorndale as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Paoli trains operated through the city center to the Lansdale/Doylestown Line on the ex-Reading side of the system.[19] The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010.[20] As of 2019, most Paoli/Thorndale Line trains continue through Center City to points along the Lansdale/Doylestown Line on weekdays and points on the West Trenton Line on weekends.[21]

As a part of the Keystone Corridor upgrade projects conducted by Amtrak and PennDOT, the line was upgraded in 2007 with new concrete ties, continuous welded rails, and overhead lines and substations. This upgrade allows SEPTA and Amtrak to operate multiple trains at the same time in the same manner as that found on the Northeast Corridor.

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Paoli/Thorndale Line on May 1, 2017.[22]

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was truncated to Malvern due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service to Thorndale resumed on June 15, 2020.[23][24]

Stations[]

Paoli station, a major stop along the Paoli/Thorndale Line
The Pennsylvania Railroad opened Radnor in 1872
The current building at Ardmore dates from the 1950s

The Paoli/Thorndale Line includes the following stations west of the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with a gray background are closed.

Zone[25] Location Station Miles (km)
from
Center City 		Date opened Connections / notes
C Parkside, Philadelphia 52nd Street 4.0 (6.4) Closed August 23, 1980[26]
2 Overbrook, Philadelphia Overbrook Disabled access 5.4 (8.7) SEPTA City Bus: 65, G
Merion Merion 6.0 (9.7)
Narberth Narberth 6.8 (10.9) SEPTA City Bus: 44
Wynnewood Wynnewood 7.4 (11.9) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105
Ardmore Ardmore 8.5 (13.7) Amtrak: Keystone Service
SEPTA City Bus: 44
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 103, 105, 106
Haverford Haverford 9.1 (14.6) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106
3 Bryn Mawr Bryn Mawr 10.1 (16.3) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106
Rosemont Rosemont 10.9 (17.5) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106
Villanova Villanova 12.0 (19.3) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
Radnor Radnor Disabled access 13.0 (20.9) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
Wayne St. Davids 13.7 (22.0)
Wayne Disabled access 14.5 (23.3) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
Strafford Disabled access 15.4 (24.8)
Devon Devon 16.4 (26.4) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
Berwyn Berwyn Disabled access 17.5 (28.2) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
Daylesford 18.6 (29.9) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106
4 Paoli Paoli Disabled access 19.9 (32.0) Amtrak: Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 92, 106, 204, 206
Malvern Malvern 21.8 (35.1) SEPTA Suburban Bus: 92
Exton Exton Disabled access 27.7 (44.6) Amtrak: Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Whitford 28.7 (46.2)
Downingtown Downingtown 32.8 (52.8) Amtrak: Keystone Service
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Thorndale Thorndale Disabled access 35.2 (56.6) November 22, 1999 (1999-11-22)[4] SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135
Coatesville Coatesville SEPTA service ended November 10, 1996,[27] still served by Amtrak's Keystone Service
Parkesburg Parkesburg SEPTA service ended November 10, 1996,[27] still served by Amtrak's Keystone Service

Ridership[]

The Paoli/Thorndale Line has the highest total ridership on the system. Between FY 2008–FY 2018 yearly ridership ranged from 6–6.5 million, save a drop to 5.5 million in FY 2017. In FY 2018 its 5,969,965 passengers exceeded the next highest, the Lansdale/Doylestown Line, by nearly 1.5 million.[note 1]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
FY 2008
FY 2009
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018

Notes[]

  1. ^ Annual ridership statistics compiled from SEPTA's Annual Service Plans.[1][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2019. p. 42. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Paoli Rail Yard".
  3. ^ "SEPTA Board Cuts Service; But Opposition is Spirited". The Philadelphia Daily News. October 25, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Schogol, Marc (November 21, 1999). "SEPTA extends the R5 line to Thorndale". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Capital Red Rose Corridor map with SEPTA extension Modern Transit Partnership, accessed February 5, 2010.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Letter supporting the Capital Red Rose Corridor Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine South Central Assembly, accessed February 5, 2010.
  7. ^ Rodgers, Lucas (March 7, 2019). "SEPTA Regional Rail set to return to Coatesville". Daily Local News. West Chester, PA. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Melwert, Jim (March 7, 2019). "SEPTA to bring back regional rail service to Coatesville". Philadelphia, PA: KYW (AM). Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "SEPTA Planning" (PDF).
  10. ^ "The Paoli Local: 100 Years of Electrification on the Pennsylvania Railroad".
  11. ^ "The First 300: The Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion".
  12. ^ "The Paoli Local: 100 Years of Electrification on the Pennsylvania Railroad".
  13. ^ "The Electrification of the Pennsylvania Railroad from Broad Street Terminal, Philadelphia, to Paoli". The Electric Journal. Pittsburgh, PA: The Electric Journal Co. XII (12): 536–541. December 1915.
  14. ^ "The Paoli Local: 100 Years of Electrification on the Pennsylvania Railroad".
  15. ^ "PRR Main Line Survey 2010 Part 13 (PAOLI to PENN)". 22 May 2012.
  16. ^ Baer, Christopher T. (June 2004). "PRR Chronology 1915" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Historical and Technical Society. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  17. ^ "The First 300: The Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion".
  18. ^ "The Philadelphia & Columbia Railway".
  19. ^ Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
  20. ^ Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
  21. ^ "Paoli/Thorndale Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  22. ^ "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  23. ^ "Service Information". SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  24. ^ "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  25. ^ "Paoli/Thorndale Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  26. ^ Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE SUCCESSORS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY AND THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1980-1989" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  28. ^ "Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2018. p. 74. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  29. ^ "Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2017. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  30. ^ "Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. October 2016. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  31. ^ "Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2015. p. 94. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  32. ^ "Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2014. p. 60. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  33. ^ "Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2013. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2012. p. 55. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  35. ^ "Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. July 2011. p. 94. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  36. ^ "Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2010. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  37. ^ "Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2009. p. 63. Retrieved December 14, 2019.

External links[]

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