West Trenton Line (SEPTA)

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This article is about the SEPTA commuter rail line. For the proposed NJ Transit line, see West Trenton Line (NJ Transit).
West Trenton Line
Langhorne SEPTA railroad station.jpg
Langhorne station on the West Trenton Line
Overview
StatusOperating
TerminiPenn Medicine
West Trenton
Stations23
Websitesepta.org
Service
TypeCommuter rail
SystemSEPTA Regional Rail
Operator(s)SEPTA Regional Rail
Rolling stockElectric Multiple Units, push-pull trains
Daily ridership10,807 (FY 2018)[1]
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationCatenary
Route map

Legend
1.8 mi
2.9 km
 Penn Medicine
0.9 mi
1.4 km
 30th Street
SEPTA subway–surface lines MFL Atlantic City Line Amtrak
0 mi
0 km
 Suburban
SEPTA subway–surface lines BSL MFL
0.5 mi
0.8 km
 Jefferson
MFL
Reading Terminal
closed
Spring Garden Street
closed
2.1 mi
3.4 km
 Temple University
Zone
 C 
1
 NOR
to Elm Street
5.1 mi
8.2 km
 Wayne Junction
CHE
to Chestnut Hill East
 FOX
to Fox Chase
 Fern Rock
BSL
Zone
 1 
2
8.4 mi
13.5 km
 Melrose Park
9.2 mi
14.8 km
 Elkins Park
Zone
 2 
3
10.8 mi
17.4 km
 Jenkintown–Wyncote
Main Line
to Glenside
12.0 mi
19.3 km
 Noble
12.8 mi
20.6 km
 Rydal
13.8 mi
22.2 km
 Meadowbrook
Newtown Line
15.1 mi
24.3 km
 Bethayres
16.4 mi
26.4 km
 Philmont
17.7 mi
28.5 km
 Forest Hills
18.2 mi
29.3 km
 Somerton
19.9 mi
32 km
 Trevose
21.1 mi
34 km
 Neshaminy Falls
Zone
 3 
4
Trenton Subdivision
23.9 mi
38.5 km
 Langhorne
Fairless Junction
closed
Fairless Branch
26.4 mi
42.5 km
 Woodbourne
Trenton Cutoff
Roelofs
closed
30.8 mi
49.6 km
 Yardley
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Zone
 4 
NJ
32.5 mi
52.3 km
 West Trenton
11.1 mi
17.9 km
service ended in 1982
11.1 mi
17.9 km
service ended in 1982
Trenton Subdivision
Pennington
closed
Hopewell
closed
Belle Mead
closed
Hillsborough
closed
NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line
to High Bridge
 Bound Brook NJ Transit
Newark Penn Station Amtrak NJ Transit
Northeast Corridor
This diagram:
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The West Trenton Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City Philadelphia to the West Trenton section of Ewing Township, New Jersey.

Route[]

Outbound train on the West Trenton Line between the Meadowbrook and Bethayres stations

The West Trenton Line connects Center City, Philadelphia with the West Trenton section of Ewing, New Jersey .The line splits from the SEPTA Main Line at Jenkintown, running northeast. At Bethayres, it crosses the Pennypack Trail that runs along the former Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad, which once connected with the Fox Chase Line. At Oakford, the former , once part of the Reading's main line to West Trenton and Jersey City and currently CSX's Trenton Subdivision, merges. North of Oakford, the West Trenton Line runs parallel to CSX's Trenton Subdivision. The West Trenton Railroad Bridge, a concrete arch bridge, crosses the Delaware River to the final stop at West Trenton.

History[]

See also: New York Branch
West Trenton station

Like all of the Reading Company's commuter lines, the West Trenton Line was electrified in the early 1930s and has a mix of at-grade and grade separated crossings. Electrified service to West Trenton was opened on July 26, 1931. The RDG planned to also electrify tracks between West Trenton and the CNJ Terminal in Jersey City for long-distance service, but had to drop plans for electrification outside of the commuter service area due to economic setbacks as a result of the Great Depression.

The line north of the split at Jenkintown was originally built as the National Railway project, opened on May 1, 1876, to provide an alternate to the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Companies' monopoly over Philadelphia-New York City travel. From Jenkintown to the Delaware River it was built by the North Pennsylvania Railroad as a branch, while the New Jersey section was built by the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, merging with the Central Railroad of New Jersey at Bound Brook. In addition to the Reading Company, which leased the North Pennsylvania Railroad in 1879, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also used the line for passenger and freight service to New York City, including its famed Royal Blue service. In 1976 the Reading merged into Conrail, and in 1983 SEPTA took over operations.

Prior to 1981, limited service continued north to Newark, New Jersey (Jersey City prior to the Aldene Plan of the 1960s), using Budd Company-built Diesel multiple units. This service was the last remains of the Reading's Crusader service, which began in 1937 using streamlined steam locomotives and passenger cars. SEPTA ended service beyond West Trenton on August 1, 1981; connecting NJT diesel service lasted until December 1982.[2][3] NJT has since considered service resumption on their West Trenton Line.[4]

R3 West Trenton.gif

Beginning in 1984 the route was designated R1 West Trenton as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. West Trenton Line trains operated through the city center to the Airport Line on the ex-Pennsylvania side of the system.[5] In later years this behavior changed; the line was designated R3 West Trenton and trains continued on to the Media/Elwyn Line on weekdays and the Airport Line on weekends.[6] The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010.[7] As of 2019, most West Trenton Line trains terminate at 30th Street Station on weekdays, while most evening trains operate to Elwyn on the Media/Elwyn Line. Most weekend trains operate to Malvern or Thorndale on the Paoli/Thorndale Line.[8]

Between Oakford and West Trenton, the West Trenton Line previously followed CSX's Trenton Subdivision until passenger and freight operations were separated. SEPTA and CSX trains were separated between Woodbourne and West Trenton in 2015 ahead of the implementation of positive train control (PTC) on the West Trenton Line.[9]

SEPTA activated PTC on the West Trenton Line on October 24, 2016.[10]

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] though stations between Center City and Jenkintown–Wyncote were still being served by other rail services. Service resumed on June 15, 2020.[12]

Stations[]

Passenger Schedule (eff. 1974-09-30) of Reading Railway and Central of New Jersey joint service between Newark, N.J. and Phila. Reading Terminal via Belle Mead, N.J. on today's SEPTA West Trenton Line and NJT Raritan Valley Line.

The West Trenton Line includes the following stations north of the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with a gray background are closed. The train expresses from Bethayres to Temple University inbound on some trains in the morning and expresses outbound from Temple University to Bethayres on some trains in the evening.

State Zone[13] Location Station Miles (km)
from
Center City 		Date opened Connections / notes[14]
PA C Temple University Temple University Disabled access 2.1 (3.4) SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines
1 Nicetown–Tioga, Philadelphia Wayne Junction Disabled access 5.1 (8.2) SEPTA Regional Rail: Chestnut Hill East, Fox Chase, Lansdale/Doylestown, Warminster lines
SEPTA City Bus: 2, 23, 53, 75
Olney-Oak Lane, Philadelphia
Logan Discontinued October 4, 1992[15]
Tabor
Fern Rock Transportation Center Disabled access 7.3 (11.7) SEPTA Regional Rail: Lansdale/Doylestown, Warminster lines
SEPTA City Transit: Broad Street Line
SEPTA City Bus: 4, 28, 57, 70
2 Melrose Park Melrose Park Disabled access 8.4 (13.5) SEPTA Regional Rail: Lansdale/Doylestown, Warminster lines
Elkins Park Elkins Park 9.2 (14.8) May 14, 1899[16] SEPTA Regional Rail: Lansdale/Doylestown, Warminster
SEPTA City Bus: 28
3 Jenkintown Jenkintown–Wyncote 10.8 (17.4) SEPTA Regional Rail: Lansdale/Doylestown, Warminster
SEPTA City Bus: 77
Noble Noble 12.0 (19.3) SEPTA City Bus: 55
Rydal Rydal 12.8 (20.6)
Abington Meadowbrook 13.8 (22.2)
Bethayres Bethayres Disabled access 15.1 (24.3) SEPTA City Bus: 24, 88
Huntingdon Valley Philmont Disabled access 16.4 (26.4)
Somerton, Philadelphia Forest Hills Disabled access 17.7 (28.5) SEPTA City Bus: 84
Somerton Disabled access 18.2 (29.3) SEPTA City Bus: 58, 84
Bensalem Township Trevose Disabled access 19.9 (32.0)
Neshaminy Falls Disabled access 21.1 (34.0) SEPTA City Bus: 58
Penndel Parkland Closed March 1978[17]
4 Langhorne Langhorne 23.9 (38.5) SEPTA City Bus: 14
SEPTA Suburban Bus: 130
Middletown Township
Fairless Junction Closed March 1978[17]
Woodbourne 26.4 (42.5)
Yardley Yardley 30.8 (49.6)
NJ NJ West Trenton West Trenton 32.5 (52.3) NJ Transit Bus: 608

Ridership[]

Between FY 2008–FY 2015 yearly ridership on the West Trenton Line held steady at 3.3–3.5 million, before declining to 3 million by FY 2018.[note 1]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
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][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2019. p. 42. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  2. ^ Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1.
  3. ^ Pawson, John (March 1993). "New Backing for "Crusader" Route". The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers. 13 (3).
  4. ^ "Chapter 1: Purpose and Need" (PDF). Proposed Restoration of Passenger Rail Service on the West Trenton Line Draft Environmental Assessment. New Jersey Transit. November 2007. p. 1-1.
  5. ^ Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
  6. ^ "R3 West Trenton" (PDF). SEPTA. June 21, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  7. ^ Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
  8. ^ "West Trenton Line" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "SEPTA West Trenton Passenger Service To Separate from CSX Freight Operations". SEPTA. August 20, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "Service Information". SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  13. ^ "West Trenton Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  14. ^ "Trenton Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  15. ^ "New Rail Schedules Set". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 2, 1992. p. 36. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  16. ^ "Elkins Station Opened at Ogontz Park". The Philadelphia Times. May 15, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Rail Hikes Stalled". The Philadelphia Daily News. March 23, 1978. p. 58B. Retrieved July 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  18. ^ "Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2018. p. 74. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  19. ^ "Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2017. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  20. ^ "Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. October 2016. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  21. ^ "Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2015. p. 94. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  22. ^ "Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2014. p. 60. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  23. ^ "Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2013. p. 44. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  24. ^ "Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2012. p. 55. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  25. ^ "Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. July 2011. p. 94. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  26. ^ "Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2010. p. 70. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  27. ^ "Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2009. p. 63. Retrieved December 14, 2019.

External links[]

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