SEPTA Celebrates Nation's 230th Birthday with Convenient & Enhanced Service to Sunoco Welcome America! Events, Phillies Game

June 26, 2006

Philadelphia, PA -  Philadelphia is throwing a party to celebrate the nation's 230th birthday and SEPTA is set to provide the quickest and most convenient service to the "Sunoco Welcome America!" festivities scheduled in the City through July 4.

SEPTA bus, trolley and rail services will offer the best routes to many of the events scheduled throughout Philadelphia. For the convenience of El riders there will be regular service on the Market-Frankford Line throughout the weekend from Friday, June 30 through Monday, July 3. Major weekend construction on the El will resume next weekend.

On Independence Day (Tuesday, July 4) all SEPTA services will operate on Sunday schedules. However, for riders traveling to the concert and fireworks display at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Philadelphia Museum of Art SEPTA will continue to operate trains on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines until passenger demand is served instead of ending at midnight as usual. There will be regional rail trains in operation from Center City after 11:30 p.m. on all lines with the exception of the R6 Cynwyd line.

The Broad Street Line will also provide convenient, automobile traffic free, service to the Phillies-San Diego Padres baseball games set for Citizens Bank Park on July 4, 5 and 6. For the 3:05 p.m. game on July 4 SEPTA will operate local and express service to the baseball park while local service will be operated for the 7:05 p.m. game on July 6.

Expressly for the July 5 game the Phillies will brighten the South Philadelphia skyline with a festive fireworks display and SEPTA will offer Broad Street Line "Sports Express" service. Broad Street Line Sports Express trains will leave Fern Rock Transportation Center at 6 p.m., 6:08 p.m., 6:18 p.m. and 6:28 p.m. The Broad Street Line Sports Express trains stop only at the Olney Transportation Center, Erie, Girard, Race-Vine, Spring Garden, City Hall and Walnut-Locust Stations en route to Pattison Avenue and the ballpark. The express trip from City Hall to the stadium takes only about eight minutes. Express and local train service will be standing by at Pattison Station after the games.

Welcome America events will be held in various parts of the City and for information about SEPTA services to them riders can call (215) 580-7800. For specific information about Welcome America! visit, www.americasbirthday.com.