Portion of El Service to Operate with Buses for Nine Consecutive Days

Shuttle Buses to Replace Train Service between 69th Street Terminal and 40th Street Station (July 14-23)

July 14, 2006

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTA will shut down train service on the portion of the El in Upper Darby and West Philadelphia between 69th Street Terminal (69th & Market Streets) and the 40th & Market Street Station from 8 p.m., Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 23 (with return to normal service at 5 a.m. on Monday, July 24) as construction continues on the Market Street Elevated (MSE) reconstruction project.

This will mark the second year in a row that the extensive construction project will require SEPTA to provide shuttle buses in place of trains in the area for an extended period of time during the summer. More than 48,000 riders travel on this part of the El every weekday.

During the summer (with a 16-day shut down on this portion of the El also scheduled for August) SEPTA will demolish and renew portions of the El guideway structure between 51st and 62nd Streets including track and the third rail electrical power systems and station platforms, install 35 new single and multiple column bents, and continue the rebuilding of 60th and 52nd Street Stations.

EL TRAIN SERVICE
During the nine day period, El train service will continue to operate between the Frankford Transportation Center (FTC) and 46th Street Station. The El will operate on regular weekday and weekend schedules, however, it will run with all local service and there will be no A and B skip-stop trains.

SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE
Shuttle bus service will operate between 69th Street Terminal and 40th Street Station.

For riders traveling from Upper Darby into Center City, the shuttle buses will leave 69th Street Terminal (69th & Market Streets) and travel on Market Street to 63rd Street, 63rd Street to Chestnut Street, remain on Chestnut Street to 45th Street, run on 45th Street back to Market Street, and then continue to the 40th Street Station where riders will transfer to the El.

From Center City, regular El train service will operate to 46th Street Station.Riders traveling beyond 46th Street, however, will transfer to shuttle buses at 40th Street Station.Shuttle buses will leave 40th & Market Streets, continue on 40th Street to Walnut Street, operate on Walnut Street to 63rd Street, and then return to Market Street to 69th Street.

The shuttle buses will make stops on Chestnut and Walnut Streets at 46th(Farragut Street), 52nd, 56th, 57th, 60th, 63rd Streets and Sellers Avenue in Millbourne.

OTHER SEPTA BUS ROUTES ON DETOUR
Bus Route 52 service will detour to 46th & Market Streets and stop at 46th Street Station for riders traveling to Center City. Riders can also transfer from the El to the bus route for service to City Line or Woodland Avenues. In addition, bus Route 46 service will detour to 56th Street where riders can transfer to the El shuttle bus to travel eastbound or westbound.

THE MSE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
The MSE project will dramatically improve the look of West Philadelphia.It includes the reconstruction of the five existing stations--46th Street, 52nd Street, 56th Street, 60th Street and 63rd Street--in West Philadelphia and Millbourne Station in eastern Delaware County.The construction project will also replace 11,000 feet of the guideway between Millbourne Station and 46th Street with a new single column bent structure which will open up Market Street and significantly improve the flow of traffic.The project is one of the largest construction projects that SEPTA has ever undertaken.

During the nine day construction period SEPTA Ambassadors will be on hand at El stations to answer questions and direct riders.In addition, SEPTA Customer Service, (215) 580-7800, will be open for extended hours to provide riders with information about alternate SEPTA services. The SEPTA Community Information Center, located at 5344 Chestnut Street, is also open on weekdays and weekends to provide riders, residents and businesses with information about the project. The Center is accessible by telephone at (215) 748-5700. Riders can browse the rest of this site for additional information.