SEPTA and the city expect to hold community meetings in the neighborhoods that would be affected by the trolley modernization. Reconstruction of the West Terminal is the final major project in the Authority's multi-year modernization program for Trolley and Bus services operating out of 69th Street Transportation Center. The new service would lengthen the distance between stops and defined platforms where riders get on and off, instead of the buslike system in which trolleys can stop at nearly every intersection. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s ongoing work along Interstate 95 has already forced SEPTA to substitute buses for trolley service along the line near Port Richmond. The trolley modernization program, replacing decades-old trolleys with modern light rail vehicles, is expected to cost about $1.6 billion. Streetscapes would have to change, and the report the DVRPC released Tuesday showed for the first time how that might look. Busch said commuters shouldn’t expect any major changes along the length of the route. The Route 15 trolleys should return to service in late 2021, according to SEPTA, after the completion of the I-95 PennDOT project, which could take about 12 to 18 months. ", © 2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC Terms of Use/Privacy Policy/California Notice California residents do not sell my data request. Some would have shelters installed. "It's early yet still," said Betsy Mastaglio, manager of the DVRPC's office of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian planning. New cars will cost about $500 million, SEPTA officials said. Officially, SEPTA maintains that it is still planning to spend at least $1.3 billion on a modernization project that would bring 21st century light rail vehicles to five subway-surface trolley lines in West Philadelphia and Route The nearly 40-year-old cars are packed even when it isn't rush hour, and SEPTA anticipates ridership growing by half a percentage point a year for the foreseeable future. The stops would need platforms about 80 feet long and high enough to be nearly flush with the trolley car doors. The curb bumpout design for modernized trolley platforms, The curb bumpout with bike lane design for modernized trolley platforms, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Newsstands shut in Philly Suburban Station - update, SEPTA bus passenger hurt in screwdriver attack, report from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, California residents do not sell my data request. "This is a game-changer for really an entire section of the city," said Erik Johanson, SEPTA's director of business innovation. "Negotiating those steps can be difficult," said Kyle Golden, 59, of West Philadelphia, a rider who uses a cane because of back and knee problems. “We thought it was a good time to maximize the opportunity and take the fleet — which, those trolleys were rebuilt in the early 2000s but date back to 1947 — out, and perform a ceiling-to-floor maintenance.”, Only four of the 18 trolleys that are able to run along Route 15 are currently in service, Busch said. Trolley tracks don't typically bring the cars close enough to the curb to make ramp boarding easy. “The idea was [Route 15 trolleys] would be in service up until that point,” Busch said. For people in wheelchairs, boarding a trolley is impossible. "They're going to see some of the larger improvements in mobility in lower-income, higher-minority communities in general.". Much of the project remains in its infancy, with specifics to be determined and money to be found. The nearly 40-year-old cars are packed even when it isn't rush hour, and SEPTA anticipates ridership growing by half a percentage point a year for the foreseeable future. An additional project this spring, around 40th Street near the Philadelphia Zoo, would have required SEPTA to replace trolleys with buses on the western portion of the route as well. That’s how long it could take (minimally, he estimates) before SEPTA secures funding and sees through a planned trolley modernization project. Analysis of Modernization Scenarios for SEPTA Route 34. En route, the NHSL serves 22 stations located in Delaware and Montgomery counties. • SEPTA’s planned projects will significantly increase the Reduction in Congestion Cost from Projects peak carrying capacity into downtown Philadelphia o Combined peak capacity increase of 28% from MFL, Trolley and Regional Rail projects • Capacity increases from the project allow the downtown market to absorb additional jobs before That means with the $250 million shortfall, there are currently no funds for the King of Prussia extension work, no replacement of an aging regional rail fleet, no bridge or station renovations, and no trolley modernization or electric bus procurement. SEPTA hopes to move toward a full trolley modernization program over the next decade, Busch said. Turnstiles were constructed on the westbound platform for the SEPTA Key fare collection system. The NHSL rehabilitation and modernization projects, as currently The cost of the trolley repairs is not yet clear:  “We know they need some work,” Busch said, “but we have to get into those trolleys before we know everything that needs to be done.”. The estimated $1.55 billion trolley modernization, along with the King of Prussia Rail project and 15 new electric passenger rail cars to replace the Silverliner IV cars, hang in the balance as officials seek a way to pay for them. Total costs for the Routes 101/102 Trolley Modernization Project is $100.60 million. The current 53-foot, 112 car system will now be replaced by an 80-foot, 120 new car system that will hold nearly twice as many people. "I think the benefits are going to accrue the most to people who are farther out on the line," said Chris Puchalsky, director of policy and strategic initiatives for the city's Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. Right now, there are no SEPTA projects on a delay list. 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