Lansdale/Doylestown Line

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Coordinates: 40°14′35″N 75°17′07″W / 40.24305°N 75.28537°W / 40.24305; -75.28537
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map

Legend
34.4 mi
55.4 km
 Doylestown
PA-611.svg PA 611
32.8 mi
52.8 km
 Delaware Valley University
31.5 mi
50.7 km
 New Britain
29.7 mi
47.8 km
 Chalfont
27.5 mi
44.3 km
 Link Belt
26.8 mi
43.1 km
 Colmar
PA-309.svg PA 309
25.9 mi
41.7 km
 Fortuna
25.0 mi
40.2 km
 9th Street
Bethlehem Branch
24.4 mi
39.3 km
 Lansdale
PA-63.svg PA 63
Stony Creek Branch
23.5 mi
37.8 km
 Pennbrook
22.4 mi
36 km
 North Wales
Zone
 4 
3
US 202.svg US 202
20.0 mi
32.2 km
 Gwynedd Valley
18.8 mi
30.3 km
 Penllyn
17.3 mi
27.8 km
 Ambler
15.9 mi
25.6 km
 Fort Washington
I-276.svgPennsylvania Turnpike logo.svg
I-276 / Penna Turnpike
PA-309.svg PA 309
13.9 mi
22.4 km
 Oreland
13.0 mi
20.9 km
 North Hills
WAR
to Warminster
11.9 mi
19.2 km
 Glenside
WTR
to West Trenton
10.8 mi
17.4 km
 Jenkintown–Wyncote
Zone
 3 
2
PA-611.svg PA 611
9.2 mi
14.8 km
 Elkins Park
8.4 mi
13.5 km
 Melrose Park
Zone
 2 
1
7.3 mi
11.7 km
 Fern Rock
BSL
 FOX
to Fox Chase
PA-611.svg PA 611
 CHE
to Chestnut Hill East
5.1 mi
8.2 km
 Wayne Junction
US 1.svg US 1
 NOR
to Norristown–Elm Street
2.9 mi
4.7 km
 North Broad
BSL
Zone
 1 
C
2.1 mi
3.4 km
 Temple University
0.5 mi
0.8 km
 Jefferson
MFL
0 mi
0 km
 Suburban
SEPTA subway-surface trolley lines BSL MFL
Schuylkill River
0.9 mi
1.4 km
 30th Street
SEPTA subway-surface trolley lines MFL Atlantic City Line Amtrak
This diagram:

The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a

Bethlehem, and Allentown
.

Restored service has been proposed, but is not planned by SEPTA. The line is currently used by the East Penn Railroad, serving Quakertown's industrial complexes and distribution centers. With 6,884 daily riders every weekday in Fiscal year 2022, it is the second busiest line in SEPTA's Regional Rail network.[2]

History

20th century

A Reading Company Silverliner II at Doylestown in 1970

The Lansdale/Doylestown Line utilizes what is known as the

Lansdale, was part of the Reading Railroad's northbound route from Philadelphia to Bethlehem, and then to Wilkes-Barre and Scranton
.

Originally arriving and departing at the former

Doylestown has both at-grade railroad crossings and over- and underpasses.[3]

Electrified service between Philadelphia and

West Trenton was opened on July 26, 1931. Equipment consisted of dark green painted electric multiple unit cars built at the Reading's own shops. Some of the cars were rebuilt during the 1960s receiving air conditioning, refreshed interior and a new blue paint scheme resulting in their being referred to as "Blueliners". Today, the line uses the Silverliner family of EMU cars which operate throughout SEPTA's Regional Rail system.[3]

Service to Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley languished due to the post-World War II surge of the automobile as well as the opening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension in 1957. Service north of Lansdale in the non-electrified territory was terminated by SEPTA on July 29, 1981.[3] Trackage north of Quakertown was dismantled after the railbed was leased for use as the interim Saucon Rail Trail.

Between 1984–2010 the route was designated R5 Doylestown and R5 Lansdale as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Lansdale and Doylestown trains operated through the city center to the Paoli Line on the ex-Pennsylvania side of the system.[4]

21st century

In the early 2000s, upgrades were made to several stations to make them ADA-accessible by giving them elevated platforms. In 2005, construction began[5] on a new station at Fort Washington which was moved 300 feet to the south.[6] In 2007, construction began to reconstruct the platforms at North Wales station and build a new station atop the existing footprint.[7] In 2008, construction began to build a new station at Ambler across the street from the existing station.[7] All three projects were complete by 2010.[8][9]

The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010.[10] As of 2022, most Lansdale/Doylestown Line trains continue through Center City to Wilmington or Newark on the Wilmington/Newark Line on weekdays and to Malvern or Thorndale on the Paoli/Thorndale Line on weekends.[11]

On August 29, 2011, SEPTA adjusted the midday service pattern to encourage ridership at

Link Belt, providing half-hourly service at Colmar between the morning and afternoon rush hours.[12][13]

On December 18, 2011, SEPTA eliminated weekend service at Link Belt and New Britain due to low ridership.[13][14] In the fall of 2012, New Britain was added back to the weekend schedule as a flag stop.[15][16]

A large

9th Street station opened nearby in 2015 as an alternate parking location during construction,[19] and remains open as part of planned transit-oriented development.[20]

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Lansdale/Doylestown Line from Doylestown to Glenside on June 13, 2016. Positive train control was activated from Glenside to Fern Rock on December 12, 2016 and from Fern Rock to 30th Street on January 9, 2017.[21]

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was truncated to Lansdale due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service to Doylestown resumed on June 22, 2020.[22][23] While service has resumed, it remains more limited than before the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during peak hours.

Pre-pandemic, during peak hours there were 10 trains in the morning (arriving in Center City from open until 9:30 a.m.) and 11 peak trains in the afternoon (leaving Center City between 4 and 7 p.m.).

North Wales.[25]

As of early 2024, during the same peak hours, there are only 7 trains in the morning and 6 peak trains in the afternoon.[26] Of the morning trains, only 4 are express trains; one is express from Fort Washington to Temple University, and 3 are express from Jenkintown to Temple University.[26] Only three of the afternoon trains are express; one is express from Temple University to Jenkintown and 1 was express from Temple University to Fort Washington.[26]

Stations

The Reading Company constructed the current building at Jenkintown–Wyncote station in 1932
Penllyn station opened in 1930
Lansdale station, a major station along the line
Colmar station in 2006
Doylestown station, which serves as the terminus of the Lansdale/Doylestown Line

The Lansdale/Doylestown Line makes the following station stops after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with a gray background are closed.

Zone[27] Station
Miles (km)
from
Center City
 Date opened Connections / notes
C Temple University Disabled access 2.1 (3.4) 1911 SEPTA Regional Rail: All Lines
1 North Broad Disabled access 2.9 (4.7) 1929
54
The station was known as North Broad Street until 1992.
Wayne Junction Disabled access 5.1 (8.2) 1881
2, 23, 53
SEPTA Trackless Trolley: Trolleybus 75
Logan One of four stations discontinued by SEPTA on October 4, 1992.[28]
Tabor
Fern Rock Transportation Center Disabled access 7.3 (11.7) September 9, 1956
70
Philadelphia city line
2 Melrose Park Disabled access 8.4 (13.5)   SEPTA Regional Rail:      Airport Line,      Warminster Line,      West Trenton Line
Elkins Park 9.2 (14.8) May 14, 1899[29]
28
The station was originally known as Elkins, but has also been known as Ashbourne.
3 Jenkintown–Wyncote 10.8 (17.4) 1859
77
The station was originally known as Jenkintown.
Glenside 11.9 (19.2)  
77
North Hills 13.0 (20.9)  
Oreland 13.9 (22.4) 1890
Fellwick 14.8 (23.8) 1855[30] Known as Sandy Run from 1855–March 1884,[31] Camp Hill from March 1884–February 16, 1931,[32] and Sellwick.[32]
Closed on November 10, 1996 due to low ridership.[33]
Fort Washington Disabled access 15.9 (25.6) 1903
201
Ambler Disabled access 17.3 (27.8) 1855[30]
95
The station was known as Wissahickon until 1869, when it was renamed after Mary Johnson Ambler, a local hero who helped in the Great Train Wreck of 1856.[30]
Penllyn 18.8 (30.3) 1930
94
Gwynedd Valley 20.0 (32.2) 1888
4 North Wales Disabled access 22.4 (36.0) 1873[34]
96
Pennbrook Disabled access 23.5 (37.8)  
94
Lansdale Disabled access 24.4 (39.3) February 7, 1903[35]
132
9th Street Disabled access 25.0 (40.2) November 15, 2015[36][37]
Fortuna Disabled access 25.9 (41.7)  
132
Colmar Disabled access 26.8 (43.1) 1856 The station was called Line Lexington until 1871.
Link Belt Disabled access 27.5 (44.3) December 2, 1952[38]
Chalfont Disabled access 29.7 (47.8)  
DART West
New Britain Disabled access 31.5 (50.7)  
DART West
Delaware Valley University Disabled access 32.8 (52.8)  
DART West
The station was named Farm School until the 1960s, reflecting the college's original name. The station was then called Delaware Valley College until 2015.
Doylestown Disabled access 34.4 (55.4) 1871
Doylestown DART
Bus interchange Trans-Bridge Lines (to New Hope and New York City)
Bus interchange Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines (to Allentown and Scranton
)

Ridership

Between FY 2013–FY 2019 yearly ridership on the Lansdale/Doylestown Line ranged between 4.6–5.0 million before collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic.[note 1]

1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
FY 2019
FY 2020
FY 2021
FY 2022
FY 2023

Notes

  1. ^ Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics". Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  2. ^ "Route Operating Statistics". Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1
    .
  4. Vuchic, Vukan
    ; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
  5. ^ Campisi, Jon (2005-09-28). "Partnership works to revive Ft. Washington train station". thereporteronline. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  6. ^ "Fort Washington and Cheltenham Station Reconstruction Projects (SEPTA)". Archived from the original on 2008-11-16. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  7. ^ a b "SEPTA Capital Improvements In Montgomery County". 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  8. ^ SEPTA Operating Budget FY 2010 (PDF). Philadelphia, PA: SEPTA. 2009-09-22.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (2009-05-29). "Many SEPTA stations to get makeovers". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  10. ^ Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
  11. ^ "Lansdale/Doylestown Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  12. ^ "SEPTA adds more Colmar stops". September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  13. ^ a b "Lansdale/Doylestown Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. 2011-12-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-26.
  14. ^ "New schedules coming for SEPTA routes". The Philadelphia Tribune. 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  15. ^ "Weekend Train Service Restored to New Britain". Doylestown, PA Patch. 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  16. ^ "Lansdale/Doylestown Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. 2012-09-09. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-19.
  17. ^ "Lansdale Parking Garage". SEPTA. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Stamm, Dan (April 17, 2017). "SEPTA Adds Hundreds of Parking Spots to Montgomery County Regional Rail Station". Philadelphia, PA: WCAU-TV. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "Lansdale/Doylestown Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. 2015-11-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-07.
  20. ^ "9th Street Station". SEPTA. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  21. ^ "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  22. ^ "Service Information". SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  23. ^ "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  24. ^ "SEPTA: Lansdale/Doylestown Schedule Effective 2009" (PDF). SEPTA. 2009-06-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-22. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  25. ^ a b c "SEPTA Regional Rail Lansdale/Doylestown Line" (PDF). SEPTA. 2019-12-15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-10.
  26. ^ a b c "SEPTA: Lansdale/Doylestown Line" (PDF). SEPTA. 2024-01-07. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
  27. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    : Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  28. ^ "New Rail Schedules Set". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 2, 1992. p. 36. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  29. ^ "Elkins Station Opened at Ogontz Park". The Philadelphia Times. May 15, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  30. ^ a b c Ambler Borough Open Space Plan. Montgomery County Planning Commission (Report). 2006. p. 2. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  31. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  32. ^ a b "Camp Hill Station". The Harrisburgh Telegraph. February 16, 1931. p. 16. Retrieved April 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  33. ^ Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  34. ^ Schlegel, Bradley (June 21, 2009). "SEPTA Plans NW Train Station Renovation". The Reporter. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  35. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  36. ^ McQuade, Dan (November 13, 2015). "SEPTA Opening First New Train Station in 20 Years". Philly Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  37. ^ Sokil, Dan (November 5, 2015). "SEPTA, Lansdale planning soft opening for Ninth Street rail station". The Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  38. ^ "Link Belt Opens New Philadelphia Plant". The Wilkes-Barre Record. December 2, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved April 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon

External links

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40°14′35″N 75°17′07″W / 40.24305°N 75.28537°W / 40.24305; -75.28537

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