SEPTA Route 53
Route 53 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hunting Park (BSL Station) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Length | 7.1 miles (11.4 km) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ridership | 766,500 (FY19) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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SEPTA Route 53 is a former
Route description
SEPTA Route 53 starts at Carpenter's Woods in
The scenery becomes less residential as the route approaches
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2014) |
SEPTA Route 53 was established as the Wayne Avenue Line sometime before 1890, and was expanded in 1904, 1929, and 1930. Route 53 was the first streetcar line in Philadelphia to receive
Route 53 was "temporarily" converted to buses in June 1981 because of a bridge reconstruction project. The conversion was made permanent May 16, 1985, when SEPTA track inspectors discovered misaligned rails on Wayne Avenue forcing buses to replace streetcars forever, and it was actually extended north of the former Luzerne Depot to
As of 2008, all buses along this route are ADA-compliant, and contain bicycle racks. While SEPTA plans to evaluate the possibility of restoring Route 56 line as light-rail service,[2] no such proposal exists for SEPTA Route 53.
On March 23, 2023, SEPTA released a new draft plan for Bus Revolution, SEPTA's bus network redesign. Under the plan, Route 53 would become a frequent route, be rerouted to serve Germantown station instead of Carpenter Woods, and be extended on its eastern end to the Richmond-Westmoreland Streets Loop. In the final plan, approved on May 23, 2024, the western terminal was changed to Carpenter station.[3][4]
References
- ^ Luzerne Depot; SIA Philadelphia Car Barn Tour (PhillyTrolley.org)
- ^ SEPTA Capital Budget Program and Comprehensive Plan (Page 67)
- ^ "Recommended Route Changes" (PDF). SEPTA Bus Revolution. SEPTA. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Sharber, Cory. "SEPTA's board of directors approves Bus Revolution, set to go into effect next summer". WHYY. Retrieved June 17, 2024.