SEPTA Shutting Down Trolleys for Maintenance and Construction Work August 1-18

Jul 23, 2014 9 years ago
Get ready to be diverted: SEPTA is shutting down its trolley tunnel in Center City for the first half of August for what they are calling their "construction blitz." SEPTA Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will not operate in the Center City tunnel from 10 p.m. on Friday, August 1 through 4 a.m. on Monday, August 18. Trolley service will begin and end at 40th and Market Streets. Trolley passengers are encouraged to use the Market-Frankford Line, which will run as usual, for travel to and from Center City During the closure, SEPTA's in-house Engineering, Maintenance & Construction Division crews will work through the night on key maintenance and construction tasks to improve safety and service reliability. From the SEPTA website: "Members of SEPTA's Track Department will work inside the tunnel, as well as outside at the 40th Street Portal. Crews will weld together long rail strings and install more than 14,000 feet of new rail on the eastbound track of the tunnel from the Portal to 22nd Street Station. At the Portal crews will also replace two concrete-embedded track switches. This work will include demolishing existing concrete surface track and steel, constructing new track switches and pouring the new concrete surface. SEPTA's Power Department will replace nearly 24,000 feet of worn overhead contact wire (the wire that provides electricity to move trolleys) throughout the tunnel and almost 5,000 feet of wire support assemblies and protection board (the system that attaches the overhead wire to the tunnel ceiling) on the westbound side of the tunnel between 19th and 30th Street Stations." Please keep in mind these changes as you travel around the neighborhood.