Southwest Connection Improvement Program
July 10, 2019
SEPTA will further efforts to rebuild a critical portion of Regional Rail infrastructure in the University City area this summer as part of the Southwest Connection Improvement Program. The work is scheduled to take place from Saturday, July 20, 2019 through Sunday, August 4, 2019 and will require major service adjustments that will impact customers who use the Airport, Media/Elwyn and Wilmington/Newark Lines.
The Southwest Connection Improvement Program for 2019 will rebuild the mainline infrastructure on the Media/Elwyn Line between 30th Street Station and the Arsenal Interlocking, just below University City Station. This track area also supports Wilmington/Newark and Airport Line service, making it vital to supporting travel to-and-from Southwest Philadelphia, Center City, and Delaware County. Portions of this infrastructure date back more than 80 years.
Below is a summary of service changes that will go into effect on July 20 to accommodate construction work. Please visit http://septa.org/southwestconnection/index.html for full details. SEPTA Ambassadors will be at stations to assist and signage is posted:
Airport Line: Train service will not operate during construction. Shuttle buses will operate between Eastwick, Airport Terminals, and 30th Street Station. Please check the Special Airport Line schedule at http://septa.org/southwestconnection/pdf/AIR-SW-2019.pdf.
Media/Elwyn Line: Trains will operate between Elwyn and 49th Streets on a special construction timetable. Shuttle buses will run in place of trains between 49th Street and 30th Street Stations. You can also board/exit Trolley Routes 11, 13, and 36 at 49th Street for travel to/from University City and Center City. Those who exit shuttle buses at 30th Street can use any Regional Rail train, as well as the Market-Frankford Line or Trolleys, for continuing travel to Center City. Please see the full Special Media/Elwyn Line Schedule at http://septa.org/southwestconnection/pdf/MED-SW-2019.pdf.
Wilmington/Newark Line: Train service will operate between Newark and 30th Street. There will be no Wilmington/Newark Line service to/from University City, Suburban, Jefferson or Temple University Stations. You can use any available Regional Rail train, the Market-Frankford Line or Trolleys for travel between 30th Street and Center City. You can get from 30th Street to the University City area by using Media/Elwyn Line Shuttle buses or additional train service that will operate between University City and 30th Street. For details, visit http://septa.org/southwestconnection/pdf/WIL-SW-2019.pdf.
The Southwest Connection Improvement Program helps with SEPTA’s overall efforts to improve Regional Rail service for customers and preserve it for future generations. During construction, crews will reconfigure and replace interlockings, replace overhead catenary system structures, and upgrade retaining walls, among other tasks. For more details on the project, please visit http://septa.org/southwestconnection/index.html.
In addition to the schedule information posted online, SEPTA will continue to post real-time service updates at http://septa.org/ and on Twitter @SEPTA.
