SEPTA Regional Rail is the commuter rail system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its metropolitan region, the Delaware Valley. The system is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and serves five counties in Pennsylvania—Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, and Philadelphia—in addition to Mercer County, New Jersey and New Castle County, Delaware.[1] The system covers a total route length of 280 miles (450 km), with 13 service lines and 155 stations.[2] The stations' distances from Center City Philadelphia can be determined by their fare zones. Stations in Center City are part of the CC zone, with outlying zones numbered 1 through 4, plus a zone for stations in New Jersey (NJ zone).[3] In the 2023 fiscal year, SEPTA Regional Rail had an average weekday ridership of 58,713.[4]
The current Regional Rail system was originally two separate commuter rail networks, owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Reading Company, respectively. PRR services to Philadelphia terminated at Broad Street Station (opened in 1881; replaced by Suburban Station in 1930), and Reading services terminated at the Reading Terminal (opened in 1893). After SEPTA was formed in 1964, the transport agency began overseeing commuter rail services, however, the railroad companies continued operating their own trains. After operations were taken over by Conrail in 1976, SEPTA began acquiring ownership of the railroads through 1979. The SEPTA Regional Rail Division was created on January 1, 1983, giving SEPTA complete operational control of its railroads.[5]
To merge the two railroad networks, the Center City Commuter Connection opened in 1984, which included a tunnel between Suburban Station and the new Market East Station (later renamed Jefferson Station), which replaced the Reading Terminal. The tunnel allowed for trains to traveling into Center City to continue as through servicees into adjacent suburbs. Rail services were combined into seven routes, designated as R1 through R8.[a][7] The "R" designations were later dropped in 2010, and the network was reconfigured with 13 routes renamed for their outbound terminal stations.[8]
Lines
edit| Line | Weekday ridership (FY 2023)[4] | Route length[9] | Inbound terminus[b] | Outbound terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,268 | 12.10 mi (19.47 km) | Temple University | Airport Terminals E & F | |
| 2,318 | 12.20 mi (19.63 km) | 30th Street Station | Chestnut Hill East | |
| 2,768 | 14.59 mi (23.48 km) | Temple University | Chestnut Hill West | |
| 112 | 6.93 mi (11.15 km) | Suburban Station | Cynwyd | |
| 2,425 | 12.69 mi (20.42 km) | 30th Street Station | Fox Chase | |
| 7,674 | 35.81 mi (57.63 km) | 30th Street Station | Doylestown | |
| 4,724 | 20.48 mi (32.96 km) | Penn Medicine | Elm Street | |
| 3,548 | 20.77 mi (33.43 km) | Temple University | Wawa | |
| 7,425 | 37.92 mi (61.03 km) | Temple University | Thorndale | |
| 7,316 | 35.95 mi (57.86 km) | Temple University | Trenton Transit Center | |
| 5,227 | 22.37 mi (36.00 km) | Penn Medicine | Warminster | |
| 5,736 | 34.79 mi (55.99 km) | Penn Medicine | West Trenton | |
| 4,172 | 41.37 mi (66.58 km) | Temple University | Newark |
Stations
editAll stations are located in Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Stations located within the City of Philadelphia are additionally distinguished by neighborhood or area as noted on the official SEPTA map.[10] Accessible stations are noted with the 
icon.
Notes
edit- ^ The "R4" designation was reserved for future use, but was never implemented.[6]
- ^ Most trains continue past their inbound terminus towards an outbound station along a different line (with the exception of Cynwyd Line trains).
- ^ Officially William H. Gray III 30th Street Station
References
edit- ^ SEPTA Service Planning Department (Spring 2023). SEPTA Route Statistics 2023 (PDF) (Report). p. 3. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ SEPTA Forward (April 2024). Reimagining Regional Rail: State of the System (PDF) (Report). p. 56. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ a b "Fare Zone Map 2023" (PDF). SEPTA. 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ a b SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics: Regional Rail: Fiscal Year 2023". Tableau Software. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ DeGraw, Ronald (1994). "Regional Rail: The Philadelphia Story" (PDF). Transportation Research Record. 1433. Transportation Research Board: 107. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Yes Virginia, There IS an R4" (PDF). The Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers: 3. December 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 23, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Nussbaum, Paul (October 25, 1984). "New Rail Tunnel to Unify System Starting Nov. 12". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B1.
- ^ "SEPTA renames Regional Rail lines". 6 ABC. July 26, 2010. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ McGahee, Michael (April 6, 2023). "Regional Rail Lines". SEPTA Web Mapping Portal. ArcGIS. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b SEPTA Official Philadelphia Street & Transit Map (PDF) (Map). Cartography by SEPTA Service Planning Department. SEPTA. 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ SEPTA Official Suburban Street & Transit Map (Map). Cartography by SEPTA Service Planning Department. 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Delaware Country SEPTA Regional Rail Train Station Report" (PDF). Delaware County Planning Department, Transportation Division. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2011.