I haven't ridden septa since mid March and haven't seen many updates online besides the subways returning to their normal schedules. Has anyone ridden recently? Does it seem like people are social distancing? Have trains gotten crowded? Does it seem safe to ride?
Hi r/philadelphia! The brunt of my question is just How does the change between Broad Street and Market Street work? Feel free to ignore the background info if you wish.
If you are looking for some background, I am a Buffalo native who has recently been looking into the possibility of moving to Philadelphia. I have been to NYC quite a bit, and am pretty familiar with how a subway structure works, but I am very confused by some of the SEPTA stuff I see online. Let me go into detail a bit...
I have some interviews lined up for a few jobs that are all based on Market St or in that general area, so I have looked into lots of apartments near Market St stations in order to take advantage of public transit (one of the major reasons we are moving is to be in a place where I don't need to drive everyday). This is what led me to my dilemma, How does the change between Broad Street ad Market Street work? Is there a way to easily go from the Market street line to the Broad street line without having to walk a few blocks between the two? The reason I ask is because housing is a bit cheaper further south near Broad street, and I also have some friends in that area. If the change from Broad to Market isn't too awful in terms of walking and getting on the train, then I think I would rather live along Broad street due to the appeal of smaller rent and proximity to my friends.
Thanks in advance for any answers that you guys can give me. I can't wait to call Philly home!
EDIT: ANSWERED!! Thank you all so much for all the help here. I can't wait to start looking at places on Broad street without worrying about the commute. Glad I came here and finally asked instead of continuing to attempt finding an answer on the SEPTA site. You are all great.
Every morning at Berks Station, I watch B trains with empty seats and plenty of room in the cars zip right through the station, only for the next A train to arrive packed to the gills. This problem is most likely caused by the fact that the two stations with the highest ridership increase in the last fifteen years are assigned the same letter train (A) and the A/B system has not been updated to reflect that. Making one or both of those stations full-service would dramatically help the issue.
Another possible solution is to increase the frequency of trains, particularly at rush hour. You're looking at a ten minute wait between same-letter trains through Center City in the evening, which allows for severe platform crowding, especially as construction has eliminated the entrance and part of the platform extending from southeast corner of 16th street.
SEPTA's been dealt a pretty crappy hand with the MFL, given that it only has two tracks, is partially submerged, partially elevated, and uses a different gauge than the BSL and most other subways - but they are asleep at the switch in terms of operation and management, which is exacerbating the issues.
It's happened several times now, I've gone to a Septa station and tried to pay with a $5 note. I was told that they can't give me change.
I know, it's my fault for not having tokens on me. Then again, what's the point of having a station attendant behind a cash booth?
edit: I phrased that poorly. Does anyone know if there are any actual rules which forbid attendants from making cash transactions?
Edit 2: found an article from 2009 which states that cashiers are paid an average of $55,000 a year. Cashier workers come from the 'medically disabled' workers pool. Additionally there's no job description for what they do. Makes for an interesting read if you have time. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/septas-loco-motion.html
Reported to be an electrical fire (now extinguished) underneath an Eastbound train from 30th Street Station. Septa attempting to re-energize the train to bring to 15th St station for evacuation. Expect delays
https://twitter.com/SEPTA_MFL/status/988825901084434434
https://twitter.com/PhillyFireNews/status/988821821494571008
http://www.phillyvoice.com/firefighters-respond-smoking-septa-subway-train/
http://www.fox29.com/news/local-news/delays-expected-after-smoke-reported-on-septa-train-in-center-city
12:50 - Attempts to move the train unsuccessful. Septa waiting on a "rescue train" to transfer passengers. Reports of scared passengers screaming.
13:01 - Rescue train on location
13:15 - All passengers transferred to rescue train with the exception of people with large wheelchairs. Rescue train en route to 30th St and will tow the disabled train.
13:50 - Normal service resuming
Just wondering if it's possible to switch between the Broad St line and the Market Frankford line with a stroller? We've done it a few times and it always seems like there's a million stairs. But then there's no signs between the lines and I was wondering whether there was an unsigned route between the two for people with mobility issues or (in our case) 2 young children? I'm strong but it's a heck of a difficult journey lugging stuff down from Girard to Penn's Landing.
There's an absolutely ridiculous comment war going on over on Gawker right now in this article, about whether or not people call it "the El".
People are furious, curses are flying, everyone is accusing everyone else of not really being from Philly. It's hilarious.
I've lived here my whole life and I never knew there was this passionate of a debate about this...
