July 06, 2016
SEPTA Regional Rail riders should get ready for more changes coming to the modified Saturday schedule currently getting them in and out of the city.
As the daily commuting situation evolves, SEPTA plans "tweaks" to the schedule intended to transport riders "as fast as possible," according to Carla Showell-Lee, director of media relations for SEPTA.
"We are constantly making tweaks because we are trying to get riders to work as fast as possible," she said Wednesday, refusing to give any specifics. "We are trying to modify our schedule to benefit our riders."
According to SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch, the changes will be "incremental," not sweeping readjustments, to the modified Saturday schedule in effect since Tuesday.
Busch also said that there will be "small tweaks and changes to bus service" as SEPTA maneuvers to react to demand.
"Things are developing as we go," he said. "From here on out, [the changes] are going to be more incremental."
This weekend, SEPTA will operate under a standard Saturday and Sunday schedule. Next week, he said, the plan is to have Regional Rail riders on most lines continue to use the modified Saturday schedule – one train every hour with an extra train during the morning and evening rush hours – throughout the work week.
On Tuesday, SEPTA officials said Wednesday's commute would be a test of a system running short by 120 railcars removed from service for repairs to their suspension systems. The system, which typically moves 65,000 riders on any given weekday, is now capable of handling only 45,000 per day.
SEPTA officials believed they moved about 45,000 people throughout Tuesday.
During Wednesday's morning commute, Showell-Lee said many trains were again filled to capacity.
Beside some delays, Showell-Lee said trains on the Doylestown, West Trenton and Warminster lines again had to bypass some stops.
And, "there was some confusion," due to delayed trains on Wednesday as well, she said.
The delays were exacerbated by the heat, as temperatures reached into the low 90s by midday, Showell-Lee said. Regional Rail trains were running under a speed restriction to avoid overheating equipment.
"Some rail trains are running slower," she said. "The heat advisory makes our trains run slower."
Otherwise, she urged riders to explore other transit options in order to avoid overcrowding on Regional Rail trains.
