March 29, 2020
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
Overnight service on both the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines has been suspended in order to provide crews with additional time to clean stations and trains amid the coronavirus outbreak in Philadelphia, SEPTA announced.
Overnight service on both the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines has been suspended in order to provide crews with additional time to clean stations and trains amid the coronavirus outbreak in Philadelphia, SEPTA announced.
The changes will go into effect on both lines starting early Monday morning from 1:00-4:30 a.m. With ridership on both trains being low during the overnight hours, the transportation authority said it is focused on maintaining essential services on both lines.
Buses, subways and trolleys will all continue to operate on reduced Saturday schedules as transit ridership was down 70% this past week, SEPTA said. The transit authority is continuing to urge customers only to ride if they are traveling for essential needs, such as going to work, the grocery store or a medical appointment.
"We are pleading with our customers – if you don't have to ride, please don't," SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said. "We need to reserve space on our buses, trains and trolleys for those who need to get to essential jobs or access life-sustaining services."
SEPTA is closely monitoring all services to ensure there is enough space on vehicles for customers to practice social distancing, officials said.
SEPTA announced on Thursday that it is reducing its Regional Rail service to an “Essential Service Schedule” starting Sunday as ridership has plummeted by 94% this week, SEPTA announced Thursday. The changes will allow SEPTA to continue providing service for those who need to travel while maintaining a safe environment.
Service on almost every Regional Rail line will run every two hours, while the Airport Line will operate every hour. The Cynwyd Line only will operate Monday through Friday, while the other 12 Regional Rail Lines will continue to provide service every day.
There are 3,394 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, the ninth-most of any state, and 38 deaths as a result of the virus as of Sunday afternoon. Of those cases, 1,969 have emerged in Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia has 865 positive cases and five deaths, Montgomery County has 488 cases and five deaths, Delaware County has 276 cases and four deaths, Bucks County has 203 cases and one death, and Chester County has 137 cases.
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