SEPTA announces Regional Rail schedule updates for the fall

SEPTA riders can expect some significant changes to Regional Rail schedules this fall.

The changes, which take effect Sunday, Aug. 27, will impact most lines and are intended to maintain Regional Rail service at 75% of pre-COVID levels. 

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Ridership on the Regional Rail has returned gradually, according to SEPTA, and is currently at 58% of pre-pandemic numbers.

The fall Regional Rail updates will impact the following Regional Rail lines: Airport, Chestnut Hill East, Chestnut Hill West, Glenside, Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown, Media/Wawa, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, Warminster, West Trenton and Wilmington/Newark.

Most of the adjustments involve tweaking departure or arrival times by minutes, while the most significant changes will be seen by the Wilmington/Newark line to accomodate Amtrak bridge repairs near Chester.

Earlier this month, SEPTA warned riders of possible delays for buses and trolleys as transit operators began mandated safety training in the wake of a series of summer crashes.

The full timetables can be viewed online, but here are the changes riders can expect starting this weekend:

Airport

The Airport Line will see minor schedule changes from Glenside to Fern Rock Transportation Center en route to the airport.

Chestnut Hill East

The Chestnut Hill East line will see midday service reductions to accommodate midday track and survey work for station and bridge rehabilitation projects.

Chestnut Hill West

The Chestnut Hill West line will see some weekday inbound and outbound trains operating earlier to accommodate school travel.

Glenside

The Glenside Combined line will see significant weekday changes with earlier and later departure times and service adjustments.

Lansdale/Doylestown

The Lansdale/Doylestown line will see later inbound weekend train times and earlier outbound weekend train times, as well as weekday changes, both earlier and later.

Manayunk/Norristown

The Manayunk/Norristown line will see later weekday departure times and later weekend inbound departure times.

Media/Wawa

The Media/Wawa line will see changes to some inbound weekday early morning trains, with earlier and later departure times. There will be later departure times for all weekend inbound trains at Wawa Station.

Paoli/Thorndale

The Paoli/Thorndale line will change a select few weekday trains, and a 7:29 a.m. morning train to Bryn Mawr will be added. On the weekends, all inbound trains will operate earlier, and all outbound trains will operate later.

Trenton

On the Trenton line, select weekday inbound trains will operate later, and some trains will change destinations.

Warminster

On the Warminster line, a weekday inbound early train will be extended to originate at Warminster. Another train will be extended to Penn Medicine Station. All weekend inbound trains stopping at Warminster, Hatboro and Willow Grove Station will depart earlier. Weekend outbound trains will see earlier departures from Fern Rock to Warminster.

West Trenton

On the West Trenton line, select weekday inbound trains will have earlier and later departure times. There also will be additional service to Penn Medicine Station. Select weekday outbound trains will have earlier and later departure times.

Wilmington/Newark

On the Wilmington line, there will be significant changes to accommodate Amtrak bridge repair work in the Chester area, starting in mid-September. All Amtrak and SEPTA inbound Philadelphia traffic will be merged to Track 2 between Marcus Hook and Darby stations.