July 17, 2015
PATCO, like SEPTA, will be tightening up its transit plan for Pope Francis’ visit in September with the sale of special train passes for the events, CBSPhilly reports.
The transit agency will issue special Freedom cards at their Broadway station and on their website beginning Monday.
On Sept. 26 and 27, only passengers who have the cards will be permitted on the trains.
Trains will operate every 16 minutes and passengers can only board from Lindenwold, Woodcrest, Ferry Avenue and Broadway stations to the 9th/10th and Locust station in Philadelphia.
One-day and two-day passes will cost $5 and $10, respectively, for those 5 years of age and older. There is a limit of 10 cards per purchase.
Passengers who use their regular Freedom cards during the pope’s visit must pay $2.50 for each ride.
The deadline for online purchases is Sept 1.
SEPTA also announced this week that the Regional Rail will only accept special passes for the weekend. A monthly transit pass or cash fare will not work.
One-day passes will be available for pre-sale on an e-commerce site on Monday, July 20 at 9 a.m. Three-day passes, valid from that Saturday to Monday, September 28, will go on pre-sale July 27.
For more on the city's transportation plan, click here. For where the pope will be and when he'll be there that weekend, check out his itinerary here.
