At least 22,000 SEPTA papal passes remain available following Monday's lottery, SEPTA spokeswoman Heather Redfern said.
That number could increase after lottery winners receive an email Thursday and complete their purchases, Redfern said. The remaining passes will be sold in person. Details on where to purchase the remaining passes will be announced next week.
"We will know at the end of next week how many passes we have left and for which stations, dates and time slots," Redfern said in an email. "We do believe that a majority of the outlying stations have sold out."
SEPTA is selling 350,000 papal passes — the only permissible fare to ride the Regional Rails when Pope Francis visits Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. A total of 175,000 passes are being sold for each day. They cost $10 apiece.
SEPTA will shuttle passengers from 18 stations in an attempt to expedite travel into Center City, where Pope Francis will participate in the Festival of Families on Saturday and host a Sunday afternoon mass. About 1.5 million people are expected to flood the city for the papal visit.
SEPTA initially tried to sell the papal passes on a first-come, first-serve basis last month. But the website crashed after thousands of visitors simultaneously tried to purchase passes the moment the online sale began.