May 04, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
SEPTA's Regional Rail service on the Wilmington, Media/Elwyn and Airport lines will be disrupted in May 2020 as crews resume work on the multi-phase Southwest Connection Improvement Program to repair aging infrastructure.
SEPTA will soon begin the third and final phase of an infrastructure improvement program in Southwest Philadelphia, a month-long project that will impact Regional Rail service.
The Southwest Connection Improvement Program, launched in 2018, is a longterm upgrade to critical infrastructure that has been around since the 1940s. Most of the work has been completed in the area of University City to repair the mainline infrastructure on the Media/Elwyn Line between 30th Street Station and the Arsenal Interlocking.
In the past two years, the work has been done in the month of August. It will begin earlier in 2020 as the Regional Rail system is largely suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Projects running from May 10-30 will include overhead wire work, tree trimming, interlocking work, PennDOT tunnel work and SEPTA bridge inspection. Additional work is planned later in the summer.
A special construction Regional Rail timeline will be in effect for the Wilmington Line, which will be restored May 10. Trains will operate from Wilmington Station to 30th Street Station.
The Airport Line will operate as a shuttle bus service with a special construction schedule. Shuttle buses will operate every two hours from 30th Street to the Airport and Eastwick stations.
Service on the Media/Elwyn Line will be suspended until May 31, with alternate service available on the Wilmington Line and bus and trolley routes.
During the improvement project, no trains will operate to the University City Station, recently renamed Penn Medicine Station. A circulator bus will operate between 30th Street and Penn Medicine Station.
SEPTA has been operating on a Lifeline Service Schedule since early last month, suspending six Regional Rail lines and operating with limited service on those remaining.
