January 12, 2026
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
SEPTA is again running trolleys to Center City after reopening its trolley tunnel on Monday. For the last two months, riders had to take shuttles between 15th and 40th streets, because the tunnel was closed for repair work. Above, a file photo of a trolley on Chester Avenue in West Philadelphia.
The trolley tunnel in Center City reopened Monday morning after months of repairs.
SEPTA had closed the tunnel under Market Street in mid-November to replace more than 5,000 feet of overhead wiring. The work was completed Jan. 2, and after a week of test runs, trolleys resumed operating in the tunnel at 5 a.m. Monday, the transit authority said.
Wire repairs had to be made, because the overhead wires had been damaged by new 4-inch sliders — the piece that connects the trolley to the wiring. SEPTA had replaced its 3-inch sliders with the bigger ones in hopes of reducing wear and tear, but the 4-inch sliders ended up damaging the wires, and SEPTA had to make two mass trolley evacuations in October. As a result, SEPTA had to re-install the 3-inch sliders and replace 20% of the wiring in the tunnel.
The tunnel initially closed Nov. 7 so SEPTA could re-install the sliders. It reopened Nov. 13, but workers then noticed more issues and had to shut it down again.
In the interim, SEPTA ran a bus shuttle along Market Street between 15th and 40th streets. Approximately 60,000 people pass through the tunnel daily, SEPTA said.
"We recognize that this prolonged closure of the trolley tunnel posed a significant inconvenience for our riders, and we appreciate their patience," SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said in a statement. "Our crews worked around the clock to complete the emergency repairs and run test trolleys through the tunnel to ensure it is safe to reopen for service."
