“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
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NBC Philadelphia: Illegal parkers face new fines as warning period ends for SEPTA trolley cameras – SEPTA trolley cameras announced earlier this year started issuing tickets this week. Cameras on trolleys serving lines T1 through T5, and G1, will issue tickets to illegally parked vehicles, with a $51 fine. The cameras are powered by AI, but are reviewed by PPA employees before tickets are issued. This expands on a similar program on over 150 SEPTA buses, which was launched last year, and has issued over 112,000 tickets.
BillyPenn: SEPTA aims to increase reliability with 24 new Canadian coach cars – SEPTA has purchased 24 new coach cars from Exo for their fleet. Exo runs the public transportation system in Montreal. SEPTA aims to increase capacity for riders, to offer more reliability in service. The purchase was paid for from the over $200 million awarded, to help SEPTA fix its aging train. The railcars are expected to be phased into service later this spring.
SEPTA: SEPTA to Begin Major Rehabilitation Project Along M Line – The Norristown High Speed Line, also known as the M, will be getting major improvements over the next few months. Structural repairs will be made to the Bridgeport Viaduct, and bus service will replace the train between Bridgeport Station and Norristown Transit Center until May 9th. The project is estimated to cost around $55 million and is expected to take around one year to complete.
Other Stories
BillyPenn: Mayor Parker’s ‘pothole squads’ would be funded by proposed 25-cent delivery tax
BillyPenn: SEPTA launches publicity blitz ahead of bus network overhaul
6ABC: Gas prices top $4 nationally and in Philadelphia for first time since 2022
City & State Pennsylvania: Q&A with SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer
Bicycle Coalition: Bike Explorers Kicks Off Spring Season at Lewis Elkins Elementary
The King of Prussia Mall is the largest suburban mall in the Philadelphia region with 400 stores, and a total of 31,500 people employed at the mall and nearby office parks. The mall is visited by about 68,000 people daily with 5,600 bus riders using six routes to and from the KOP area. Unfortunately, there is currently no rapid transit to get commuters and shoppers to the mall. That is why SEPTA and the King of Prussia business community are planning to extend the Norristown High Speed Line, which skirts the edge of the KOP currently, the rest of the way to King of Prussia.
Currently, it can take commuters from Philadelphia as much as two hours to get to work in King of Prussia on the bus, and drivers take an average of 70 minutes – both while navigating the unpredictable beast known as the Schuylkill Expressway. A light rail connection would ease the burden on our transit system and reduce traffic on the already congested expressways near the mall.According to the proposal, the new rail line would take around 40 minutes for the same trip, and offer an appealing option for people who have the choice between driving or public transit.
Clean Air Council was there to express its support for the project. Not only does the Council believe it will ease the commutes of transit riders and mall employees, this project will have a ripple effect on the region’s traffic problem. The more reliable transit lines the Delaware Valley has, the more likely commuters will choose to leave the car behind. This will ultimately reduce emissions, and let us all breathe a little easier.
The Council wrote a letter voicing its support, and sent Kamali Alloway, Sustainable Transportation and Special Events Outreach Coordinator, to read the letter aloud at the public hearing. You can read the letter here, and watch a video of Alloway reading the letter below. This project is still in the first stage, and its projected completion date is a few years away. Clean Air Council will keep you updated on developments as they occur.
