“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.
Join the Transit For All PA! campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
The Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro allocated $220 million to SEPTA to get Regional Rail back on track – Governor Josh Shapiro announced last week that $220 million is being sent to SEPTA to retain current service and safety that have been measures federally mandated. The funds are sourced from the Department of Transportation, this is not a new source of funding for the agency, which is desperately needed. The $220 million will assist with the repairs of both the Silverliner IV Regional Rail Cars, and the trolley tunnel power system, both experiencing issues that have left commuters with delays, cancellations, and chaos. These funds are critical to mass transit’s continued service due to a lack of support in the state budget, which was passed 6 months late in November. The safety and multitude of other problems have been exacerbated by the complete lack of funding, and years of political stalemates negatively impacting commuters and residents.
BillyPenn: Philly shares its roadmap to reducing traffic-related deaths and injuries – Philadelphia has made great strides in reducing traffic-related injuries, but still has more traffic deaths than other comparable cities across the US. The city’s 2024 Vision Zero Review was released this week, and it reported an 18% decrease in traffic-related injuries, primarily focusing on improving safety in Philadelphia’s High Injury Network (HIN). The HIN is the 12% of Philly streets where 80% of traffic deaths and serious injuries occur. In the past nine years, 154 miles of HIN projects were completed or remain in progress, and the Vision Zero Action Plan includes a 5-year plan to reduce traffic deaths and injuries to none, but advocates say more work lies ahead in order to meet the Action Plan’s goals.
NBC Philadelphia: Logan Square sidewalk project to impact traffic on Ben Franklin Parkway – Construction has begun along the Ben Franklin Parkway at Logan Square between 18th and 20th Streets and will result in weekday lane closures. Construction plans include sidewalk installations, accessibility upgrades, and inlet and stormwater pipe installations. Both directions of the Parkway in that area will have a lane closure every weekday from 7 am to 3:30 pm until May 19, 2026. The Logan Circle sidewalk and access to Swann Fountain will be closed to the public during this time as well.
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WHYY: U.S. air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee
The Inquirer: Joint city-Parking Authority proposal to reopen Filbert Street bus station advances in Council
NBC Philadelphia: Construction begins on new PhilaPort Cruise Terminal near PHL airport
WHYY: PATCO makes minor changes to its weekday night schedule
CBS Philadelphia: Drivers speeding on Broad Street in Philadelphia will now be fined as warning period expires
6ABC: Bidirectional charging lets EVs power more than just the roadThe Inquirer: Waymo starts self-driving tests in Philadelphia for its robotaxi service
“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.
Join the Transit For All PA! campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
6ABC: SEPTA set to resume negotiations with its largest workers’ union – Transport Workers Union voted on Sunday to authorize a strike, but leaders note that a walkout is not expected. Around 5,000 bus, trolley, and subway workers have been working without a contract for two weeks, with negotiations beginning in October. Further discussions took place on Tuesday, with both sides calling the conversation productive.
NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA completes inspections of entire Silverliner IV fleet – As of this past weekend, SEPTA announced they completed the inspection of the Silverliner IV rail cars. All 223 cars have been examined, after a two week deadline extension was granted, and the agency is still working to meet a December 5 deadline to install heat sensors on trains. It will be another month before the entire fleet returns to service, with plans to return five rail cars per day to service.
The Inquirer: SEPTA trolley tunnel will stay closed until next week – The SEPTA trolley tunnel has been closed for the past two weeks, and will remain that way for a little while longer, according to SEPTA. While the tunnel is closed for repairs, trolleys are running out of West Philadelphia. The repairs are a result of two incidents in October, when over 400 passengers had to evacuate.
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BillyPenn: Here are all the details for the 2025 Marathon Weekend in Philly
The Inquirer: SEPTA workers authorized a strike for the fourth year in a row. Here’s when they walked off the job in the past.
BillyPenn: Design advocates call for transformation of Filbert Street bus terminal
Fox29 Philadelphia: Lower Merion Township considers first parking meter rate hike in 26 years
NBC Philadelphia: City Councilmember proposes new E-Bike and E-Scooter safety law for Wilmington
“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.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
WHYY: SEPTA CEO calls Pennsylvania state budget ‘disappointing’ after transit funding left out – Pennsylvania lawmakers set a budget on Wednesday of this week, and mass transit was left out completely. State representatives seemed to sideline transit after SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit were forced to cover operating costs with reserve funds meant for capital projects and improvements. SEPTA is open to working with lawmakers for further funding, as without anything in the budget, they are left with a $213 million deficit.
NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA to lease trains from Maryland in effort to improve Regional Rail service – SEPTA’s delays continued this week, as railcars continue to be limited in capacity due to inspections, and signal issues exacerbated delays on Thursday. SEPTA announced they are leasing 10 rail cars from Maryland, for $2.6 million, to help alleviate delays. Funding for the lease comes from capital funds and has been approved by PennDOT. Future plans include the redesigning of the entire Silverliner IV fleet, but no funding sources have been named yet.
BillyPenn: Packed cars, cancellations, and delay headaches: Regional Rail riders should brace for a rough week – This week delays and cancellations continued for riders across SEPTA regional rail lines. On Monday, the Airport, Fox Chase, and Chestnut Hill West lines were announced to be canceled as advised by SEPTA. The Paoli/Thorndale, Lansdale/Doylestown, Trenton, and Warrington had cancellations as well. SEPTA is working to meet next week’s inspection deadline, an extension from the original deadline of October 31.
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BillyPenn: Parker vows that, this time, Market East planning will succeed
The Inquirer: SEPTA Regional Rail service delayed, trains canceled due to ‘signal issues’
PhillyVoice: SEPTA nears deadline to finish Silverliner IV inspections
BillyPenn: Liberty Bell will reopen Thursday, flight disruptions may continue: Philly shutdown updates
“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.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
WHYY: Zero Fare has been a success, but some vulnerable Philly residents aren’t feeling the benefits of the free transit program – The City of Philadelphia launched a pilot Zero Fare program in August of 2023, lasting two years and providing free public transit access to low-income residents. The program so far has seen 34,000 enrollments of low-income riders and subsidized over 6 million trips. Participants are eligible if their income is below 150% of the federal poverty line, but in 2023 the poverty rate in Philadelphia was 20.3%. At the pilot’s launch, 300,000 residents were eligible, but due to extremely limited funding, only 25,000 free-ride cards were given out. This left residents with an 8% chance of enrollment. The success of this program highlights the need for further funding, and currently Mayor Parker’s initial 2026 fiscal budget does not include funding to continue the program.
NBC Philadelphia: Nature walks are good for you, but can a city stroll be just as good? – Trees and green spaces in urban environments can bring the benefits of nature into more densely developed areas. A study by a university in Wales showed that people can gain mental health benefits, lowering stress and restoring attention by walking in greenspaces even within urban settings. Additional elements like painted walls, interesting architecture and well-developed urban infrastructure can also heighten the positive effects on residents’ well-being.
6ABC: SEPTA granted extension to finish inspecting Silverliner IV railcars after series of fires – Last week SEPTA was granted an extension to finish their inspections of the Silverliner railcars. Their original deadline of October 31 has been pushed to November 14. The agency has said they plan to complete the inspections before the new deadline. The Federal Railroad Administration has also extended another deadline allowing SEPTA until December 5 to install thermal protection circuits. Riders can continue to expect shortened trains and delays while inspections and improvements continue.
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PhillyVoice: Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s election results in Pennsylvania and New Jersey
CBS Philadelphia: 2 TSA checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport to temporarily close amid government shutdown
The Inquirer: What the PPA has planned for a revived Greyhound bus station
AxiosPhiladelphia: The Philadelphia region’s traffic is worse than ever
The Inquirer: Hoboken has gone 8 years without a traffic death. Can Philly replicate its success?
“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.
Losing our state’s public transit infrastructure is a scary future! Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward. Happy Halloween!
Election day is Tuesday, November 4th. Find your polling place here!
CBS Philadelphia: City Council passes bill that could put Philadelphia’s bike lane safety project back on track – Last week, Philadelphia City Council passed a bill that gave the Streets Department the authority to establish loading zones in parts of Center City, including Spruce and Pine streets. This was part of an earlier initiative to protect cyclists, as loading zones would keep stopped cars out of bike lanes. Neighborhood group Friends of Pine and Spruce won a lawsuit in June, stopping the city from enacting this plan and to reverse work that had been completed. This bill overrides that decision and the Mayor has 10 days to sign the bill, making it effective immediately.
WHYY: More time? SEPTA asks for extension of federal deadline to inspect aging Silverliner railcars – The deadline given to SEPTA for the inspection of the Silverliner rail cars is Friday, October 31st. Now SEPTA has requested an additional 2 weeks in order to inspect the over 220 cars included in the order. Over 100 have been inspected so far with around two-thirds failing and only 35 cars returning to service immediately. According to SEPTA, most that have failed inspection only need minor repairs and then can be returned to service. A decision on the two week extension is expected by the end of this week.
The Inquirer: Greyhound bus terminal likely to reopen on Filbert Street after two years of tumult – The Philadelphia Parking Authority reached an agreement with City officials this week, and the former intercity bus terminal on Filbert could be getting a major renovation. The PPA will begin renovations and run the Greyhound bus station on behalf of the City, according to the agreement. Legislation to assess feeds and other items was introduced this week to City Council and the PPA board must agree to the lease. Spring Guard traffic issues have been haunting Philadelphia for over two years. This solution would address the problem, but would require cooperation from other entities such as the Streets Department, to direct traffic pattern changes around the Filbert depot.
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PhillyVoice: Your guide to Philadelphia’s $91 million streetlight replacement project
BillyPenn: “On a scale of 1 to 10, we’re a negative-2”: Airport workers struggle amid shutdown
6ABC: I-76 westbound ramp to City Avenue to close for repairs
“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.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our state moving forward.
The Inquirer: SEPTA riders say Regional Rail trains catching fire ‘is what decades of disinvestment looks like’ – Last week advocacy groups held a press conference at Love Park urging leaders to properly fund mass transit. They said avoiding doing so over the last several years has created the host of problems currently being faced by SEPTA, and the state of Pennsylvania. Advocates say that without a set budget, SEPTA is forced to use capital funds to keep service running, rather than spend that money on capital improvements, and we are seeing the first example of the arising problems with the Silverliner IV car fires.
Transit Talent (Originally posted to the Inquirer): SEPTA is postponing hybrid bus purchases, accessibility projects to keep the lights on – Several improvement projects by SEPTA have been placed on hold due to lack of funding from the state. New hybrid or electric bus purchases, accessibility improvements to the Bristol Regional Rail station, and expansion of the Frazer train facility in Malvern are some of the projects pushed back. Projects that already have broken ground will continue, including the Market-Frankford Line and trolley car replacements, as well as the modernization of trolley systems.
PhillyVoice: Nighttime work on I-95 will close lanes in Northeast Philly for most of November – Weeknights in November will see lane closures approaching the Cottman Avenue Interchanges. This will be in effect from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. from November 3rd until November 28th. Construction efforts are currently focused on the 8 miles between I-676 and Cottman Avenue. This is the final phase of the Cottman Avenue Interchange project. For more information on I-95 construction and closures, be sure to follow the Clean Air Council’s Facebook page.
Other Stories
6ABC: Sinkhole closes portion of Schuylkill River Trail in Center City Philadelphia
PhillyVoice: At 30th Street Station, deep cleaning is the ‘true artisan work’ of a $550 million renovation
6ABC: ‘South Jersey Girls Who Walk’ brings a social club to local women
WFMZ: SEPTA’s City Hall Station is getting a face lift ahead of America’s 250th birthday celebrations
Momentum Mag: Philly Bike Train is Upping the City of Brotherly Love’s Bicycle Commute Game
