Chestnut Hill East Line

Last updated
Chestnut Hill East Line
Chestnut Hill East Station.jpg
The Chestnut Hill East station as seen in October 2012. The station depot, constructed by the Reading Company, is visible on the left.
Overview
Service type SEPTA Regional Rail commuter service
Current operator(s) SEPTA
Ridership1,573 (FY 2022 daily) [1]
Route
Termini Chestnut Hill East
Temple University
Stops14
Distance travelled18.1 mi (29.1 km)
Line(s) used
Technical
Rolling stock Electric multiple units
Electrification Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC

The Chestnut Hill East Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail (commuter rail) system. The route serves the northwestern section of Philadelphia with service to Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. It is one of two lines that serve Chestnut Hill, the other one being the Chestnut Hill West Line. The line is fully grade-separated.

Contents

History

R7 CHE.gif

The Chestnut Hill East Line is a continuation of the Reading Company's suburban services on the Chestnut Hill East Branch from Philadelphia to Germantown and Chestnut Hill. The oldest part of the line that became the Chestnut Hill East Branch was opened in 1832 by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, and later became part of the Reading system. Electrified service began on February 5, 1933. [2]

Until 1984 Chestnut Hill East trains used the Reading Viaduct to reach Spring Garden Street and the Reading Terminal; this ended with the opening of the Center City Commuter Connection which routed the trains through the city center and on the ex-Pennsylvania Railroad part of the system. [3] From this point the route was designated R7 Chestnut Hill East as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines; trains continued on to the Trenton Line. [4] The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010. [5] As of 2022, most Chestnut Hill East Line trains continue through Center City to the Trenton Line. [6]

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Chestnut Hill East Line on July 25, 2016. [7]

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [8] though Temple University and Wayne Junction stations were still being served by other rail services. Service resumed on June 28, 2020. [9]

Stations

The Reading Company opened Gravers in 1879 Graver Lane SEPTA.JPG
The Reading Company opened Gravers in 1879
Mount Airy, like Gravers, was designed by Frank Furness Mt Airy Station.JPG
Mount Airy, like Gravers, was designed by Frank Furness

The Chestnut Hill East line makes the following station stops after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with a gray background are closed. All stations are located within the city of Philadelphia. [10]

ZoneLocationStation Miles (km)
from
Center City
Connections / notes
C Temple University Temple University Wheelchair symbol.svg 2.1 (3.4)
Nicetown–Tioga
Tioga Closed 1989
Nicetown Closed November 14, 1988 due to fire damage [11]
1 Wayne Junction Wheelchair symbol.svg 5.1 (8.2)
Wister
Fishers 5.7 (9.2)Closed October 4, 1992 [12]
Wister 6.1 (9.8)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: J
East Germantown
Wingohocking 6.5 (10.5)
Germantown 6.8 (10.9)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 26 , J , K
2 Walnut Lane 7.7 (12.4)
Washington Lane 7.8 (12.6)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: XH
East Mount Airy Stenton 8.6 (13.8)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 18
Gorgas 8.7 (14.0)
Sedgwick 8.9 (14.3)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: H
Mount Airy 9.3 (15.0)
Chestnut Hill
Mermaid 9.8 (15.8)
Wyndmoor 10.0 (16.1)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: 77
Gravers 10.3 (16.6)Aiga bus trans.svg SEPTA City Bus: L
Chestnut Hill East 10.8 (17.4)

Ridership

Yearly ridership on the Chestnut Hill East Line between FY 2013–FY 2018 was steady around 1.4–1.6 million. Ridership declined in FY 2019 and then collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. [note 1]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
FY 2019
FY 2020
FY 2021
FY 2022

Notes

  1. Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020. [1]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport Line (SEPTA)</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line, Pennsylvania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Junction station</span> SEPTA junction station in Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelten Avenue station</span> SEPTA train station in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Chelten Avenue station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located on West Chelten Avenue in the Germantown neighborhood, it serves the Chestnut Hill West Line. The concrete station structure, part of a Pennsylvania Railroad grade-separation project completed in 1918 in conjunction with electrification of the line, was designed by William Holmes Cookman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germantown station (SEPTA)</span> SEPTA train station in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Germantown station is a SEPTA Regional Rail component in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at Chelten Avenue and Baynton Street in the Germantown neighborhood, it serves the Chestnut Hill East Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wister station</span> SEPTA train station in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Hill West station</span> SEPTA train station in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Chestnut Hill West station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at 9 West Evergreen Avenue in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, it serves the Chestnut Hill West Line. It was originally built by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad between 1883 and 1884, and later acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1918, when the line was electrified, the station was rebuilt to accommodate the upgrade.

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North Philadelphia station is an intercity rail and regional rail station on the Northeast Corridor, located on North Broad Street in the North Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line and Chestnut Hill West Line account for most of the station's service. Four Amtrak trains, three southbound and one northbound, stop on weekdays only.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manayunk/Norristown Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Chase Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail service

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut Hill West Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line

The Chestnut Hill West Line is a commuter rail line in the SEPTA Regional Rail network. It connects Northwest Philadelphia, including the eponymous neighborhood of Chestnut Hill, as well as West Mount Airy and Germantown, to Center City.

The Chestnut Hill East Branch is a railway line in Pennsylvania. It runs 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from a junction with the SEPTA Main Line in Nicetown–Tioga, a neighborhood in Philadelphia, to Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. The oldest part of it was built in 1832 by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad. It was part of the Reading Company system from 1870 until 1976. Today it is owned by SEPTA and hosts the Chestnut Hill East Line commuter rail service. The line runs roughly parallel to the Chestnut Hill West Branch, formerly of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

References

  1. 1 2 SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics" . Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  2. Coates, Wes (1990). Electric trains to Reading Terminal. Flanders, NJ: Railroad Avenue Enterprises. pp. 74–75. OCLC   24431024.
  3. Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. p. 49. ISBN   978-0-9621541-7-1.
  4. Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
  5. Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
  6. "Chestnut Hill East Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  7. "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  8. "Service Information". SEPTA . Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  9. "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. "Chestnut Hill East Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  11. Bowden, Mark (December 23, 1988). "A SEPTA Ride to a Sealed Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved October 19, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  12. Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 3, 2017.