Chestnut Hill East Line

Chestnut Hill East Line
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
Ridership	2,318 (FY 2023 daily) [1]
Route
Termini	Chestnut Hill East 30th Street Station Penn Medicine Station (weekends and major holidays)
Stops	15
Distance travelled	18.1 mi (29.1 km)
Line(s) used	Chestnut Hill East Branch SEPTA Main Line
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric multiple units
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map Show interactive map Legend 10.8 mi 17.4 km Chestnut Hill East 10.3 mi 16.6 km Gravers 10.0 mi 16.1 km Wyndmoor Mermaid closed 9.3 mi 15 km Mount Airy 8.9 mi 14.3 km Sedgwick Gorgas closed 8.6 mi 13.8 km Stenton 7.8 mi 12.6 km Washington Lane Walnut Lane closed Zone  2  1 6.8 mi 10.9 km Germantown Church closed Wingohocking closed 6.1 mi 9.8 km Wister Fishers closed SEPTA Main Line to Glenside 5.1 mi 8.2 km Wayne Junction to Norristown–Elm Street Zone  1  C 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University Reading Viaduct Spring Garden Street closed Reading Terminal closed 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson 0 mi 0 km Suburban 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street 1.8 mi 2.9 km Penn Medicine Weekends This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

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.

History

Main article: Chestnut Hill East Branch

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 ^[update] , 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

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. ^[6]

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Connections / notes
C	Temple University	Temple University	2.1 (3.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines SEPTA City Bus: 3, 23, 47
	Nicetown–Tioga
		Tioga		Closed 1989
		Nicetown		Closed November 14, 1988 due to fire damage [10]
1		Wayne Junction	5.1 (8.2)	SEPTA Regional Rail:       Fox Chase Line       Lansdale/​Doylestown Line       Warminster Line       West Trenton Line SEPTA City Bus: 2, 23, 53, 75
	Wister
		Fishers	5.7 (9.2)	Closed October 4, 1992 [11]
		Wister	6.1 (9.8)	SEPTA City Bus: 41
	East Germantown
		Wingohocking	6.5 (10.5)
		Germantown	6.8 (10.9)	SEPTA City Bus: 26 , 41 , K
2		Walnut Lane	7.7 (12.4)
		Washington Lane	7.8 (12.6)	SEPTA City Bus: 81
	East Mount Airy	Stenton	8.6 (13.8)	SEPTA City Bus: 18
		Gorgas	8.7 (14.0)
		Sedgwick	8.9 (14.3)	SEPTA City Bus: 71
		Mount Airy	9.3 (15.0)
	Chestnut Hill
		Mermaid	9.8 (15.8)
		Wyndmoor	10.0 (16.1)	SEPTA City Bus: 77
		Gravers	10.3 (16.6)	SEPTA City Bus: 51
		Chestnut Hill East	10.8 (17.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail:       Chestnut Hill West Line (at Chestnut Hill West) SEPTA City Bus: 51 SEPTA Suburban Bus: 94

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

FY 2023

Notes

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

References

1. SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics" . Retrieved March 22, 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. January 7, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
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. Bowden, Mark (December 23, 1988). "A SEPTA Ride to a Sealed Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved October 19, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
11. Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

External links

• SEPTA – Chestnut Hill East Line schedule
• Reading Company Routes and Mileages