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Colder Temperatures Could Mean a Shorter Commute for SEPTA Riders in the Riverwards


Waking up and seeing the weather report read “Feels like: 9 Degrees” isn’t the ideal start to your day, but it’s becoming the norm for many Riverwards residents this year.

Morning commutes have officially evolved into a Siberian obstacle course; following the sparse, icy footsteps where sidewalks once were and digging your car out of a 5-foot snowdrift, all while wearing six layers of clothing. However, the cold weather is bringing commuting to a whole new level for those who rely on SEPTA as their primary mode of transportation.

On Tuesday, January 5th, Philadelphia experienced 2016’s lowest temperature drop. After weeks of unseasonably warm weather, the chill reached as low as 12 degrees fahrenheit and winds sped up to 21 mph. In case you haven’t left your home all winter: it was really cold.

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SEPTA Berks Station./Natalie Piserchio

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As a result, SEPTA officials announced Market-Frankford Line A/B trains would not be operating due to weather conditions and that all service trains would make all local stops.

For the unseasoned SEPTA rider: The Market-Frankford Line, or what many of us call “The El”, is SEPTA’s busiest route, with ridership of more than 190,000 passenger trips each weekday. To add, the Market-Frankford/Elevated line has designated ‘A’ and ‘B’ stops, during weekday, AM/PM peak hours, from 7-9 AM on weekday mornings and 4-5:30 PM on weekday evenings. In a nutshell, not every train stops at every station during busy commuting hours. Trains are scheduled to run every four minutes at all-station stops and every eight minutes at designated ‘A’ and ‘B’ stops.

“Whenever there is extreme cold or similar weather, SEPTA eliminates A/B service — adjusting so that all Market-Frankford Line trains serve all stations,” Andrew Busch, SEPTA’s Public Information Manager, said. “We do this to lessen the time passengers may have to stand outside in the elements. We are constantly monitoring weather conditions and forecasts, and this informs our decisions on adjustments to A/B service.”

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Commuters are relieved that SEPTA is looking for ways to keep them from the cold. With that being said, many also hope that SEPTA does away with A/B service at Berks Station all together.

“The A and B alternating SEPTA stops add more time to my morning and evening commute,”

Stephanie Price, a Riverwards resident and frequent commuter, said. To Price, longer wait times affects her schedule, as well as her pocket. “Sometimes I use other services, like Uber and Lyft instead of waiting for the subway in the unpleasant weather and I recently had to buy an expensive coat. Any time that I can shave off my commute is helpful.”

Busch explains that ridership is the main factor in determining ‘A’ and ‘B’ stops on the Market-Frankford line. “The designated A/B stops are among the lower ridership stations on the Market-Frankford Line,” he said.

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Manuel Macdonald Smith, Public Information of SEPTA adds, “Turnstile entry counts are collected at each station from an automated fare collection system and [ridership at] Berks Station has increased in recent years, while York-Dauphin has stayed relatively steady. In the 2015 Fiscal year, Berks Station had average weekday ridership of 2,200, while Girard had 4,500, and Spring Garden 3,000.”

Shirley Simpkins, one of SEPTA’s union workers, has worked for SEPTA for the last 22 years and has watched the recent transformation of the Riverwards unfold, as well as the increase in ridership at the Berks station.

“There’s so many people now, ridership has easily tripled in the last three years,” Simpkins said. “Tokens, cash, transfers, you can pretty much tell from the revenue.”

Within recent years, the city’s population has continued to rise, growing from 1.5203 million in 2006 to 1.5603 million in 2014, according to the latest census estimates. To add, the city’s population of 20-to 34-year-olds increased by about 100,000 from 2006 through 2012, according to the Philly Millennial Report by the Pew Charitable Trust organization. Many of these new city dwellers are taking root in Center City and nearby neighborhoods that offer convenient and quick access to jobs, and trends show the Riverwards to be a popular choice for housing.

Although ridership has increased at the Berks Station, SEPTA doesn’t have plans of modifying ‘A’ and ‘B’ stops.

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All photos by Natalie Piserchio

“We have no plans to change any A/B stops at this time,” Macdonald Smith said. “Generally speaking, the A/B stops on the Frankford end of the Market-Frankford Line have from 1,200 to 2,400 weekday entries, while the all-stop stations range from 3,000 to 17,000 entries.”

In regards to the Market-Frankford’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ train service policy, “It has been a long-standing service on the Market-Frankford Line,” Busch said. “There has been some form of A/B service on the Market-Frankford Line dating back several decades. The purpose of having A/B stops is to provide the best possible customer service and maximize operations on the Market-Frankford Line during the busiest travel time periods.”

You can follow SEPTA announcements on Twitter and their website, www.septa.org, for constant updates regarding service and routes.

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