Beginning Saturday, September 20, 2014 and continuing each weekend through Sunday, November 23, 2014, shuttle buses will replace train service between the University City and Elwyn Stations on SEPTA’s Media/Elwyn Regional Rail Line as work begins to replace bridge timbers and make structural improvements to the Cobbs Creek and Darby Creek Viaducts.
Shuttle Bus Service
Shuttle bus operators will accept tokens, cash ($2.25, exact fare required), passes and rail tickets. Buses will be clearly identified with “Rail Shuttle” signage and will not stop for passengers at any location other than the Regional Rail Station or the designated Rail Shuttle boarding location. Express and local shuttle bus service will be available. For intermediate travel, customers should transfer to an express or local shuttle bus at Swarthmore Station.
Customers should expect up to 42 minutes of additional travel time added onto their trips and are advised to look for shuttle bus boarding location and alternate travel option signage at stations.
Shuttle bus departure times will differ from the regularly scheduled train times. Timetables for weekend shuttle busing will be posted at all Media/Elwyn Regional Rail stations and can also be downloaded from SEPTA’s website: https://www.septa.org/alert/pdf/2014-09-med-wknd-shuttle-bus.pdf
In addition to Media/Elwyn Line shuttle bus service, alternative SEPTA transportation services are listed at: https://www.septa.org/alert/pdf/2014-09-med-locations-service.pdf
The Media/Elwyn Bridge Rehabilitation Project
Beginning this fall, SEPTA will be making major capital improvements along the Media/Elwyn Line. During the first phase of work, SEPTA in-house forces and third-party contractors will be replacing bridge timbers and making structural improvements to the Cobbs Creek and Darby Creek Viaducts in addition to track and power improvements. While most work will be performed during weekend outages between September 20, 2014 and November 23, 2014, passengers may see crews working during the week.
Nearly 11,000 riders use the Media/Elwyn Line each weekday and on an average weekend, approximately 5,000 trips begin or end along the line. The fall work is one of the first phases of SEPTA’s “Rebuilding for the Future” infrastructure, investment, and revitalization program that tackles a $5 billion backlog of projects including bridge replacements, substation overhauls and station improvements. This project is one of the first construction projects utilizing funding from ACT 89. SEPTA and third-party contractor forces will also work on various track and power improvement projects across the entire line as part of the Rebuilding for the Future Program.
Over the course of the next ten weekends, staff will be on hand to answer questions and direct riders. In addition, SEPTA Customer Service representatives will be available at (215) 580-7800 to provide riders with information about alternate SEPTA services. Riders can also access the SEPTA website at https://www.septa.org/alert/med.html for additional information and regular updates or follow @SEPTA_ELW or @SEPTA_SOCIAL on Twitter.
