SEPTA will begin next the phase of an on-going, multi-year project on its Route 101/102 (Media/Sharon Hill) trolley lines on Friday, January 11, 2019. Weather permitting, buses will be used in place of trolleys for the entire routes of both lines on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays on the following weekends: January 11-13; 18-21 and 25-28; and February 1-3, 8-10, 15-17 and 22-24. In the event of inclement weather, work will be cancelled and regular trolley service will operate. Passengers are encouraged to listen to local media outlets, visit septa.org and follow @SEPTA, @SEPTA_TRL_101 and @SEPTA_TRL_102 on Twitter for service updates.
Bus substitution will begin on Friday evenings at 7:13 pm. Trolley service will resume at the start of the service day the following Monday. Customers should plan to add 15 minutes of additional travel time to their trips. Buses will board at or near trolley stations. Boarding signs will be posted at stops. Locations are also listed at https://www.septa.org/alert/construction/101-102.html.
“The work we are doing on the Media and Sharon Hill lines will allow us to better serve our Delaware County customers,” said SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey Knueppel. “This extensive infrastructure work cannot be completed while trolleys are operating or during the short night-owl windows.”
The Media-Sharon Hill Line is comprised of three parts: the trunk from 69th Street Transportation Center to Drexel Hill Junction (Shadeland Avenue) used by both Route 101 and 102; stops from Huey Avenue to Media used by Route 101; and stops from Garrettford to Sharon Hill used by Route 102.
The improvement project is the next phase of SEPTA’s installation of the Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system on Routes 101 and 102. “The CBTC system utilizes radio communications between the vehicles and the signal system to improve safety,” said Knueppel. “CBTC automatically prevents collisions between trolleys by enforcing safe stopping distances. This modern system also prevents trolleys from exceeding established speed limits.”
This portion of the project includes interlocking construction at multiple locations on the trunk between 69th Street and Drexel Hill Junction and on the Sharon Hill branch between Drexel Hill Junction and Collingdale Borough. Construction includes installation of new track crossovers, overhead contact wire and support structures at the new interlockings.
In addition to the extensive project related track and signal construction, SEPTA in-house crews will take advantage of the weekend track closures to perform key heavy maintenance projects along Routes 101 and 102.
For more information about the project, visit septa.org or contact SEPTA customer service at 215-580-7800 or via Twitter at @SEPTA_Social.
