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Regional Rail SEPTA
Slide Background
A century ago, two railroads built electric commuter rail lines across the Philadelphia region.
Regional Rail SEPTA
Build & Design
In 1984, SEPTA used the new Center City tunnel to connect them into one Regional Rail network.
Regional Rail SEPTA Now
Build & Design
As a result, we have the best regional rail infrastructure in North America.
And before COVID-19, 132,000 people rode daily.
Regional Rail SEPTA Infrastructure
Build & Design
Regional Rail makes their lives better.
A commuter coming in from Paoli to work in Center City, for example, saves 20 minutes every day and does not have to sit in traffic…
Regional Rail SEPTA Paoli
Build & Design
...and a college student at Delaware Valley University takes the train to a concert at the Kimmel Center and doesn't have to own a car.
Regional Rail SEPTA Delaware Valley
Build & Design
But, Regional Rail also leaves people behind.
An office worker who lives in Tacony takes the #56 bus to Center City instead of taking Regional Rail because of the cost.
Regional Rail SEPTA Tacony
Build & Design
Because there is not a good path from the train to their office, a Philadelphia resident cannot take the rail out to their job in Exton and has to own a car.
Regional Rail SEPTA Exton
Build & Design
A student at Penn Medicine takes the trolley even though Regional Rail would be a shorter walk because the trolley comes more often throughout the day.
Regional Rail SEPTA Penn Medicine
Build & Design
A Mount Airy resident takes the bus because they cannot get their wheelchair on the train.
Regional Rail SEPTA Mount Airy
Build & Design
Can Regional Rail work for them as well?
Let’s Reimagine Regional Rail!
Regional Rail SEPTA Can it work for them
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About the Project
Give Your Feedback
Explore the Network Scenarios
FAQ

About the Project

SEPTA Forward, our strategic plan, envisions Regional Rail as part of a lifestyle network of frequent, all-day, and all-week services that connects people to a range of destinations across the region. Reimagining Regional Rail will create a vision of what that looks like and will identify the infrastructure, equipment, operations, and policies needed to get there.

In Reimagining Regional Rail, we are asking what the Regional Rail network could be:

  • How often should the trains run?
  • What mix of express and local service should there be?
  • What should stations be like?
  • What should the trains be like?
  • How should Regional Rail connect to rapid transit, trolleys, buses, and other rail service?
  • How should fares be integrated with other transit services?

Project Goals

Increase and improve access to opportunity

Prioritize an intuitive rider experience through a seamless, welcoming system

Create a reliable, predictable Regional Rail System that people can trust


What is SEPTA Forward?

Our shared vision for a stronger future steers us through our challenges and guides SEPTA – and the region – forward. By looking at our services to create one unified, equitable network serving all types of trips, no matter where you are or what mode you choose. We anticipate changing needs and adapt services responsively to keep our region moving throughout the 21st century.

Reimagining Regional Rail is a key initiative of SEPTA Forward to revamp our services and better connect people across the region. We’re working closely with other major initiatives, including Bus Revolution, SEPTA’s bus network redesign, and the Wayfinding Master Plan to provide more intuitive experiences and a more seamless transit system. Learn more and find out how to get involved to help shape the future of transit in the Philadephia region.

Lifestyle Network Graphic

State of the System

Learn more about the challenges and opportunities that exist today in our State of the System and Peer Systems Review report. Our findings will serve as a basis for future efforts of the Reimagining Regional Rail Master Plan.

Read the report
Septa Regional Rail Report Thumbnail

Our Process

This exciting work is going to take us about 18 months so that we make sure that we hear from everyone and consider all the possibilities. The process moves through three distinct phases, each headlined by feedback and engagement from the public:

We started by learning about best practices from around the world and, in Round 1 of outreach, better understanding what it is that you think works well (and maybe not so well) about Regional Rail today.

The team has now developed scenarios for the future, which are the core of the second round of outreach. Based on what we learn there, we will develop a vision and implementation plan and present that in Round 3.

Chart of three distinct phases headlined by public engagement. Phase 1: Setting Goals. Phase 2: Evaluating Choices. Phase 3: Setting the Vision.

What We Learned

Phase 1

In Fall 2021, we launched Reimagining Regional Rail with a combination of outreach and engagement activities. We wanted to talk to people about why they ride Regional Rail, why they choose not to, and what would improve the service.

We launched our first public survey, which received over 5,000 responses and gave a strong representation of current riders.

Our overall findings included that:

  • 60% of survey respondents currently ride Regional Rail at least occasionally, and said they know how to use the system well or fairly well
  • Most of the respondents to our survey were white (81%) high-income earners (54% earned > $75,000/year) who have access to a car at home (79%)
  • Survey respondents are relatively young - 57% under the age of 45 with 33% under the age of 35
  • Respondents are largely residents of the area (92%) and/or work within it (70%)

We heard that frequency of service was the most important for the future of Regional Rail.

And heard that women find the stations more difficult to access than men do.

Are stations easy to access?

Public Conversation

To better understand the needs of non-riders, we hosted 9 pop-up events on and off the Rail, speaking to over 2,000 people throughout the system over the course of two days.

These events were held intentionally in areas where there are underrepresented voices who have not had the opportunity to engage on Regional Rail. We used our early survey data to ensure our locations would be in areas we hadn’t heard from yet.

We also hosted a Virtual Public Meeting in Fall of 2021 and recently hosted a Transit Talk in April 2022 to talk about the Existing Conditions we found in the system.

Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting Video and Materials - October 2021

  • Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting - October 2021
  • Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting (Spanish) - October 2021
  • SEPTA Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting Presentation Slides

Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Transit Talk Videos and Materials – April 2022

  • Regional Rail Virtual Transit Talk Video - April 2022
  • Reimagining Regional Rail Transit Talk Presentation Slides

Phase 2

During Phase 2, we developed three scenarios to improve the system based on what we heard in Phase 1 outreach and our analysis. We held a public meeting and a Transit Talk to share what we learned. There were gaps in who we were hearing from on our surveys and via outreach, so, in July, we held a series of Community Workshops to make sure we heard from these folks and talk about what they thought of the three scenarios. We held a Transit Talk to wrap up Phase 2.

Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting - May 2022

  • Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Public Meeting Video - May 2022

Reimagining Regional Rail Community Workshops – July/August 2022

  • Reimagining Regional Rail: West Philly Community Workshop - July 26, 2022
  • Reimagining Regional Rail: North Philly Community Workshop - July 28, 2022
  • Reimagining Regional Rail: Norristown Community Workshop - August 2, 2022
  • Reimagining Regional Rail: Chester Community Workshop - August 4, 2022

Reimagining Regional Rail Virtual Transit Talk Video – August 2022

  • Regional Rail Bus Revolution Video - August 2022

Want to attend our next event? See what’s coming up!


We are thinking carefully about the implementation timeline in three phases.

Chart of Nerm Term, Mid Term, and Longer Term Plan.

Some of the changes we’re considering will require significant upgrades to track, construction of new stations, and buying a new fleet of trains. This will take time and money, and it can’t all be done at once. The plan will reflect that.

The long-term plan is a vision for what the system can be; every change to service and every infrastructure improvement should be a step towards that.

To get there, in the medium term, we can do infrastructure and fleet improvements in stages, allowing increased service one or two lines at a time. We will also identify schedule and fare changes that can be done quickly to make the system more useful for more people in the short term.


Questions?

Want to leave a comment or speak to the team? Email us at planning@septa.org or call us at (888) 281-1999.

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planning@septa.org

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