Unless you live in a bubble of valet service and private parking , you may have noticed SEPTA has been particularly mind - numbingly awful this summer . This is n’t all by chance event , of course , as SEPTA – which notably ranks sixth nationally when it hail to the numeral of regional commuters that use its service – suspended 120 trains to make way for improved safety standards and newfangled train carrying out . The loss of the cars , it turns out , has only exacerbated SEPTA users ’ long - running ailment about the transit arrangement ’s washables list of shortcoming . Though there ’s constant bombilation in the news about betterment enterprisingness and what we can expect in the years to come , we have to wonder : what are the chances SEPTA will deliver on these rarified promises ? Will it ever have what we want ? We dove into the numbers to determine the lookout for some of Philly ’s deepest SEPTA desires .
Trains that actually show up on time
It would be unfair to say that this summertime ’s table service is representative of SEPTA ’s usual carrying out , but the rate of delivering caravan on time has nonetheless correct in the last three long time ( 2015 was its " bad carrying into action of the decade " with almost one in five trains execute late ) , only worsened by an unfitness to reverberate back during bouts of severe weather condition . In September , 10 trains will be reintroduce every week to make up for the 120 we lost during the summertime , reportedly getting back to a regular docket by October . Even with these plan , though , will SEPTA ever be able-bodied to get back to the 93 % on - time rate thePhilly Inquirerreportedin 2013 ?
The answer , of row , is complicated , because as improvement projects are underway , the rollout and shiny new end product could still take years . A combining of old equipment , faculty shortage , and the day - to - day unexpected progeny that arise get out passengers – and probably SEPTA , too – longing for the days of 2013.Likelihood : passably in all likelihood , if you have lots of solitaire – and prison term to hold off .
An app-based payment system
SEPTA still sells COIN TOKENS in moldable BAGGIES at one of the system ’s most major hubs , 30th St Station . If you ’re ride the regional rail and pass off to be short on hard currency , or mistakenly thought you could pay by card , it ’s not impossible that the conductor will boot you out at the next stop ( mouth from personal experience ) . SEPTA will begin introducing SEPTA Key smartcards throughout the next couple of yr , complete with modern payment method acting across all transit and train lines , regional railing include . presumptively this would admit paying through a smartphone , but SEPTA has been mostly hush on the detail of that phase thus far . Likelihood : Ask again in 10 - 15 years .
Reloadable cards
OK , it ’s understandable that we ’d a long clock time to await before we can expect an app - based payment option . But what about a refillable card we can add money to at a booth , like they have in New York and DC ? No more sportfishing for exact change on the Norristown High Speed Line , no more standing in contrast to grease one’s palms a monthly or weekly pass from a window teller , no more incidentally spending too much in the midsection of a transfer . You ’ve in all likelihood control those newfangled - ish silver stall in some SEPTA stations read " Just testing … ” or the gleaming turnstiles at Dilworth Plaza that are prepped to accept SEPTA Key smartcards .
What you might not know , however , that SEPTA hasjuststarted rolling out form two of the passage to smartcards , with a limited turn of these flimsy icons of contemporaneity sold in former August . SEPTA alsoreportedthat throughout August and September , more full point along the El and BSL will admit fare kiosks for riders to recharge lead onto a SEPTA Key board . It ’s all still for former adopters , and though it ’s been a on the face of it dull crawl to these card , they do raise hopes of a smartcard futurity in Philly . Likelihood : Pretty damn probably , though with , again , a lot of patience .
Better co-existence with Amtrak
For most commuter waiting for a regional rail geartrain , it ’s very possible you ’ve been at the mercy of Amtrak more than once . A number of SEPTA lines share tracks with Amtrak , and in places like New York , conductor from Amtrak and the commuter train railing will ordinate the arrival and loss of trains side - by - side . SEPTA has no such advantage . This also means that if there is an Amtrak delay , it ’s not unlikely that a SEPTA train examine to pluck will also be hold up . SEPTA has been momma on details about what a good system might search like , though since arecent delayon the Paoli / Thorndale demarcation last March due to a disabled Amtrak train , it has promised that “ action mechanism meetings are design with Amtrak ” to “ continue to coordinate with them . ” That delay was not a stand - alone event , however , with interchangeable Amtrak outages and subsequent delays continuing intermittently throughout the summertime . likeliness : We can keep woolgather .
More staff
One grounds for all of these delays is that there simply are n’t enough people around to get faulty trains back into natural process , especially as ridership has balloon over the past few age . Each railroad train should have one engineer who acts as the resident expert of the geartrain , cognisant of the route ins and outs ( plus a head director and two helper ) . According to theInquirer , there are currently 192 engineers when ideally , there ’d be 213 . To align with the new train rollout , SEPTA has promise to up the railroad engineer number , and is presently in the midst of groom young engineers and continuing the process in the fare month . likeliness : This one is pretty realistic . Yay !
Better, nicer, cleaner facilities
I once had a instant of desperation wherein there was no choice but to take a rich breathing place and habituate the bathroom at the 69th St terminal . On my way in , I was greeted by a SEPTA employee who was literally giving out bed sheet of pot paper to people as necessitate – there was n’t any toilet report left in stalls . by from the bathrooms , getting alteration ( to break your bills into exactly $ 2.25 , since nobody will give you variety if you pay additional to get on the El or BSL ) is n’t always gentle thanks to broken variety machines or out - of - order tokenish auto . SEPTA ’s 2016 budgetallocates $ 35.5 million to the Infrastructure Safety Renewal Program , which includes revitalizing station deftness ( including bathrooms ) , but will also be used to pay for cart track replacements , better signal systems , rehabbing the electric index organization , and Clarence Day - to - mean solar day maintenance . While it ’s still a hefty chunk of variety , it ’s unclear whether SEPTA would be able to focalise on revitalize all of the major place stops . Likelihood : Eh .
An updated SEPTA app and useful social media presence
chance are that after you ’ve found yourself fool by the incoming train sign when it on the spur of the moment reads “ 20 minutes late ” or , uncollectible , “ cancel , ” you ’ve use up to checking SEPTA ’s app or social media varlet for any train entropy . Sadly , even those wo n’t always steer you in the veracious direction . SEPTA ’s Twitter has been get laid to report erroneous geartrain information from time to time , or nothing at all , even when you essay to air out your craze by yell - tweeting ( all crownwork , of course ) them for train update from your account . also , SEPTA ’s app commonly does n’t know that its own business are delayed , and presents the actual - time single-valued function as if all is harmonious on the Philly rail system . The TransitView option claims to update bus and tramcar whereabouts every three minutes , and SEPTA continues to urge customers to mark off Twitter for up - to - the moment updates . Besides making the erroneous Assumption of Mary that everyone riding SEPTA has a smartphone , it also can leave client bottlenecked with conflicting information . likeliness : Prolly not .
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f11photo / shutterstock
f11photo / shutterstock
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