The Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.
Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn to a new facility at Wawa is currently under construction. Full service resumption to the original terminus in West Chester has also been discussed by planning officials, rail proponents and SEPTA.
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The Media/Elwyn Line connects Center City Philadelphia with Elwyn, branching from the Amtrak's Northeast CorridorMain Line south at Arsenal Interlocking, just south of University City. The line, known officially as the "SEPTA West Chester Line," is a double track line and was electrified in the 1920s, at the same time the present day Northeast Corridor was electrified between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. Electrified service to Media and West Chester was opened on December 2, 1928.
Unlike most of the former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) lines, which are grade separated with very few grade crossings, the Media/Elwyn Line has numerous grade crossings, as are more commonly found on the ex-Reading side of the SEPTA system. Characteristic of the line is the three high trestle crossings, the longest being that over Ridley Creek between Media and Elwyn. The present crossings were built by the PRR in the early 1920s during the electrification project.
The line was originally built by the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad. The first section opened November 15, 1853, from Philadelphia to Burmont. On October 19, 1854 an extension to Media opened, and further extensions were built, culminating with the completion to West Chester on November 11, 1858.[1]:513 [2] In the early 1880s the Pennsylvania Railroad gained control. It later became part of the Penn Central in 1968 and Conrail in 1976. SEPTA took over operations in 1983.
As of 2005[update], most weekday Media/Elwyn trains continue through downtown as West Trenton trains. As of late 2008, most weekend Elwyn trains continue through downtown as Chestnut Hill East trains (they formerly turned downtown at Market East).
Until September 19, 1986, commuter service on the line continued past Elwyn to West Chester, the end of the line (current SEPTA documentation still refers to the railway as the West Chester Line). Major rehabilitation was needed on the line due to deteriorating track conditions, resulting in "bustitution" between Elwyn and West Chester, further eroding ridership.[3] In addition, Chester County was more interested in expanding the Exton Station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line. SEPTA only had funds for one of the two projects, so service to West Chester was terminated in favor of expanded Paoli/Thorndale service. According to an operating document gathered by the Delaware Valley Association of Railroad Passengers, SEPTA did not officially place the line out of service until late 1991. The segment from Cheyney Station (the last station in Delaware County) to West Chester Station would eventually have all railroad crossings paved over—though signs, flashing warning lights and gates remained in place. Public officials in Chester County were unenthusiastic about restoring service at that time, while Delaware County officials pushed for restoration at least as far as Wawa. When questioned in 1991 about the possibility of resuming full service, SEPTA General Manager Louis Gambaccini confirmed that SEPTA considered service restoration between Wawa and West Chester as "not cost-effective."[4]
Unlike the line between Arsenal Interlocking and Elwyn, the line past Elwyn is single track, although prior to the SEPTA takeover in 1983, there were passing sidings at or near most of the stations. These passing sidings, located near Glen Riddle, Lenni (where the PRR Chester Creek and Octoraro branches, no longer in service, merged with the line), Glen Mills, Cheyney, Westtown, and West Chester, are easily marked with the PRR's trademark "bowtie" catenary poles—single track areas used single-pole catenary supports. The sidings allowed multiple commuter trains to operate on the single-track section. Currently, the single track section of the R3 near Lenni is used by the SEPTA Regional Rail division to train new operators, and the section from West Chester to Glen Mills is used by the West Chester Railroad, which operates scenic excursion trips on weekends. Amtrak maintenance trains use the line to access a quarry located near the Glen Mills station.
Since the demise of regular service, vandals gradually stole copper catenary wire from the line, prompting SEPTA to remove the remainder of it in the summer of 2005. This portion of the catenary (westward of Lenni) dates to 1928; it would have to be replaced in any event for service to resume.
Omitted is Pennellton Station, which comprised a passing siding between the stations of Darlington and Wawa. A newspaper article from 1911 indicates that by that time service had already been discontinued to the station.
In June 2005, SEPTA gave the Notice to Proceed to URS Corporation for the engineering and design of the restoration of rail service between Elwyn and Wawa stations. This follows a feasibility study and other earlier studies as early as the 1990s. SEPTA initially estimated that the cost for the 3-mile extension of service would be $51,327,000; the estimate cited in SEPTA's 2009 Capital Budget is $80 million. The construction project will include new track, catenary, signals, communications equipment, and structures; and a new station at Wawa with a large park-and-ride facility. The parking structure replaced earlier plans for a parking lot because of the threat of flooding from Chester Creek.[3] The location of the new Wawa station next to US Route 1 allows for excellent highway access. It also will serve the nearby corporate headquarters of Wawa Food Markets as well. The extension is expected to reduce traffic congestion through Middletown Township and offer employees headed for work at Painters Crossing and Concordville, Pennsylvania a bus connection to the train.
The new ADA-compliant Wawa Station will have high platforms, a sales office, ticket vending machines and passenger waiting room. SEPTA will also construct a new railcar storage facility at the Lenni Facility in Delaware County.
The new Wawa station is estimated to have 500 commuters on a typical weekday.[5] The engineering design phase was begun in July 2005;[6] this included preliminary engineering, environmental impact analysis, and final engineering. Shortfalls in funding have delayed completion of this phase to 2010.[7][8] Construction will follow and take 24 to 36 months to complete.
The Delaware County Planning Department is cooperating with SEPTA and Friends of the Chester Creek Branch to include a hiking trail within SEPTA's right-of-way from the new Wawa station to Lenni Road. This will be the northern end of the Chester Creek Trail.[3]
Despite the planned restoration of service to Wawa, officials has urged SEPTA to restore full service to West Chester, citing an increase of the local population between Wawa and West Chester and would allow commuters in that area an alternative to driving either to the R5 stations in Exton or Paoli, and allow a reduction in congestion on U.S. Route 202 between U.S. Route 1 and West Chester. Chester County officials, who originally allowed SEPTA to end service at Elwyn in 1986, have since changed their tune, and have urged SEPTA in reinstating service. As of 2011, SEPTA has no plans to restore service to West Chester.
Outgoing West Chester University President Madeleine Wing Adler wrote a letter in support of an extension to West Chester. She cited a need for reliable and fast transportation for students to Media and Philadelphia.
Rail advocates have also reached out for support from the Southampton-based Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC), a non-profit group whose primary focus is to reinstate service on the dormant Fox Chase-Newtown portion of SEPTA's Fox Chase Line.
On July 25, 2010 SEPTA renamed the service from the R3 Media/Elwyn to simply the Media/Elwyn Line as part of system-wide service change that drops the R-number naming and makes the Center City stations the terminus for all lines.[9]
The Media/Elwyn Line makes the following station stops, proceeding west from Suburban Station:
| Zone | Milepost | Station | Boardings | City/Township | County | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 0.9 | 30th Street Station | 6381 | Philadelphia | All Amtrak service, all SEPTA Regional Rail lines, SEPTA Market-Frankford Line, New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line | |
| 1.8 | University City | 2365 | Airport Line line to the Philadelphia International Airport, Wilmington/Newark Line line to Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and Newark, Delaware via the Northeast Corridor | |||
| 1 | 3.3 | 49th Street | 58 | Subway-Surface Trolley Route #13 | ||
| 4.5 | Angora | 29 | Subway-Surface Trolley Route #34, bus routes #46 and G | |||
| 2 | 5.5 | Fernwood-Yeadon | 119 | Yeadon | Delaware | Connection with Bus Routes #108 and #116 |
| 6.3 | Lansdowne | 411 | Lansdowne | Connections with Bus Routes #109 (on Baltimore Ave.), #113, and #115 | ||
| 7.0 | Gladstone | 221 | Connections with Bus Route #109 (on Batlimore Ave.) | |||
| 7.6 | Clifton-Aldan | 339 | Clifton Heights | Route #102 Sharon Hill Trolley | ||
| 8.2 | Primos | 364 | Aldan | Connection with Bus Route #107 and #109 (on Baltimore Pike) | ||
| 8.9 | Secane | 422 | Upper Darby Township | |||
| 10.0 | Morton | 569 | Morton | Connection with Bus Route #107 | ||
| 3 | 11.4 | Swarthmore | 786 | Swarthmore | Connection with Bus Route #109 (24-hour route) | |
| 12.4 | Wallingford | 298 | Nether Providence Township | Connection with Bus Route #118 | ||
| 13.3 | Moylan-Rose Valley | 248 | ||||
| 14.0 | Media | 529 | Upper Providence Township | Route #101 Media Trolley (on State Rd.), Bus Routes #110 (on Baltimore Ave.) | ||
| 15.1 | Elwyn | 504 | Middletown Township | Connection to Bus Route #117 | ||
| 18.1 | Wawa | – | Chester Heights | Proposed new station with connection with SEPTA Bus Route #111 | ||
| Zone | Milepost | Station | City/Township | County | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.9 | Williamson School | Middletown Township | Delaware | Abandoned, but still standing. | |
| 16.7 | Glen Riddle | Demolished. | |||
| 17.4 | Lenni | Currently used as a SEPTA training base; has a passing siding. Station demolished. | |||
| 18.1 | Wawa | Chester Heights | Demolished. | ||
| 18.7 | Darlington | Middletown Township | Demolished. | ||
| 20.3 | Glen Mills | Thornbury Township | Restored 1990s; home to Thornbury Historical Society. | ||
| 21.6 | Locksley | A small passenger shelter. Has a PRR-vintage position-light signal. | |||
| 22.2 | Cheyney | Near Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Restored. Presently serving as the Cheyney Post Office, 19319. | |||
| 23.9 | Westtown | Thornbury Township | Chester | Restored and is home to an art gallery. | |
| 25.5 | Oakbourne | Westtown Township | Service discontinued 1961; demolished. Had a small freight yard. | ||
| 27.1 | West Chester University | West Chester | Also known as Nields Street Station. | ||
| 27.5 | West Chester | Main part of Market Street Station demolished 1968. Remainder demolished late 1980s. |
Boarding data as of FY2010, data for 30th Street and University City include other lines serving those stations.
| Fiscal year | Average weekday | Annual passengers |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2010 | 10,384 | 2,875,438[10] |
| FY 2009 | 10,830 | 2,998,079[11] |
| FY 2008 | 10,555 | 2,922,700[12] |
| FY 2005 | 8,722 | 2,372,816 |
| FY 2004 | 8,265 | 2,320,004 |
| FY 2003 | 8,973 | 2,244,700 |
| FY 2001 | n/a | 2,336,000 |
| FY 2000 | n/a | 2,379,000 |
| FY 1999 | n/a | 2,119,000 |
| FY 1997 | n/a | 2,188,265 |
| FY 1996 | n/a | 2,194,600 |
| FY 1995 | 7,713 | 2,177,643 |
| FY 1994 | 8,214 | 2,087,692 |
| FY 1993 | 7,558 | 2,110,827 |
| Note: n/a = not available | ||
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