Norristown High Speed Line

The Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) is an interurban line system operated between Upper Darby and Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA by SEPTA. The rail line runs entirely on its own right-of-way, inherited from the original Philadelphia and Western Railroad line (still referred to by locals as the "old P&W" and Route 100).

The Norristown High Speed Line is unique in its combination of transportation technologies. Originally chartered as a steam railroad, the line is fully grade separated, collects power from a third rail, and has high-level platforms common to rapid transit systems, but has onboard fare collection, mostly single-car operation, and frequent stops more common to light rail systems. Previously, the Norristown High Speed Line was considered to be a light rail line, according to a 2008 SEPTA budget report;^[2] however, the line is currently considered a heavy rail interurban line, according to a 2009 SEPTA business plan.^[3]

The line was formerly known simply as Route 100 but was officially changed to its current name in September 2009 as part of a customer service initiative by SEPTA.^[4]

History

The Norristown High Speed Line began service in 1907 as the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W), which ran from the present 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to a converted farmhouse station in Strafford, Pennsylvania. In 1911, the line was extended .47 mile west to a new Strafford P&W station adjacent to the Pennsylvania RR's Strafford station, allowing easy interchange between the two lines. In 1912, a 6.2-mile branch was constructed from Villanova Junction, .33 mile west of the existing Villanova station, to Norristown.^[5] When the newly-built branch quickly attracted more ridership than the Strafford main line, the Norristown section became the main line and the Strafford stretch was demoted to branch status; in the mid 1930s, the Strafford spur was narrowed to a single track for its last 1.74 miles between the Wayne-St. Davids and Strafford stations, while the Norristown line got a sleek new art deco terminus at Main and Swede Streets.^[5]

Lehigh Valley connection

From Norristown, the P&W RR connected its tracks with Lehigh Valley Transit Liberty Bell Route to provide direct electric train service from 69th St. Terminal to Allentown, Pennsylvania. However, in 1951, the Lehigh Valley Transit Company ended its service on the Liberty Bell Route, and in 1953 the company ended all its remaining rail service. Two years later, the P&W RR was taken over by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (PSTC), which was more popularly known as the Red Arrow Lines. In 1956, the PSTC abandoned the original branch between Villanova to Strafford, leaving only electric MU trains between 69th Street and Norristown, as it is today.^[6] The PSTC was absorbed into SEPTA in 1969,^[7] eliminating the original railroad charter and immediately becoming the "Norristown High-Speed Line Trolley", officially known as Route 100.

Ridership

Ridership on the Norristown line peaked in 1973 at 2,860,000 annual linked trips, and again in 1980 with 2,579,000 annual linked trips. Ridership statistics for fiscal years 2000 and later are from SEPTA Annual Service Plans. Data for years 1972 to 1997 are from the SEPTA 1997 Ridership Census. There may be some discrepancy in how the ridership is reported since the Annual Service Plans report total unlinked trips, while the ridership census uses linked trips, which may exclude passengers transferring from other lines.

Station names

Effective June 14, 2010, SEPTA changed the names of four stations to reflect the streets on which they were located.

Station list

Most stations (except terminals) are request stops. Passengers wishing to board must push a button at the station, which activates a light visible to the engineer. If the train is scheduled to stop at the station (see below), it will stop. Detraining passengers must press a button onboard to request the train to stop.

Service

The fare as of as of 2010^[update] is $2.00 cash on board, or $1.55 using pre-purchased tokens, with an additional $0.50 zone charge when traveling in more than one zone. The service runs seven days a week, from about 5:00 am to 1:00 am at night.

Local trains from 69th Street to Norristown stop at all 22 stations, and the trip lasts approximately 32 minutes. Occasionally, local trains may run only between 69th Street and Bryn Mawr, stopping at ten stations.

During weekday peak periods (6:00–9:00 AM, 2:15–6:45 PM), the Norristown High Speed Line features express and limited services, which stop only at select stations, therefore decreasing travel time between 69th Street and Norristown. Norristown Express service, which is noted by red destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 26 minutes, and stops at 17 stations. Hughes Park Express service, which is noted by green destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Hughes Park in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at 16 stations. Norristown Limited service, which is noted by blue destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at only eight stations. There is also one southbound Limited trip on Saturdays. All trains share the same two tracks, so a limited leaving Norristown, for example, will be immediately followed by a local, which stops at more stations, and therefore is spaced farther from the previous train. The next limited will catch up with it. Similarly, a local may leave Bryn Mawr right after an express stops there, and gets to 69th St. just before the next express or limited catches up with it.

Proposed extension to King of Prussia

There is a proposal^[update] to extend the Norristown High Speed Line to serve the King of Prussia Mall and Valley Forge office parks. The 4.9-mile (7.9 km) extension would branch from the existing line just north of the Hughes Park station, continue westward along the Norfolk Southern Morrisville Line right-of-way, and then northward through King of Prussia to Valley Forge. This extension would include 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of elevated track.

It is projected that this extension would attract an additional 3,800 daily riders. SEPTA already has enough N-5 rail vehicles to cover this extended service. It would also complement the planned^[update] Schuylkill Valley Metro line that will have a "Cross-County" segment that will also use the Norfolk Southern freight line from King of Prussia to Glenloch near Exton.

See also

• List of rapid transit systems

References

• Norristown High Speed Line schedulePDF (164 KB)
• U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980PDF
• US DOT Planning Report
• McGraw Publishing Co.: Norristown Extension of Philadelphia & Western Railway. Electric Railway Journal, Vol. XL, No. 16, October 26, 1912, p. 906.