SEPTA Routes 101 and 102

Routes 101 and 102
Media–Sharon Hill Line

Route 102 at Sharon Hill station
Overview
Type Light rail
Locale Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Termini Media-Orange Street (west – Rt 101)
Sharon Hill (west – Rt 102)
69th Street Transportation Center (east)
Stations 52
Services
  • Media Local (101)
  • Media Express (101)
  • Sharon Hill Local (102)
  • Sharon Hill Express (102)
  • 69th Street Local (both routes)
Daily ridership Route 101: 4,400
Route 102: 3,576
(average weekday, FY 2014)[1]
Operation
Opened 1906
Operator(s) SEPTA
Character Surface (at-grade)
Technical
Line length 11.9 mi (19.2 km)[2]
Track gauge 5 ft 2 14 in (1,581 mm)[3][4]
Electrification Overhead lines

SEPTA Trolley Routes 101 and 102[Note 1] also known as the Media–Sharon Hill Line,[5] are light rail lines operated by the Suburban Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. The routes' eastern terminus is 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania; Route 101 to Media, Route 102 to Sharon Hill. Altogether, the two lines operate on approximately 11.9 miles (19.2 km) of route.[2]

Along with Norristown High Speed Line, formerly the Philadelphia and Western Railroad, the routes are the remaining lines of the Red Arrow Trolley System once operated by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, (successor to the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company); some local residents still call them "Red Arrow".

This route uses 29 Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company K cars, similar to those used on the SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines, but unlike them, the K cars on routes 101 and 102 are double-ended and use pantograph collection instead of trolley poles.

Current system

Route Length of Line[6] North teminal Main streets of travel South terminal
101 8.6 miles (13.8 km) Media
Orange Street at State Street
State Street
69th Street Transportation Center
102 5.3 miles (8.5 km) Sharon Hill
Sharon Hill
Woodlawn Avenue

The 101 and 102 run together on their exclusive right-of-way from Upper Darby to Drexel Hill Junction for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km), at which point they diverge.

Route 101 continues on its own right-of-way traveling west and southwest through Drexel Hill and Springfield with an important stop at the Springfield Mall before entering the street in Media. The 101 has double tracks to Woodland Avenue, then a single track to just before Pine Ridge, then enters the street at Providence Road in Media and runs on a single track the rest of the way. Cars in the street must yield to the trolley. Media is the only suburban town in the United States to have a trolley down the middle of its main street. The line terminates in the middle of the street just west of the Delaware County Courthouse.

Route 102 runs southeast from Drexel Hill Junction through Drexel Hill and Clifton Heights and then goes into the street in Aldan. After Aldan, it returns to its own right-of-way, then passes through Collingdale before terminating at Chester Pike in Sharon Hill. The 102 has double tracks until up to North Street in Collingdale, where the 102 returns to its own right-of-way, and after North Street, there is a single track until the end of the line.

Springfield Road contains two stops along both lines. Route 101 stops at Springfield Road in Springfield. Route 102 stops at Springfield Road in Clifton Heights, then joins this street until it moves onto Woodlawn Avenue through Aldan.

History

Heavy steel interurban cars like this ran on the Red Arrow until the 1970s.

The Sharon Hill Line (Route 102) was originally built by the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company on March 15, 1906, and the Media Line (Route 101) was originally built by the same company on April 1, 1913.[7] The lines were later bought by the Philadelphia Suburban Transit Company in 1954.

Besides Routes 101 and 102, there were also two other, now defunct, Red Arrow trolley lines. The direct ancestor of the SEPTA Route 104 bus line went to West Chester, splitting off from the rest of the system right after 69th Street Transportation Center onto West Chester Pike. The tracks continued all the way up West Chester Pike. West Chester trolleys were replaced by buses in 1954 due to widening of West Chester Pike; rush-hour trips to Westgate Hills lasted until 1958. Tracks remained in use for access to the Red Arrow's carbarn in Llanerch until SEPTA closed the barn in 1971; all tracks were soon removed except for a portion near 69th Street that SEPTA occasionally uses to store out-of service trolleys. The other now-defunct Red Arrow trolley line went to Ardmore until December 1966. It split from the West Chester line at Llanerch and continued on its own exclusive right-of-way. Much of the right-of-way still remains between Schauffele Plaza in Ardmore (the former terminus of the line) and Eagle Road in Havertown, although the tracks were removed and the right-of-way paved for dedicated use by the replacement bus line, now SEPTA Route 103. The 103 still uses this private right-of-way, although much of its other street routing has changed.

Stations

Map of Routes 101 and 102 (red), as well as former trolley (now bus) Routes 103 and 104 (orange), and Route 100 (blue)

Route 101 – Media

Route 101 LRV in Media
Private right-of-way outside Media
City Station /
Location
Services Opened Transfers and notes
Media Orange Street
at State Street
Route 101 Route 101 terminus. SEPTA Bus Route 110.
Veterans Square
at State Street
Route 101
Olive Street
at State Street
Route 101
Jackson Street
at State Street
Route 101 SEPTA Route 118 bus connections
Monroe Street
at State Street
Route 101 Passes by the Media Theatre
Edgemont Street
at State Street
Route 101
Manchester Avenue
at State Street
Route 101
Providence Road
at State Street
Route 101 Free parking available. Tracks leave street-level.
Formerly Bowling Green
Beatty Road
at Surrey Road
Route 101
Springfield Pine Ridge
Near Pine Ridge Drive
& Beechwood Road
Route 101 Free parking available
Paper Mill Road Route 101 in Smedley Park
Springfield Mall Route 101 Free parking available. Formerly Sproul Road
Connects with SEPTA Routes 107, 109, and 110.
Thomson Avenue
near Sidman Drive
Route 101
Woodland Avenue
and Rolling Road
Route 101
Leamy Avenue
and Rolling Road
Route 101
Saxer Avenue
and Rolling Road
Route 101
Springfield Road Route 101 Free parking available,
located west of Route 102 Springfield Road Station
Scenic Road Route 101 Free parking available
Drexel Hill Drexeline
Woodland Avenue behind
Drexeline Shopping Center
Route 101 Free parking available
Drexelbrook
Wildell Road south
of Woodland Avenue
Route 101
Anderson Avenue
near Woodland Avenue
Route 101
Aronimink
Burmont Road & Morgan Avenue
Route 101
School Lane
west of Edmonds Avenue
Route 101
Huey Avenue
& Edmonds Avenue
Route 101

Route 102 – Sharon Hill

City Station /
Location
Services Opened Transfers and notes
Sharon Hill Sharon Hill
at Chester Pike
Route 102 SEPTA Routes 114 and 115. Route 102 terminus.
Collingdale MacDade Boulevard
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102 SEPTA Routes 113. Formerly Collingdale.
Andrews Avenue
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102
Bartram Avenue
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102
North Street
at Woodlawn Avenue and Girard Avenue
Route 102 Tracks enter street-level
Aldan Magnolia Avenue
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102
Providence Road
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102
Shisler Avenue
at Woodlawn Avenue
Route 102 Closed March 15, 2010
Clifton Heights Clifton-Aldan
on Woodlawn Avenue and Springfield Road
Route 102
Media/Elwyn Line
Connects to Media/Elwyn Regional Rail line
Springfield Road
at Madison Avenue
Route 102 Tracks leave street level,
located east of Route 101 Springfield Road Station
Penn Street
and Odgen Street
Route 102
Baltimore Pike
near Broadway Avenue
Route 102 SEPTA Routes 109.
Drexel Hill Creek Road
at Darby Creek Road
Route 102 In Indian Rock Park. Formerly Oakdale.
Marshall Road
near Cheswold Avenue
Route 102
Drexel Manor
Burmont and Cheswold Roads
Route 102
Garrettford
Edmonds Avenue & Garrett Road
Route 102
Front of Route 102 LRV

Both routes

City Station /
Location
Services Opened Transfers and notes
Drexel Hill Drexel Hill Junction
at Shadeland Avenue
SEPTA Routes
101 and 102
Also called Shadeland Avenue. Routes 101 and 102 split
south and west of here. Transfers can be made with SEPTA Route 107
Irvington Road
near Hillcrest Road
Routes
101 and 102
Drexel Park
on Fairfax Road
Routes
101 and 102
Also called Fairfax Road
Upper Darby Lansdowne Avenue
between Garrett Road
and Winding Way
Routes
101 and 102
SEPTA Route 115. Transfers can also be made with SEPTA Route 107.
Congress Avenue
on Garrett Road
Routes
101 and 102
Beverly Boulevard
Between Garrett Road
and Bywood Avenue
Routes
101 and 102
Hilltop Road
Between Garrett Road
and Bywood Avenue
Routes
101 and 102
Avon Road
between Garrett Road
and Winding Way
Routes
101 and 102
Formerly Bywood
Walnut Street
on Garrett Road
Routes
101 and 102
Fairfield Avenue
at Terminal Square
Routes
101 and 102
Tracks re-enter street level
69th Street Transportation Center
and Market Street
Routes
101 and 102
1907 Connects with Market-Frankford Line, Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100)
to Norristown Transportation Center, and SEPTA Bus Routes 21, 30, 65, 103–113, 116, 120, 123, and 126

Notes

  1. The official name of the lines are simply "Routes 101 and 102," as indicated by SEPTA's official map (102) and official schedule (101 102),

References

  1. "Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Service Plan" (pdf). SEPTA. May 2013. p. 42. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  2. 1 2 Demery, Jr., Leroy W. (November 2011). "U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980" (pdf). publictransit.us. pp. 37–40. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  3. "The history of trolley cars and routes in Philadelphia". SEPTA. June 1, 1974. p. 2. Retrieved 2014-06-11. An early city ordinance prescribed that all tracks were to have a gauge of 5' 2 14.
  4. Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (January 1, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  5. "SEPTA Capital Improvements in Delaware County" (PDF). SEPTA. December 2007. p. 4. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  6. "SEPTA - Spring 2012 Route Statistics" (PDF). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  7. Philadelphia Suburban Transit Routes (ChicagoRailFan.net)

External links

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