R6 Cynwyd: SEPTA's "Dinky"

Well, what exactly is the condition of the viaduct over the bridge in Manayunk? I've read and heard several conflicting stories and I don't know who to believe. The prevailing one seems to be that when they repaired it, they only repaired the outside of the bridge to stabilize it in place. The interior, which at one time was solid concrete, now has the consistency of sand. Bascially, it's said to be a giant concrete sand bin no longer capable of bearing a heavy load.

Can anybody set the record straight?

Short story I heard: the outside concrete was flaking and spalling; that was all repaired, and that further probing during the course of that repair work found that the bridge is just fine as it is... solid concrete. The steel structure on the south end may need some attention, but the concrete portion of the viaduct is reportedly just fine for trains.... specially something as light as MU's....

well, considering it was built to withstand heavy coal drags out of anthracite country.........

A separate discussion would be how ridership on this line could be improved. It's not lacking because of location, it lacks because of service and fare. If you could ride Cynwyd with a transpass and it operated every 20 minutes, ridership would spike.

Given the extent going to replace the 52nd Street bridge, encouraging ridership should be a priority.

Agreed. Add a station, lower fares, decrease headways

BNT and SS:

The only way this RRD route will see more frequent service as mentioned is in the event it gets converted to a trolley (LRT) route...

The old PRR 52nd Street Bridge either needs to be removed or renovated given its condition - The Cynwyd Line only needs the current track access built to bypass this viaduct...

Because the Cynwyd Line - namely Bala and Cynwyd - is in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County they would need to contribute to any project or upgrade of this sort...

If this route was entirely within the City of Philadelphia lower fares - such as Zone 1 pass use off peak - could be an option...Only Wynnefield Avenue is currently a Zone 1 Station...

Remember that Transpasses are only valid between the five Center City stations and on the Airport Line weekdays at all times...

MACTRAXX

This thread is very interesting. As someone who grew up and lived along this line, I find it fascinating that for every riding Cynwyd passenger, there are 1000 non-riders who advocate for the line. Can't think of any other service that gets such attention.

roadmaster wrote:

Jeff Smith wrote:ADMIN NOTE: Rather than hijack the Cynwyd branch during car shortage thread, I merged some recent posts from there as well as a myriad of threads about the branch into what can now be a general discussion of the branch. It's an interesting history if you care to read through.

This thread is very interesting. As someone who grew up and lived along this line, I find it fascinating that for every riding Cynwyd passenger, there are 1000 non-riders who advocate for the line. Can't think of any other service that gets such attention.

At the risk of receiving 40 lashes with a brake hose for bringing this up, there were a few threads about another SEPTA branch that went on for years, drew over 1000 responses and evoked a significant amount of passion. Unfortunately, that line is now a walking trail.

glennk419 wrote:At the risk of receiving 40 lashes with a brake hose for bringing this up, there were a few threads about another SEPTA branch that went on for years, drew over 1000 responses and evoked a significant amount of passion. Unfortunately, that line is now a walking trail.

If it makes you feel better, most of the extention of the Cynwyd branch is now a walking/biking trail too.

Newtown, Quakertown are the other 2 lines waiting for their champion.

Let's try to make it to Wawa first, they at least started on that even though it's taking forever, back to the Cynwyd line, they are putting a lot of money into the new connection so it is probably safe to say the riders on that line are safe for a while yet (once the SLVs are back), there is a lot of money and politics on that line, those voices get heard, and get heard loudly, that's not to say other potential routes are ignored, but Cynwyd is all there are fully operational (with available cars), the other routes mentioned need substantial investment.

MACTRAXX wrote:The only way this RRD route will see more frequent service as mentioned is in the event it gets converted to a trolley (LRT) route...

Sorry, MACTRAXX, but it'll never happen. The effort has gone nowhere in the past because many of the residents in Lower Merion want nothing to do with a system that allow access for "those people" from West Philadelphia. The more or less express service between L.M. and the PHL CBD (bypassing everyone else in between) is exactly what they would like to maintain. And the kicker is that Lancaster Avenue is seeing gentrification proceed northwest from University City, making it a more desirable neighborhood for everyone.

So by keeping the route rush-hour only with trailpass, SEPTA is essentially condoning segregation to keep "those people" off the train. Similar to closing train stations within city limits.

11/14 - Cynwyd: Service is suspended until further notice. Alternate service suggestions are available online.