SEPTA Rebuilding for the Future Updates

ryan92084 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 08, 2022 5:46 am The August 21st schedules are already delivered to the media/wawa line ticket offices and probably center city. This is quite a bit earlier than usual.

As a very brief rundown:

Weekday Inbound

• 4:43am new first train 3200 out of Wawa

• 5-8am sees significant shifting, removal, and additions

• rest of the day sees a +0-5 minute departure times

• all trains stop at Wawa and Elwyn except a 4:00pm out of Media

Weekday Outbound

• 6am-7pm sees shifting of -2 minutes to +13 minutes

• train 9345 now expresses from penn med to primos

• New last train 8337 departing jefferson at 11:49pm

• Reduction in service past Media as now 4 trains end there up from 1

Weekend schedule is largely unchanged beyond the addition of Wawa

Are they going to store two push-pull trains out there? It would make sense based on the schedule to have two push-pull sets going inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening.

https://www.septa.org/schedules/future/rail/pdf/elw.pdf

Ryan: First I would rather see "EASTBOUND to Center City" and "WESTBOUND to Media and Wawa" used
to describe the new service extension on what looks to be now the Media-WAWA Line (sorry, Elwyn)...

RCT: SEPTA may store P/P equipment sets in the Media Yard and deadhead them to and from Wawa -
This is an easy equipment move of just a few miles in each direction...

Not sure if you are aware of SEPTA RRD equipment placement - there are certain yards and terminals that are
either not used for any overnight or longer layovers - such as both Chestnut Hills - or SEPTA is reluctant to use
certain yards - remembering NIMBY complaints about train noises at Doylestown when AEM7s were still in use...
CNJ most likely knows which RRD yards are not used for any equipment storage...Will any equipment be stored
at Wawa with the large Media Yard close by? Not likely...MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:Will any equipment be stored
at Wawa with the large Media Yard close by? Not likely...MACTRAXX

I thought Lenni yard was supposed to augment or supplant the Media yard. The former is actually quite a bit larger; according to a quick view of Google Maps, Lenni has five stub-end storage tracks, while Media has three tracks squeezed between the inbound and outbound tracks, plus one short stub-end track. Lenni also has room for expansion, Media does not. Did plans change for Lenni replacing Media yard, or was I imagining it the entire time?

Like most of SEPTA, Media is a north-south railroad by timetable so you will not be seeing east and westbound designations.

There is a brand new, very big yard at Lenni. Trains will be stored at both Media and Lenni. The push pulls will layover at Lenni, and I do not believe there are any trains set to deadhead from Media to Lenni on a daily basis.

The original pre-pandemic plan was for 4+5 Yard at Media to become more parking. Fortunately that did not come to pass since it looks like Media will be displaced to once the Schuylkill Yards work starts to build over a portion of Powelton

CNJGeep wrote: ↑Sun Aug 14, 2022 2:46 pm Like most of SEPTA, Media is a north-south railroad by timetable so you will not be seeing east and westbound designations

Which results in a curious factoid: Direction is determined by the operation between 30th St. and Wayne Jct., so that the direction from Center City to Chestnut Hill East Is northbound but to CHW it's southbound. Likewise, CC to West Trenton is northbound, but to Trenton it's southbound with odd numbers on SEPTA and eastbound with even numbers on Amtrak. It's not often you find an eastbound train overtaking a southbound train going in the same direction ...

(Same situation with a westbound Amtrak for Harrisburg and a southbound SEPTA for Thorndale.)

Everyone - I looked at the Media, Lenni and Wawa Station areas on Google Maps...
I was previously unaware of the new yard facility at Lenni - which is a good addition on the line west
of Media to serve the Wawa line extension - and would be useful for a future return to West Chester...
With the island platform at Wawa the second track could also be used to store a set of equipment...

As EC90 points out SEPTA Pennsy-side directions can actually be a bit confusing...
The RDG side directions on all branches are much easier and more obvious...

Something that I learned about when the MTA was searching for a site for a new LIRR yard in Suffolk County, LI
was that NIMBY and BANANA opposition was something to be taken seriously - after not being able to find a site
anywhere along the Port Jefferson Branch the decision was to expand the Ronkonkoma Yard with new tracks...
The Ronkonkoma Yard has residential areas on its northern Main Line boundary with sound walls built - these
also are a good way to deter trespassing...The new Lenni Yard looks to be in a secluded wooded area away from
any housing or developments for train storage and should be a good addition to the Media Yard facilities...

CNJ: Does SEPTA RRD have any recent or current problems with NIMBY complaints about train storage noise at
any outlying yards? From what I recall was Doylestown had the most residential areas in the yard vicinity...
MACTRAXX

Yeah, afaik all customer facing information refers to in/outbound and behind the scenes is north/south. Easier for me to think in terms of in/out for the various lines than trying to remember which ones go north/south for each way.

Looking at the Wawa station on Google Maps, what is with the switch right by the stub track platform? Is that for right of way equipment to access the tracks?

Track work is being done all the way up to Glen Mills station. Hanson Aggregates is going to start shipping out AMTRAK ballast by rail as the stuff from Virginia is getting too expensive, so I am told. Work equipment up there yesterday.

That's good news. That section has been excepted track for years. My old home used to back up to the R3; I missed the overnight rumble of the ballast train.

ryan92084 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 15, 2022 9:08 am Yeah, afaik all customer facing information refers to in/outbound and behind the scenes is north/south. Easier for me to think in terms of in/out for the various lines than trying to remember which ones go north/south for each way.

By timetable trains are still considered east or westbound on certain lines. Thorndale ans Cynwyd are west. Trenton is east heading towards Trenton. Hill West is also east heading towards CHW. The direction in town in N/S so that is why you will predominantly see that.

Whatever happened to the Conshohocken station rebuild? It looks like they built the inbound platform and erected the supports for the outbound platform, but it has been stuck that way for at least a year. Work has taken me by the site at least once or twice a week, and I’ve seen no evidence of construction vehicles.

Last I heard it was on hold due to damage from hurricane Ida pending a better rain water management plan or something.

Side note, Google maps updated and now it also says the Media/Wawa line. I hope I can take a train ride out there just to check it out. Sadly no pubs around there that is walkable

If you plan on checking the inside the doors are open 4:30am-11:30am