Silverliner Vs Out of Service - Schedule/Service Discussion

Silverliner II wrote:

danquagl wrote:Silverliner II, will that Trenton extra be added to the interim schedule? Is it an extra because of capacity issues on previous trains or another reason?

As per the Alerts section on the SEPTA website, it is added to the July 18th interim schedule as of July 25th. I assume they'll issue a new Trenton Line interim schedule next week showing the trip in print.

Maybe just for convention week?
JS

pumpers wrote: Maybe just for convention week?
JS

Good point, dunno why I didn't think of that, that's a possibility. There's also an extra on the West Trenton line consisting of MARC coaches.

FWIW, my son was on the Monday morning 6:53 semi-express out of Trenton (a small chance it was the 6:58??) this week, and
last night's 5:49 PM out of 30th St. to Trenton, and he told me neither was especially crowded. JS

I just noticed this go up on the SEPTA website at http://www.septa.org/service/contingency.html#fares" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ...

Weekday PM Fare Collection at Center City Regional Rail Stations

Starting Monday, August 1, 2016, during PM travel hours (3:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.) all fares will be collected or validated, before customers go to the platform area at Temple, Jefferson, Suburban, 30th, & University City Regional Rail Stations.

Fare Collection personnel will be stationed by each stairway. Once the fare has been validated or collected, customers will be able to proceed directly to the train platform and all stairways will be open.

Cash will not be accepted for pre-boarding payment and on-board fare payment or collection will not occur at these Stations. Customers with cash must purchase a ticket at the Station Ticket Office before going to the stairway fare line.

PM Fares will be handled as follows:

Passes/Valid Transit ID: present for validation
Tickets: punch and collect (1 ticket)
Valid Transit ID (i.e., PA Senior Transit Card/PA Reduced Fare Card): present ticket and ID to Fare Collection personnel - no cash will be accepted

This interim change in the PM fare collection process is intended to address service concerns resulting from customer congestion at the Center City Stations and on trains, improving operational efficiencies, and promoting safe customer travel. The procedures for AM, Evening, and Weekend fare collection will not change.

Interesting. I'm pretty sure they are trying to avoid the conductors collecting fares on the overcrowding trains.....

pumpers wrote:FWIW, my son was on the Monday morning 6:53 semi-express out of Trenton (a small chance it was the 6:58??) this week, and
last night's 5:49 PM out of 30th St. to Trenton, and he told me neither was especially crowded. JS

The 6:53 is the NJT trainset, while the 6:58 is the normal local. Anyone know where the leased NJT trainset is laying over in Trenton(if it does)?

Appears that delays are more resulted in manpower issues and crowding. The Media/Elwyn train 5325 is always running 20-30 minutes late. Your son was possibly lucky with his Trenton trains

there must have been 1 conductor in the whole train as that was the case for me on 7/12 i took a afternoon rush hour train local to Lansdale and we only had 1 conductor aboard
the train got SRO at Suburban and the delays started to happen at Jefferson (Market East) station

Why is it there are fewer trains running and manpower has suddenly dried up? Shouldn't there be more to go around?

SEPTA's trains are awfully slow. I was on an inbound West Trenton train yesterday and it clocked in at 35 mph between Bethayres and Noble. One of the worst railroads in the country.

Cash will not be accepted for pre-boarding payment and on-board fare payment or collection will not occur at these Stations. Customers with cash must purchase a ticket at the Station Ticket Office before going to the stairway fare line.

Okay, I'm curious, because I've been to 30th Street Station a few times. You get SEPTA tickets at the Amtrak ticket agents (a la MARC at Baltimore Penn Station & DC Union Station) or you go to dedicated agents?

bikentransit wrote:Why is it there are fewer trains running and manpower has suddenly dried up? Shouldn't there be more to go around?

- Retirements

- Fatigue

- Summertime (Vacations)

- Saturday Schedule

STrRedWolf wrote:

Cash will not be accepted for pre-boarding payment and on-board fare payment or collection will not occur at these Stations. Customers with cash must purchase a ticket at the Station Ticket Office before going to the stairway fare line.

Okay, I'm curious, because I've been to 30th Street Station a few times. You get SEPTA tickets at the Amtrak ticket agents (a la MARC at Baltimore Penn Station & DC Union Station) or you go to dedicated agents?

You would go to dedicated SEPTA windows on the upper level of the station.

bikentransit wrote:Why is it there are fewer trains running and manpower has suddenly dried up? Shouldn't there be more to go around?

SEPTA's trains are awfully slow. I was on an inbound West Trenton train yesterday and it clocked in at 35 mph between Bethayres and Noble. One of the worst railroads in the country.

if you hate SEPTA that much why don't you move to somewhere else that has a better transportation system then?

bikentransit wrote:Why is it there are fewer trains running and manpower has suddenly dried up? Shouldn't there be more to go around?

SEPTA has 22 fewer engineers than they need to run a full schedule as it is. And then, adding in the lag effect of engineers and trainmen running afoul of Hours of Service limits and having to take required days off, or working their days off which makes going over weekly HoS limits even easier to do, plus scheduled vacations, retirements, and any call-outs, it will be an ongoing issue for a while. Keolis is having similar issues on MBTA in Boston, with over 30 weekend trains canceled last weekend due to manpower shortages.

bikentransit wrote:SEPTA's trains are awfully slow. I was on an inbound West Trenton train yesterday and it clocked in at 35 mph between Bethayres and Noble. One of the worst railroads in the country.

Your train might have been running right behind a delayed train for that segment. Can't go any quicker than the cab signals and track speeds permit. Also, with the extreme heat of the past couple of weeks, the heat restriction orders will be in effect (maximum speed of 50mph on all segments with higher allowed speeds), and there will be more delays as a result.

danquagl wrote:

pumpers wrote: Maybe just for convention week?
JS

Good point, dunno why I didn't think of that, that's a possibility. There's also an extra on the West Trenton line consisting of MARC coaches.

That one is likely the afternoon half for the set, but that definitely remains an extra, since it is not even mentioned in the Alerts. Given that SEPTA made mention of the Trenton train in the morning leads me to think it is a permanent addition, since it fills a one-hour gap in the AM rush between Trenton and Holmesburg Junction (and thus will take some pressure off the NJT set following).

Wait, maximum of 50 MPH across the system? Does that include Amtrak territory?

jackintosh11 wrote:Wait, maximum of 50 MPH across the system? Does that include Amtrak territory?

Heat restrictions are issued by the controlling railroad.