SEPTA’s plans are to salvage about 65% of that building to form the nucleus of the heavy maintenance facility. An existing building on the property is solid, with a vast interior that includes cranes. It is not in a flood plain, unlike many of the properties SEPTA was forced to look at farther south in the Eastwick neighborhood and it is in an industrial area, with few residences nearby.

“It met a lot of our selection criteria.” The site is along an active car line and is located close to the 40th Street portal, making it easy to deploy cars. “It just seemed to make everything fit,” said Dennis Stefanski, an engineer and senior project manager for trolley modernization. Recently, the board authorized the purchase of 13.52 acres and a former steel fabricating plant at 5100 Grays Avenue, near Bartram’s Garden along the Route 36 line. The land was needed so the authority could construct a new and enlarged car house where a new fleet of longer streetcars could be effectively maintained. Late-night travelers were advised to take the Night Owl Bus Service that parallels the route of the Market-Frankford Subway.Ībout 18 months ago, SEPTA was outbid by Amazon for a 29-acre piece of land at 6901 Elmwood Avenue, once home to a General Electric plant, that was critical to the authority’s plans to modernize and upgrade its West Philadelphia trolley system. Tents were erected to shelter people transferring between the El and the trolleys. Here, riders transferred to the Market-Frankford Line for Center City and did the reverse from 13th Street in Center City. All stations underwent deep cleaning, repairs, graffiti removal and repainting, and workers repaired some spall, or crumbling concrete, on the tunnel walls and checked for any other signs of damage, according to Kate O’Connor, the Chief Engineer for Buildings and Bridges.ĭuring the tunnel closure, trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 used the emergency surface trackage to 40th and Market Street. In addition, the usual cleaning and flushing of pipes and drains was performed, switching equipment was repaired and tested and maintenance of the signal system was done. Worn rail was replaced at curves throughout the tunnel and four miles of new overhead wire was hung. Work in the tunnel included the demolition and reconstruction of the entire eastbound platform at 22nd Street Station, including the replacement of the track bed. “About 200 day-shift workers and about 150 workers on the night shift will swarm the tunnel”. “We run around the clock for a 16-day window,” said Dave Montvydas, Chief Engineer for SEPTA’s Engineering, Maintenance and Construction Division. and continuing through July 25 at 5 a.m., the 10 the annual Transit Tunnel Blitz closed down the Center City Trolley Tunnel that runs from 13th Street to 40th Street so major work could be performed without interruption.

Septa route 15 bus replacement schedule