In part 1 I made a case for massive transit investments within the city, in part 2, I’ll show you just what that aught to look like.
[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1FisD5NuPL6BmRDGcN7s17dtbm5A&w=650&h=480]This massive transit overhaul involves leveraging existing rights of way in creation of new services for maximum cost effectiveness and rapid implementation. The currently unused city branch becomes a conduit for a new metro and trolleys alike. Tracks currently in use by SEPTA, Amtrak, and or Freight operators will accommodate metro service between new stations. Many SEPTA stations within the city limits will be converted to fare control, allowing the use of tokens or metro cards with in-system transfers to new and existing lines.
Under this plan, no place in urban Philadelphia will be more than half a mile from a subway station, with trolleys in the gaps.
The plan focuses on North Philadelphia and Southwest Philadelphia, increasingly densifying regions with a large number of cars and busses which won’t need to drive to center city with rail transit in place. Suburbanites, this plan is for you, if the inner city starts using transit, you won’t have to get stuck in traffic amongst all the regals and hoopdies.
Keep reading the coming segments of “in Transit” for a breakdown of the new services, and their impacts on the areas they serve.