Rumor control: Where can I find official SEPTA expansion plans?

August 10, 2014 6:48 AM

I've heard (or read) that SEPTA is actively planning to extend service to several towns/regions, but there's nothing about it on the SEPTA website nor on county government sites.

Current rumors indicate SEPTA will be expanding into Wawa, Perkasie, Reading, Allentown/Bethlehem, and King of Prussia.

Does anyone know where I can track down their "real, totally not rumored" expansion plans?

posted by NYC-BB to Travel & Transportation around Pennsylvania (4 answers total)

I don't know of any one-stop shop for SEPTA expansion plans on their website. A lot of the rumored and proposed plans simply haven't gotten very far, or were totally stalled out during the Recession or even prior to it. That includes the planned-but-suspended Wawa station; I haven't heard anything beyond "Gosh it would be nice" about Perkasie, Reading, or Allentown. A lot of the rumors center on areas that used to have service from SEPTA or one of its predecessors, but that just means that rights-of-way and some amount of rail exist, not that the economics are actually there to extend service.

The often-proposed expansion to King of Prussia has its own website, but hasn't gone very far, and faces major objections from suburbanites.

You might also contact the author of Sic Transit Philadelphia, a blog that pretty thoroughly covers SEPTA; if anyone knows, they do.
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:09 AM on August 10, 2014

The SEPTA forum at railroad.net has lots of coverage of expansion plans under consideration. The PA-TEC site has a description of the state of various plans.
posted by chaotic at 8:18 AM on August 10, 2014

Try their 2015-2019 strategic business plan.
posted by slidell at 11:27 AM on August 10, 2014

Then, for longer range investments, see what is in this Connections 2040 plan.

Under federal law, every region must create a long range transportation plan where they identify the money they estimate will be available and the projects they think they will spend it on. The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission includes all the counties in SEPTA's service area. That said, every region provides different levels of detail on their plans, so I'm not sure how much info will be available.

Focus on the investments chapter. I'd look at the amended chapter, because I think SEPTA passed a new revenue measure in 2013, so any document from earlier than that may well underestimate their plans.
posted by slidell at 11:55 AM on August 10, 2014