Norristown High Speed Line


The Norristown High Speed Line is a interurban light rapid transit line operated by SEPTA, running between the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby and the Norristown Transportation Center in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States. The rail line runs entirely on its own right-of-way, inherited from the original Philadelphia and Western Railroad line. In Fiscal Year 2013, the Norristown High Speed Line carried 2,419,500 passengers; this was down from the 2.764 million passengers carried in Fiscal Year 2012, partly due to a two-day service suspension due to Hurricane Sandy. In Fiscal Year 2015, the Norristown High Speed Line carried 3,429,300 passengers, an increase of 9% from FY 2014 when it carried 3,147,209 passengers.
The Norristown High Speed Line is unique in its combination of transportation technologies. Originally chartered as a Class I railroad, the line is fully grade separated, collects power from a third rail, and has high-level platforms common to rapid transit systems or commuter rail systems such as New York City's Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, but has onboard fare collection, mostly single-car operation, and frequent stops more common to light rail systems. Previously, the Norristown High Speed Line was considered to be a heavy rail line, according to a 2008 SEPTA budget report; however, the line is currently considered an interurban heavy rail line, according to a 2009 SEPTA business plan, and subsequent capital budgets. It has also been categorized by the American Public Transportation Association as "Intermodal High Speed rapid rail transit".
The purple color-coded line was formerly known simply as Route 100, but was officially changed to its current name in September 2009 as part of a customer service initiative by SEPTA. The line has been subject to multiple accidents in recent years. In August of 2017, there was a crash involving an unoccupied railcar at 69th Street Terminal that injured more than 40 people. As a result, the maximum operating speed on the line was decreased to 55 mph.

History

The Norristown High Speed Line began service in 1907 as the Philadelphia and Western Railroad, which ran from the present 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to a converted farmhouse station in Strafford, Pennsylvania. In 1911, the line was extended west to a new Strafford P&W station adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Strafford station, allowing easy interchange between the two lines. In 1912, a branch was constructed from Villanova Junction, west of the existing Villanova station, to Norristown. When the newly built branch quickly attracted more ridership than the Strafford main line, the Norristown section became the main line and the Strafford stretch was demoted to branch status; in the mid-1930s, the Strafford spur was narrowed to a single track for its last between the Wayne-St. Davids and Strafford stations, while the Norristown line received a sleek new art deco terminus at Main and Swede Streets.

Lehigh Valley connection

From Norristown, the P&W RR connected its tracks with the Lehigh Valley Transit Liberty Bell Route to provide direct electric train service from 69th St. Terminal to Allentown, Pennsylvania. However, in 1951, the Lehigh Valley Transit Company ended its service on the Liberty Bell Route, and in 1953 the company ended all its remaining rail service. Two years later, the P&W RR was taken over by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, which was more popularly known as the Red Arrow Lines. In 1956, the PSTC abandoned the original branch between Villanova and Strafford, leaving only electric MU train service between 69th Street and Norristown, as it is today. Part of the Strafford branch right of way has been converted into the Radnor Trail. The PSTC was absorbed into SEPTA in 1970, eliminating the original railroad charter and immediately becoming the "Norristown High-Speed Line Trolley", officially known as Route 100.

Ridership

Ridership on the Norristown Line peaked in 2015 at 3,429,300. The previous peak came in 2014 with 3,147,209 trips. Prior to this modern escalation in ridership the line's ridership was highest in 1973 at 2.86 million annual linked trips, and again in 1980 with 2.579 million annual linked trips. Ridership statistics for fiscal years 2000 and later are from SEPTA annual service plans. Data for years 1972 to 1997 are from the SEPTA 1997 ridership census. There may be some discrepancy in how the ridership is reported since the annual service plans report total unlinked trips, while the ridership census uses linked trips, which may exclude passengers transferring from other lines.
Fiscal yearAverage weekdayAnnual passengers
FY 20163,429,300
FY 20153,147,209
FY 20058,8012,512,690
FY 20048,4282,463,500
FY 20037,9252,491,074
FY 20009,2503,046,927

Station names

Effective June 14, 2010, SEPTA changed the names of four stations to reflect the streets on which they were located. Township Line Road, Roberts Road, Stadium – Ithan Avenue and DeKalb Street.

Closure of Schuylkill River bridge for repairs

In summer 2013, SEPTA closed the bridge carrying the Norristown High Speed Line over the Schuylkill River for four months. The bridge, which was built in 1911, had been deteriorating and needed to be rebuilt which would cost an upwards of $30 million, though this repair project was budgeted at $7.5 million. As a result of closing the bridge, buses were used to transport passengers between the Bridgeport station and the Norristown Transportation Center. The bridge was reopened in November 2013. The remaining $30 million renovation of the entire bridge structure is currently unscheduled.

Service

The fare for a single ride as of January 2020 is $2.50 using cash or $2.00 using the Travel Wallet feature on a SEPTA Key card. Until September 1, 2014, the line used a "pay-as-you-exit" fare collection system on trains towards 69th Street Transportation Center. As part of a general change on several routes approaching 69th Street, passengers now pay onboard upon entering the train. Starting January 7, 2019, fares at 69th Street Transportation Center and Norristown Transportation Center are collected from station turnstiles from 5:30 am to 9:00 pm on weekdays.
The service runs seven days a week, from about 5:00 am to 1:00 am. Local trains from 69th Street to Norristown stop at all 22 stations, and the trip lasts approximately 32 minutes. Occasionally, local trains may run only between 69th Street and Bryn Mawr, stopping at ten stations, or 69th Street and Hughes Park, stopping at 18 stations.
During weekday peak periods, the Norristown High Speed Line features express and limited services, which stop only at select stations, therefore decreasing travel time between 69th Street and Norristown. Norristown Express service, denoted by red destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 26 minutes, and stops at 17 stations. Norristown Limited service, denoted by blue destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at only eight stations. All trains share the same two tracks, so a limited leaving Norristown, for example, will be immediately followed by a local, which stops at more stations, and therefore is spaced farther from the previous train. The next limited will catch up with it. Similarly, a local may leave Bryn Mawr right after an express stops there, and gets to 69th Street just before the next express or limited catches up with it.
A former Hughes Park Express service, was denoted by green destination signs, traveled nonstop from 69th Street to Beechwood–Brookline, and made all stops from there to Hughes Park in approximately 22 minutes.

Station list

Most stations are request stops. Passengers wishing to board must push a button at the station, which activates a light visible to the engineer. If the train is scheduled to stop at the station, it will stop. Detraining passengers must press a button on board to request the train to stop.
LocationMiles LCLEXPLIMStationNotes/Connections
Upper Darby●●●69th Street Transportation Center SEPTA Rapid Transit: Market–Frankford Line
SEPTA Suburban Trolley:
SEPTA City Bus:
SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Upper Darby●↑ParkviewServed by all local trains and inbound express trains
Haverford●↑↑Township Line RoadServed by all inbound trains and outbound local trains
SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Haverford●●Penfield
Haverford●Beechwood – Brookline
Haverford●Wynnewood Road
Haverford●●●Ardmore Junction SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Haverford●Ardmore Avenue
Haverford●Haverford
Radnor●●Bryn Mawr
Radnor●●Roberts Road
Radnor●●Garrett Hill
Radnor●●Stadium – Ithan Avenue
Radnor●●Villanova SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Radnor●●●Radnor SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Lower Merion●●County Line
Lower Merion●●Matsonford
Upper Merion●●●Gulph Mills SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Upper Merion●●●Hughes Park
Bridgeport●●●DeKalb Street SEPTA Suburban Bus:
Bridgeport●●●Bridgeport
Norristown●●●Norristown Transportation Center SEPTA Regional Rail:
SEPTA Suburban Bus:

King of Prussia Spur

In 2013, it was proposed to create a branch off the Norristown High Speed Line to serve the King of Prussia mall, Valley Forge office parks, and the Valley Forge Casino Resort. Many possible routes were planned for this extension, including one following US 202 from Norristown to King of Prussia, another following a utility right-of-way paralleling US 202 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and another following the utility right-of-way and Gulph Road. In 2014, SEPTA estimated that the expansion would cost between $500 million to $650 million, and was at least eight years away.
On February 29, 2016, SEPTA announced which of those routes it would prefer as being most cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly. The route will branch off from the main route between Hughes Park and DeKalb Street, and will follow a PECO transmission line right-of-way from the wye junction to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. From there, it will run across the south side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike until it reaches the King of Prussia mall. It will then follow Mall Boulevard, before crossing the Turnpike and following First Avenue. Stations will be located at Henderson Road, the Court and Plaza at King of Prussia, at the intersection of First and Clark avenues in the King of Prussia Business Park, and on First Avenue near the Valley Forge Casino Resort.
On January 25, 2018, the SEPTA board approved a final route alignment, selecting the locally preferred routing from among the options studied in the project's draft environmental impact statement. The line was estimated to cost between $1 billion and $1.2 billion, with ridership estimated at 9,500 daily by 2040. In January, 2019, SEPTA engaged the engineering firm HNTB to design Phase I of the project.
Four new stations will be added to the line as follows:
  • Court station
  • Mall Boulevard East station
  • First Avenue East station
  • First and Moore station