Philadelphia's trolley tunnel set to reopen in mid-January after months-long closure.
In a significant development, SEPTA officials announced Friday that the agency has completed repairs to its Center City trolley tunnel, which was closed since November for overhead wire upgrades. The five-mile tunnel, situated under Market Street, is expected to reopen its service in mid-January following successful test runs, the media relations director of SEPTA confirmed.
According to Andrew Busch, the agency's spokesperson, while progress has been made during ongoing testing, a specific reopening date remains uncertain at this time. However, he expressed optimism that work will continue to build momentum, with an anticipated update in early next week.
The tunnel closure began in late November as part of a maintenance effort aimed at reducing wear and tear on the overhead infrastructure by switching out sliders that connect trolley cars to the wire. The replacement parts were intended to lower future maintenance costs; however, they inadvertently damaged the existing system, prompting two mass train evacuations in October.
Following a brief reopening in late November, workers discovered additional issues and subsequently closed the tunnel once more. SEPTA has since completed repairs, reinstalled original sliders, and resumed service with shuttle bus connections between 15th and 40th Streets to mitigate disruptions during this period.
The ongoing closure is separate from SEPTA's annual maintenance routine, which typically takes place in summer months. Additionally, the agency has been providing supplementary shuttle buses to Delaware County trolley lines since December due to inclement weather-related hazards.
SEPTA officials are now focused on ensuring a safe reopening of its trolley tunnel, which will undoubtedly bring relief to commuters who have endured months without full service.
In a significant development, SEPTA officials announced Friday that the agency has completed repairs to its Center City trolley tunnel, which was closed since November for overhead wire upgrades. The five-mile tunnel, situated under Market Street, is expected to reopen its service in mid-January following successful test runs, the media relations director of SEPTA confirmed.
According to Andrew Busch, the agency's spokesperson, while progress has been made during ongoing testing, a specific reopening date remains uncertain at this time. However, he expressed optimism that work will continue to build momentum, with an anticipated update in early next week.
The tunnel closure began in late November as part of a maintenance effort aimed at reducing wear and tear on the overhead infrastructure by switching out sliders that connect trolley cars to the wire. The replacement parts were intended to lower future maintenance costs; however, they inadvertently damaged the existing system, prompting two mass train evacuations in October.
Following a brief reopening in late November, workers discovered additional issues and subsequently closed the tunnel once more. SEPTA has since completed repairs, reinstalled original sliders, and resumed service with shuttle bus connections between 15th and 40th Streets to mitigate disruptions during this period.
The ongoing closure is separate from SEPTA's annual maintenance routine, which typically takes place in summer months. Additionally, the agency has been providing supplementary shuttle buses to Delaware County trolley lines since December due to inclement weather-related hazards.
SEPTA officials are now focused on ensuring a safe reopening of its trolley tunnel, which will undoubtedly bring relief to commuters who have endured months without full service.
I'm so glad they're finally done with the repairs! Months without full trolley service was super frustrating for Philadelphians 
. I mean, can you imagine having to take a shuttle bus between 15th and 40th Streets all day? 
That's just not ideal at all 
. On the bright side, it's awesome that they're being cautious about reopening the tunnel safely 
. Let's hope they get it right this time 
.
Trolly woes, am I right? 
So they just reopened the trolley tunnel in Philly and it's still kinda iffy 
... They fixed some parts but somehow caused more problems when they swapped out old wires for new ones 
. I get that maintenance is necessary, but can't we just keep things running smoothly without all these dramatic shutdowns? 
Anyway, at least they're trying to get it back up and running with shuttle buses and whatnot. Fingers crossed it's stable this time 
...
. I mean, I get that maintenance is important, but two mass train evacuations? That's just crazy 
. Fingers crossed they can get everything sorted out by then so we can all get back to our usual daily grind 
️.
. I'm actually surprised they were able to find more issues after re-opening it, but at least they're being super cautious about getting everything right.
. But I guess it's better to have some service than none at all, right? Mid-January is definitely soon enough for me – can't wait to hop on the trolley again and feel like a normal person 
. anyway, fingers crossed they'll reopen on time & commuters can finally get back 2 normal life 
.
SEPTA has been doing a great job of keeping us updated on the progress and I love how they're being super transparent about it. 
I feel for those commuters who have been stuck with limited options. But hey, at least SEPTA's on it and getting everything back up and running ASAP! 
. I know SEPTA's been working hard to fix the issues, and I appreciate them taking their time to get it right instead of rushing back online too soon. Let's hope they can get a specific reopening date soon so we can all breathe a sigh of relief 
. And who knows, maybe this will be the perfect excuse for me to finally try that new coffee shop downtown 
️.
. It's just... can we please have our trolley tunnel back already? Mid-January feels so far away 
and good on them for learning from that October evacuation mess 