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83-669: On August 21, 2022, service was restored to Wawa Station, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Elwyn station. As of 2022, most inbound Media/Wawa Line trains continue onto the Manayunk/Norristown and Fox Chase lines. Media/Wawa Line trains use the West Chester Branch , a former Pennsylvania Railroad line, which diverges from the SEPTA Main Line at 30th Street Station . At Arsenal Interlocking, just south of Penn Medicine , there

166-473: A former U.S. Navy vessel originally named USS Manayunk USS Manayunk (AN-81) , a former U.S. Navy net laying ship Pretzel Park in Philadelphia, formerly known as Manayunk Park. Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Manayunk . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to

249-408: A fourth train between Angora and 49th Street stations. The accident killed one person and injured 525 others. Earlier, Train #712, a nine-car train of former PRR MP54E6 cars, had left behind the rear two cars (a coupler between the seventh and eighth car had broken), then continued on to Suburban Station. Train #716, consisting of nine ex- Reading "Blueliner" heavyweight cars, was detailed to push

332-560: A freight branch from West Falls to Port Richmond on the Delaware River north of downtown Philadelphia opened. Port Richmond later became a very large coal terminal. On January 1, 1851, the Belmont Plane on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad, just west of the Reading's connection, was abandoned in favor of a new bypass, and the portion of the line east of it was sold to the Reading,

415-421: A height of 56 feet (17 m). The Crum Creek Viaduct, which required extensive rebuilding and complete repainting (with a lengthy shutdown of service beyond Swarthmore ) by SEPTA in 1983 after decades of deferred maintenance, was completely replaced in 2016. The other three trestles, received attention similar to Crum Creek in the 1980s, have undergone comprehensive structural and substructural renewal. The line

498-520: A machine shop. In 1902, the Reading Shops were materially expanded and overhauled into new property on the north side along the Reading yards and North 6th Street, facilitating the maintenance and construction of a greater locomotive and rolling stock fleet. The shops were completed four years later; with their imposing brick architecture, they were among the largest railroad shops in the US. Unlike most railroads,

581-767: A never-built connection from the Chestnut Hill West Line to the ex-Reading near Wayne Junction . In later years the line was paired with the West Trenton Line . The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010, and the service became known as the Media/Elwyn Line . As of 2022, most weekday trains terminate at Temple University or continue to Elm Street in Norristown on the Manayunk/Norristown Line , while most weekend trains continue to Fox Chase on

664-601: A new interlocking and turn back track near Penn Medicine station, replacing the catenary system, repairing and upgrading the Walnut Street Tunnel, and repairing drainage structures. During construction periods, service has been modified along the Airport, Media/Elwyn, and Wilmington/Newark lines. In June 2005, SEPTA hired URS Corporation for design and engineering services for a project to restore rail service between Elwyn and Wawa stations. The engineering design phase began

747-584: A plan called the Metro Concept that would establish train service using battery-operated cars between West Chester and Wawa, where riders would transfer to regular SEPTA trains to Philadelphia. The proposed extension would have two stops in West Chester, a stop in Westtown Township , and a stop near Cheyney University . The extension would cost $ 16.4 million and is planned as a two-year pilot project to show

830-505: A speed record. It ran the 55.5 miles in 43 minutes at an average speed of 77.4 mph. The 29.3 miles between Winslow Jct and Meadows Tower (outside of Atlantic City) were covered in 20 minutes at a speed of 87.9 mph. During the short segment between Egg Harbor and Brigantine Junction, the train was reported to have reached 115 mph. The Reading operated an extensive commuter network out of Reading Terminal in Philadelphia . In

913-554: A typical weekday, as it will sit next to US Route 1 and serve the nearby corporate headquarters of convenience store chain Wawa . Bus service will connect the station to Painters Crossing and Concordville, Pennsylvania . On July 27, 2022, SEPTA announced that Wawa had acquired naming rights to the Wawa station for $ 5.4 million in a 10-year deal. Once Wawa station opened, the Media/Elwyn Line

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996-586: Is a junction with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor where Airport and Wilmington/Newark trains diverge. The West Chester branch turns west, curves around the Woodlands Cemetery , and heads west towards Elwyn. From University City to Fernwood–Yeadon , the line is grade-separated ; immediately west of Fernwood/Yeadon station, the abandoned Newtown Square Branch diverges north. The line has four high steel trestle river valley crossings, built between 1891 and 1896 to replace earlier structures. From west to east,

1079-531: Is double-tracked from Arsenal Interlocking to Elwyn and single-tracked beyond, with passing sidings at or near Glen Riddle, Lenni, Glen Mills, Cheyney, Westtown and West Chester. The sidings once allowed multiple commuter trains to operate on the single-track section. Passing sidings were marked by the PRR's trademark bowtie catenary poles, while single-track areas used single-pole catenary supports. After regular service ended beyond Elwyn in 1986, vandals gradually stole

1162-734: The Central New England Railway and the Boston and Maine Railroad . Amid the turmoil of the Panic of 1893, Joseph Smith Harris was elected president. Under his leadership, the Reading Company was formed and the P&;R was absorbed into it on November 30. Also in 1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad built its most famous structure, Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, which served as the terminus for most of its Philadelphia-bound trains, and also

1245-766: The Columbia Bridge and onto the city-owned City Railroad to a depot at the southeast corner of Broad and Cherry Streets in Center City Philadelphia . An extension northwest from Reading to Mount Carbon , also on the Schuylkill River, opened on January 13, 1842, allowing the railroad to compete with the Schuylkill Canal . At Mount Carbon, it connected with the earlier Mount Carbon Railroad , continuing through Pottsville to several mines, and would eventually be extended to Williamsport . On May 17, 1842,

1328-463: The Fox Chase Line . On September 19, 1986, SEPTA ended service west of Elwyn. Ridership on that segment had dwindled, a process accelerated by bustitution used while the deteriorating tracks were closed for repair. In addition, Chester County officials preferred to expand Exton Station on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line . SEPTA only had funds for one of the two projects, so service to West Chester

1411-622: The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company . The company's heavy investment in anthracite coal paid off quickly. By 1871, the Reading was the largest company in the world with $ 170,000,000 in market capitalization (equal to $ 4,323,666,667 today). It may have been the first conglomerate in the world. In 1879, the Reading gained control of the North Pennsylvania Railroad , which provided access to

1494-499: The Lehigh Valley Railroad , Central Railroad of New Jersey , and the Boston and Maine Railroad . The Reading almost achieved its goal of becoming a trunk railroad, but the deal was scuttled by J. P. Morgan and other rail barons who did not want more competition in the northeastern railroad business. The Reading was relegated to being a regional railroad for the rest of its history. The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road

1577-723: The Little Schuylkill , a horse-drawn railroad in the Schuylkill River Valley, it formed the earliest components of what became the Reading Company. The P&R was constructed initially to haul anthracite coal from the mines of the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to Philadelphia . The original P&R mainline extended south from the mining town of Pottsville to Reading and then to Philadelphia. The right of way needed only gentle grading to follow

1660-628: The heritage railway West Chester Railroad has operated on the tracks between Glen Mills and West Chester, where SEPTA no longer runs trains; this is the only such operation on a SEPTA-owned line. Amtrak maintenance trains formerly collected track ballast from a quarry near Glen Mills station. In 2014, the borough council of West Chester voted to establish a group known as the Committee to Reestablish Rail Service to West Chester. Shortly thereafter, SEPTA official Byron Comati argued that West Chester lacks ridership demand needed to support expansion of

1743-562: The 1870s, it still was a very profitable and important railroad. From the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of World War I, the Reading was among the most modern and efficient railroads. In keeping with the standards of much larger railroads, The Reading embarked on many improvement projects which typically were not attempted by smaller railroads. This included triple and quadruple tracking many of its major routes, improving signaling and track quality , as well as expanding system capacity and station facilities. The Reading invested in

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1826-496: The 2102 is in active tourist service with the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad . The Reading built or bought numerous smaller 4-4-0s , 2-8-0s and switchers for its fleet. The Reading Company did not operate extensive long-distance passenger train service, but it did field several named trains, most famous of which was the streamlined Crusader , which connected Philadelphia and Jersey City, New Jersey . Other trains in

1909-683: The 3 miles from Elwyn to Wawa later in the decade. SEPTA activated positive train control on the Media/Elwyn Line on September 26, 2016. SEPTA is undertaking the Southwest Connection Improvement Program to rebuild the section of the Media/Elwyn Line between 30th Street Station and Arsenal Interlocking; this section also carries trains from the Airport Line and Wilmington/Newark Line . The Southwest Connection Improvement Program involves replacing Arsenal Interlocking, removing Walnut Interlocking and realigning rail, constructing

1992-651: The British precedent, but in December 1871 the P&R replaced all the names with numbers. The Port Kennedy Railroad, a short branch to quarries at Port Kennedy , was leased in 1870. Also that year, the Reading leased the Pickering Valley Railroad , a branch running west from Phoenixville to Byers, Pennsylvania, which opened in 1871. On December 1, 1870, the Reading leased the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad , thereby gaining that company's route along

2075-506: The C&;A for 24 years, they established the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway (P&AC) on March 24, 1876. A 3-foot-6-inch narrow gauge was selected because it would lower track laying and operating costs. Work began in April 1877, and the track work was completed in a remarkable 90 days. On July 7, 1877, the final spike was driven and the 54.67 miles (87.98 km) line was opened in time for

2158-611: The Central Railroad of New Jersey. The Reading eventually bought a majority of the CNJ's stock in 1901. On April 1, 1889, the Philadelphia and Reading Railway consolidated the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway, Williamstown & Delaware River Railroad, Glassboro Railroad , Camden, Gloucester and Mt. Ephraim Railway , and the Kaighn's Point Terminal Railroad in southern New Jersey into The Atlantic City Railroad . The Port Reading Railroad

2241-464: The First World War with the release of the Reading from government control, they decided to streamline their corporate structure. For twenty years the Reading Company, the holding company created for the P&R and the P&R Coal and Iron Company, only controlled the P&R after the sale of the P&R Coal and Iron Company. To simplify corporate structure, the P&R ceased operation in 1924 and

2324-517: The Interstates for short-distance transportation of goods, which compounded the company's competition for freight business, forcing it into bankruptcy in 1971. In 1976, its railroad operations merged into Conrail, and the remainder of the corporation was renamed Reading International . The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road (P&R) was one of the first railroads in the United States. Along with

2407-675: The Media/Elwyn Line, in part due to competition from the Paoli/Thorndale Line . Additionally, according to Comati, the "circuitous alignment" of the Media/Elwyn Line would mean that a trip from West Chester into Philadelphia would take two hours, whereas the Paoli line offers a 45-minute trip from the Exton station . SEPTA timetables from 1986 show local trains making all stops from West Chester to 30th Street Station with scheduled travel times ranging between 59 minutes and 69 minutes, far less time than

2490-552: The P&R main line on the west (south) bank of the river with the Manayunk/Norristown Line on the opposite side, allowing passenger service to Norristown and a bypass of the old main line, known as the West Side Freight line. The Ninth Street Branch —the main thoroughfare into Reading Terminal—was also improved. Between 1907 and 1914 the old double-track and street-level route was replaced by an elevated quadruple-track route that offered greater capacity and safety. In 1901,

2573-584: The Pennsylvania Railroad's United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company . At the New York end, it used the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Jersey City Terminal from which passengers could board ferries to Liberty Street Ferry Terminal , Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal , and West 23rd Street in Lower Manhattan . The Reading Terminal opened in Philadelphia in 1893. On May 29 the Reading leased

Media/Wawa Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

2656-563: The Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh branch, or PH&P to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania where trains connected with the Western Maryland Railroad to continue westward. This route became known as the Crossline, and the Reading started to pool locomotive power between its connecting railroads to provide a more seamless transfer of freight and passengers. Even though the Reading was never again to regain its powerful position of

2739-483: The Reading Shops were able to fabricate locomotives, freight cars, and passenger cars in addition to regular overhauls and repairs. The locomotive department employed an average of 2,000 workers, featuring a machine shop containing 70 erecting pits, while the car department employed an additional 1,000. Other car shops were kept busy at Wayne Junction (Philadelphia), St. Clair/Pottsville, Tamaqua, Newberry Junction (Williamsport), and Rutherford, outside of Harrisburg. Most of

2822-517: The Reading and ensured track rights over the Reading and Central New Jersey to Jersey City . To the north, the New York Short Line was completed in 1906, and was a cut-off for New York City-bound trains through freights and the Baltimore and Ohio's Royal Blue . The first locomotive and car repair shops were built in 1850 at Reading, Pennsylvania , consisting of two enclosed roundhouses and

2905-544: The Reading gained a controlling interest in the Central Railroad of New Jersey, allowing the Reading to offer seamless, one-seat rides from Reading Terminal in Philadelphia to the Central New Jersey's Jersey City Communipaw Terminal by way of Bound Brook onto the Central New Jersey mainline. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was also looking for access to the New York City market, and in 1903 it gained control over

2988-718: The Reading looked at dropping the mail and in 1961 notified the government that it intended to stop mail service on its passenger trains. On July 1, 1963, the post office let them out of the contracts, which were valued at $ 2,137,000, equal to $ 21,267,796 today, and the railroad switched to Budd RDC self-propelled cars, instead of locomotive hauled passenger trains, to save money. Camden-Atlantic City speed: On July 20, 1904, regularly-scheduled train no. 25, running from Kaighn's Point in Camden, New Jersey to Atlantic City with Philadelphia and Reading Railway class P-4c 4-4-2 (Atlantic class cab over boiler) locomotive No.334 and 5 passenger cars, set

3071-458: The Reading's motive power fleet. The M1s were the first Reading locomotives to include a trailing truck, and the first engine with the cab behind the Wootten firebox . Engines with the name "lessor" in its title meant some steam power was owned by a second party and leased to the P&R. The G1s were the first Reading passenger locomotives with three-coupled driving wheels . Between 1945 and 1947,

3154-410: The air" application) by #1718's engineer once he realized a collision was imminent; and the possible distraction caused by the presence of three other employees in #1718's operating cab. Also, the branch's 50-year-old automatic block signal system was criticized as being inadequate in such a situation; although it worked correctly, the system was not equipped to display cab signal indications or stop

3237-418: The banks of the Schuylkill River for nearly all of the 93-mile (150-km) journey. From its founding in 1843, the original Reading mainline was a double track line. The P&R became profitable almost immediately. Energy-dense coal, known as anthracite , had been replacing increasingly scarce wood as fuel in businesses and homes since the 1810s, and P&R-delivered coal was one of the first alternatives to

3320-761: The burgeoning steel industry in the Lehigh Valley . The Reading further expanded its coal empire into New York City by gaining control of the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad in 1879, and building the Port Reading Branch in 1892 with a line from Port Reading Junction to Port Reading, New Jersey on the Arthur Kill . This allowed direct delivery of coal to industries to the Port of New York and New Jersey in North Jersey and New York City by rail and barge instead of

3403-424: The city. After the militia and Coal and Iron Police went to retrieve a train carrying coal that was blocked in a railroad cut, they fired on rioters and protesters, killing at least 10 and wounding more than 40. After the Panic of 1893, and the failure of Archibald A. McLeod's efforts to turn the Reading into a major trunk line , the Reading was forced to reorganize under suspicions of monopoly . The Reading Company

Media/Wawa Line - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-529: The company took 30 class I-10 2-8-0 locomotives and rebuilt them at the 6th Street facility into the modern T1 class 4-8-4 locomotives for 6 million dollars. This was a move to offset the fact that EMD FT diesel locomotives (the first choice of Reading management) were very hard to obtain, but the Reading needed faster, up-to-date modern power. The steamers never ran long enough to pay back this major investment, and had some major problems, but it did keep men employed. As of 2023, four examples have survived, and

3569-569: The company's headquarters. On July 22, 1877, after the crushing of strikes and unions by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway , and following in the path of the Great Railroad Strikes of 1877 , vandalism of the Reading's financial interests in Reading, Pennsylvania began. The subsidiary that owned mining interests in the area, the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, not the government, called up militia and Coal and Iron Police to put down riots and protests that had broken out in

3652-585: The construction of new cut-offs, bypasses and connections, much like the Pennsylvania Railroad's low-grade lines and the Lackawanna Cut-off . The completion of the Reading belt line in 1902, a 7.2-mile westerly bypass of downtown Reading, alleviated the heavy rail congestion in the busy city. In Bridgeport, a new bridge was constructed over the Schuylkill River in 1903. The bridge connected

3735-636: The copper catenary wire, prompting SEPTA to remove the rest in summer 2005. SEPTA has been aggressively replacing its legacy catenary systemwide; it replaced the remaining 1928 catenary from University City to Lenni between 2014 and 2017. The line was originally built by the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P), which opened the Philadelphia-to-Burmont section on November 15, 1853. The WC&P extended service to Media on October 19, 1854, and to West Chester on November 11, 1858. In

3818-519: The early 1880s, the Pennsylvania Railroad gained control of the line, which it renamed its West Chester Branch . One early station, Pennellton, located along a passing siding between the stations of Darlington and Wawa, was removed from service by 1911. Electrified service along the line began on December 2, 1928. The line passed to Penn Central in 1968 and was later absorbed into Conrail in 1976. On October 16, 1979, at 8:19 a.m., an inbound commuter train collided with two others plus cars from

3901-850: The east bank of the Schuylkill from Philadelphia to Norristown , as well as its branch to Chestnut Hill. In 1873, the P&R extended its reach southward by leasing 10.2 miles of track from the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad . Dubbed the Philadelphia & Chester Branch, the line extended from the Gray's Ferry Bridge across the Schuylkill River in West Philadelphia to Ridley Creek in Ridley Park in Delaware County . The segment included 4.9 miles of double track and 16.7 miles of single track, including sidings and turnouts. The segment

3984-426: The empty defective cars out of the way, and slowed to a stop in order to couple with them. Train #0714, two Silverliner IVs , then stopped short of #716, in accordance with signal rules. The next train, #1718, a four-car consist of three Silverliner IIs and one Silverliner III , neither stopped at the nearest signal nor slowed adequately at the previous signal, nor did the engineer apply the air brake correctly once

4067-417: The estimate had risen to $ 91.387 million. The extension of service to Wawa was expected to reduce traffic congestion through Middletown Township. A new train storage yard at Lenni was also constructed. [1] The Wawa Station is ADA-compliant with high platforms, a ticket office, ticket vending machines, and a waiting room, as well as a 600-car parking garage . The station is expected to see 500 commuters on

4150-724: The expanding role of the Reading as a bridge route. This included its important role on the Alphabet Route , from Boston and New York City to Chicago with traffic from the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Central Railroad of New Jersey entering the Reading System in Allentown , traveling over the East Penn Branch to Reading , where trains then traveled west over the Lebanon Valley Branch to Harrisburg and then onward over

4233-485: The first of these is over Ridley Creek between Elwyn and Media, and is 641 feet (195 m) long and 103 feet (31 m) high. The second, over Crum Creek between Wallingford and Swarthmore, is the longest of the four, and measures 915 feet (279 m) long and 97 feet (30 m) tall. The third, 274 feet (84 m) long, crosses Darby Creek immediately west of Gladstone. The last, 377 feet (115 m) long, crosses Cobbs Creek between Fernwood–Yeadon and Angora at

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4316-471: The first time to compete directly with the Pennsylvania Railroad , which became its major rival. In 1859, the Reading leased the Chester Valley Railroad, providing a branch from Bridgeport west to Downingtown . It had formerly been operated by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad. A new Philadelphia terminal opened on December 24, 1859, at Broad and Callowhill Streets, north of

4399-555: The fleet included the Harrisburg Special (between Jersey City and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ), King Coal (between Philadelphia and Shamokin, Pennsylvania ), North Penn (between Philadelphia and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ), Queen of the Valley (between Jersey City and Harrisburg), Schuylkill (between Philadelphia and Pottsville, Pennsylvania ), and Wall Street (between Philadelphia and Jersey City). The Reading participated in

4482-489: The following month, and includes preliminary engineering, environmental impact analysis, and final engineering. Shortfalls in funding delayed completion of the phase to 2010, and construction was expected to take 24 to 36 months to complete. As of November 2016, the project's completion date slipped to the Summer of 2020. As of August 2018, the completion date was further delayed to the end of 2021. As of January 2022, service to Wawa

4565-650: The former Reading shops still stand today in non-railroad use. Larger steam locomotives were introduced to haul the increasing traffic, including the massive N1 class 2-8-8-2 (Chesapeake) Mallet , and Reading made one M1 class 2-8-2 freight hauler; Baldwin Locomotive Works built the rest. Big freight haulers were the massive K-1 2-10-2 locomotives; some were built in Reading from the Mallets; others were built by Baldwin. The G1 class 4-6-2 were passenger locomotives. These classes were an important break of tradition of

4648-434: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manayunk&oldid=863700540 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Ship disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Reading Company The Reading Company ( / ˈ r ɛ d ɪ ŋ / RED -ing )

4731-462: The joint operation of The Interstate Express with the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, with service between Philadelphia and Syracuse, New York . Reading also offered through passenger car service with the Lehigh Valley Railroad via their connection at Bethlehem . Like most railroads, the Reading had contracts with the U.S. Post Office to haul and sort mail en route. After World War II ,

4814-552: The late 1920s, most of the suburban system was electrified (the first lines electrified were the Ninth Street Branch , New Hope Branch as far as the Hatboro station and extended to Warminster station in 1974, the Bethlehem Branch as far as Lansdale , the Doylestown Branch , and the New York Branch to West Trenton ). Reading ordered 150 electric multiple units from Bethlehem Steel which were supplemented by twenty unpowered coach trailers converted from existing coaches and electrified services began on July 26, 1931. After

4897-445: The line to West Chester. Beginning in 1984 the route was designated R3 West Chester and R3 Elwyn as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Shuttles operated between West Chester and Elwyn; Elwyn trains operated through the city center to North Broad station but did not continue on to the ex-Reading side of the system. Plans had called for the line to be paired with the Chestnut Hill West Line but this depended on

4980-489: The line, along with some connecting track, its Philadelphia and Chester Branch; southbound trains reached it via the Junction Railroad , jointly controlled by PW&B, Reading, and PRR, and continued on to the connecting Chester and Delaware River Railroad. During 1875, four members of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad board of directors resigned to build a second railroad from Camden, New Jersey , to Atlantic City by way of Clementon . Led by Samuel Richards, an officer of

5063-526: The longer trip by ships from Port Richmond around Cape May . Instead of broadening its rail network, the Reading invested its vast wealth in anthracite and its transportation in the mid-19th century. In 1890, however, Reading president Archibald A. McLeod concluded that expanding the company's rail network and becoming a trunk railroad would prove more lucrative than anthracite mining. The following year, in 1891, McLeod began attempting to seize control of neighboring railroads and successfully gained control of

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5146-401: The near monopoly held by Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company since the 1820s. The P&R bought or leased many of the railroads in the Schuylkill River Valley and extended westward and north along the Susquehanna River into the southern portion of the Coal Region. In Philadelphia, the Reading built Port Richmond , the self-proclaimed "largest privately-owned railroad tidewater terminal in

5229-498: The nearby quarry and the possibility of the West Chester Railroad running future excursions past Glen Mills Station. Wawa station opened for service on August 21, 2022. West Chester and Chester County officials have been pushing SEPTA to restore service to West Chester since 2011. The request would give commuters an alternative to driving to the Paoli/Thorndale Line stations in Exton or Paoli, and reduce congestion on U.S. Route 202 between U.S. Route 1 and West Chester. Since 1997,

5312-445: The old one at Cherry Street. The Reading and Columbia Railroad was chartered in 1857 to build from Reading southwest to Columbia on the Susquehanna River . It opened in 1864, using the Lebanon Valley Railroad from Sinking Spring east to Reading. The Reading leased it in 1870. The early Philadelphia and Reading Railroad named all of its locomotives with names such as Winona or Jefferson , as did most American railroads following in

5395-408: The only company that continued using the old route. The Lebanon Valley Railroad was chartered in 1836 to build from Reading west to Harrisburg . Reading financed the construction of the Rutherford Yard to compete with the PRR's nearby Enola Yard . The Reading took it over and began construction in 1854, opening the line in 1856. This gave the Reading a route from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, for

5478-440: The rear of #0714 was seen around a curve. Traveling at an estimated 28 mph, #1718 rear-ended #0714, shoving it forward to collide in succession with all the other stopped equipment. Both cars of #0714 derailed, as did some of the other cars. A total of 525 passengers were injured, including a conductor who died a few days later from his injuries. Many cars were damaged, including the lead car of #1718 (Silverliner II #265) which

5561-426: The service can attract riders. Unused or demolished stations are in gray. Between FY 2013–FY 2019 yearly ridership on the Media/Wawa Line ranged from 2.9 to 3.1 million before collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic . Manayunk Manayunk can refer to: Manayunk, Philadelphia , a neighborhood in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USS Ajax (1869) ,

5644-403: The summer tourism season. However, on July 12, 1878, the P&AC Railway slipped into bankruptcy; on September 20, 1883, it was jointly acquired by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway for $ 1 million. The name was changed to Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad on December 4, 1883. The first major task was to convert all track to standard gauge, which

5727-471: The train in event of a speed violation, nor could it allow trains to operate against the current of traffic on either track. SEPTA subsequently resignaled the line to all of these standards using color light wayside signals, first between Arsenal and Secane interlockings in the late 1980s, and then from Secane to Elwyn in the mid-1990s during restoration of double track between Media and Elwyn. SEPTA took over operations in 1983, running commuter service on

5810-440: The two hours suggested by current SEPTA officials. In March 2018, SEPTA completed the West Chester Line Restoration Feasibility Study, which showed that a restoration of train service to West Chester would improve connectivity, provide a commuter alternative, increase transit ridership, encourage economic development, and not have negative environmental effects. In 2022, the borough council of West Chester voted to seek funding for

5893-511: The world", which burnished the P&R's bottom lines by allowing anthracite coal to be loaded onto ships and barges for export. In 1871, the Reading established a subsidiary, the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company , which set about buying anthracite coal mines throughout the Coal Region. This vertical expansion gave the P&R almost full control of the region's anthracite coal market, including both its mining and transport, allowing it to compete successfully with competitors such as

5976-501: Was a Philadelphia -headquartered railroad that provided passenger and freight transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states from 1924 until its acquisition by Conrail in 1976. Commonly called the Reading Railroad and logotyped as Reading Lines , the Reading Company was a railroad holding company for most of its existence, and a single railroad in its later years. It operated service as Reading Railway System and

6059-414: Was a successor to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company , founded in 1833. Until the decline in anthracite shipments from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania following World War II , it was one of the most prosperous corporations in the United States. Enactment of the federally -funded Interstate Highway System in 1956 led to competition from the modern trucking industry. They used

6142-615: Was chartered in 1890 and opened in 1892, running east from a junction from the New York main line near Bound Brook to the Port Reading on the Arthur Kill near Perth Amboy . The Lehigh Valley Railroad was leased on December 1, 1891, under the presidency of Archibald A. McLeod, but that lease was canceled on August 8, 1893, when the Reading went into receivership , an event associated with the Panic of 1893 . The Reading also relinquished control of

6225-400: Was chartered on April 4, 1833, to build a line along the Schuylkill River between Philadelphia and Reading . The portion from Reading to Norristown opened July 16, 1838, and the full line opened December 9, 1839. Its Philadelphia terminus was at the state-owned Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (P&C) on the west side of the Schuylkill River from where it ran east on the P&C over

6308-540: Was completed on October 5, 1884. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway acquired full control on December 4, 1885. The Reading leased the North Pennsylvania Railroad on May 14, 1879. This gave it a line from Philadelphia north to Bethlehem , and also the valuable Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad, the descendant of the National Railway project, providing a route to New York City in direct competition with

6391-534: Was created to serve as a holding company for the Reading's rail and coal subsidiaries: the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, respectively. However, in 1906, with the support of the Roosevelt Administration, the Hepburn Act was passed. This required all railroads to disinvest themselves of all mining properties and operations, and so the Reading Company

6474-528: Was expected to resume in July 2022. On May 23, 2022, it was announced that the start of passenger service to Wawa would be delayed until August 21, 2022. The project included new track, catenary, signals , and communications equipment; and new structures, including a new station at Wawa with a large park and ride facility. SEPTA initially estimated that the cost would be $ 51.327 million, but in SEPTA's 2014 Capital Budget,

6557-544: Was forced to sell the P&R Coal and Iron Company. Whether an actual monopoly or not, the company's history as the Reading Railroad over a century ultimately became immortalized as a featured property on the original Monopoly game board. Even though moving and mining of coal was its primary business, the P&R eventually became more diversified through the development of many on-line industries, averaging almost five industries per mile of main line at one point, and

6640-563: Was later written off and scrapped. In addition to speed and signal rules violations, other causative factors in the accident cited by the National Transportation Safety Board included: inoperative onboard radios in the Silverliners, and no radios at all in the heavyweight MUs; an inoperative speedometer on Train 1718; improper operation of the air brake (a full-service brake application rather than an emergency "dumping

6723-474: Was part of the original 1838 line of the PW&;B, which in 1872 opened a new stretch of track further inland to serve more populated areas and reduce flooding. On July 1, 1873, the PW&B agreed to lease the freight rights to the P&R for "$ 350,000 payable at the time the lease was made and $ 1 a year thereafter" for a term of 999 years with the stipulation that no passenger trains would use it. The Reading dubbed

6806-634: Was renamed to the Media/Wawa Line. The Delaware County Planning Department is working with SEPTA and Friends of the Chester Creek Branch to build a hiking trail within SEPTA's right-of-way from the new Wawa station to Lenni Road. This will be the northern end of the Chester Creek Trail . In July 2022, SEPTA began restoration of track between the former Darlington and Glen Mills stations , in anticipation of future freight rail service to

6889-428: Was terminated. SEPTA did not officially place the line out of service until late 1991. At the time, Delaware County officials were pushing to restore service at least as far as Wawa, but Chester County officials were unenthusiastic and SEPTA General Manager Louis Gambaccini said service restoration between Wawa and West Chester was "not cost-effective." Nonetheless, SEPTA studied the possibility of restoring service on

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