Parade of Problems: Traffic & Transit Gridlocked
SEPTA, PATCO running at full capacity; NJ Transit terminates bus service in Philly
By DAN STAMM, VINCE LATTANZIO and ADRIENNE MAROFSKY
Updated 3:33 PM EST, Wed, Jul 22, 2009
LATEST UPDATE - 6:15 PM
- SEPTA has restored regular service to the Broad St. subway line.
UPDATE - 5:15 PM
- The Walt Whitman Bridge and Expressway into New Jersey is at near standstill, according to the DRPA. They recommend for drivers to take the Ben Franklin Bridge
UPDATE - 3:30 PM
- New Jersey Transit has temporarily discontinued bus service in Philadelphia because they are unable to maneuver the streets. PATCO will honor all NJ Transit tickets for train rides into the Garden State.
- SEPTA reports significant delays on all regional rail lines. Officials say that staff on-board trains are evaluating the capacity situation at each station and will make a decision on whether they can accommodate more passengers.
- Broad Street Subway service southbound will temporarily end service at the Race/Vine station. Northbound trains will travel the full length of the line from the Sports Complex up to the Fern Rock station.
Earlier today...
If you or someone you know is making their way to the Phillies Championship Parade via public transit, be prepared to wait!
45 minutes before the parade was set to begin, scores of passengers were still waiting at regional rail stations across the area.
SEPTA trains were running at capacity Friday morning and causing at least one-hour backups at many regional rail stations.
The problems started at the first stops, where trains filled up. Down the line, would-be riders were left waiting, as train after train rolled by.
A SEPTA spokesperson said “the system is simply swamped” and that “people need to be patient.”
The transit authority temporarily suspended all inbound regional rail trains from 1 - 2 pm in order to shuttle parade goers out of Center City following the celebration.
Phillies fans coming in from the Garden State were getting hung up too. PATCO spokesman Ed Kasuba confirmed that all of their parking lots are full and that they were also running at full capacity sending six car trains every six minutes.
Kasuba said as of 11:30 am there are two hour delays getting into a station to buy a ticket.
Some fans did not mind the wait. “I left Haddonfield Station at 9:30 am. It was packed and took about an hour to get to Broad and Locust, but it was not that bad,” said NBC10 employee Jamie Simmons.
The roads are not fairing much better Friday afternoon.
The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) is also urging drivers to steer clear of the Walt Whitman Bridge eastbound into New Jersey because of massive traffic jams. The DRPA suggests drivers use the Ben Franklin Bridge until further notice.
Philadelphia police expected up to two million people at the parade for the World Champion Phillies.
First Published: Oct 31, 2008 9:22 AM EST
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