Philadelphia

Water Main Break Sends Water Gushing Onto Center City Street, Delays SEPTA Trains

A broken water main sent water gushing onto a Center City Philadelphia street Thursday afternoon and caused delays on SEPTA Regional Rail trains.

The 12-inch water main broke sometime after 11 a.m. along a closed section of 18th Street between Arch Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

SEPTA Regional Rail riders continued to experience delays due to the break impacting tracks near Suburban Station into the afternoon hours. Chestnut Hill East, Chestnut Hill West, Cynwyd, Lansdale/Doylestown, Media/Elwyn, Manayunk/Norristown, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, Warminster, Wilmington/Newark and West Trenton passengers contended with "significant delays of up to 20 minutes" due to the water main break, said SEPTA. Some delays improved slightly in the afternoon, but SEPTA continued to tweet delay times for several train lines on its Twitter account after 2:30 p.m. [[381660441, C]]

By that time, city officials said there was no disruption in water service in the area of the break, and that authorities were working with a contractor at the site of the break to determine what caused it. The break occurred near the site where Comcast's Innovation & Technology Center is being built.

Comcast said crews were working in the area at the time of the break and were also investigating what might have precipitated it.

The Philadelphia Water Department also had a crew on the scene. Officials said contractors would repair the main as soon as possible, and that 18th Street between Market and Arch would remain shut down until further notice. 

Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.

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