Broad Street Line
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| Locale | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Transit type | Rapid transit<tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Began operation</th><td>September 1, 1928</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">No. of lines</th><td>2</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">No. of stations</th><td>22</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Daily ridership</th><td>114,816</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Track gauge</th><td>4ft 8½ in (1435 mm)</td></tr> |
| Operator | SEPTA |
The Broad Street Line (BSL) (also known as the Broad Street Subway (BSS) or Orange Line) is a rapid transit line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that runs from Fern Rock Transportation Center in northern Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia, adjacent to several stadiums. It is named for Broad Street, the street under which it runs for almost its entire length. The express tracks run south only to Walnut-Locust. SEPTA also runs 'Sports Express Service' for events at the stadiums at Pattison Avenue, generally referred to as "Special" trains in Septa documentation; these switch to the local tracks at Walnut-Locust.
Contents |
[edit] Broad-Ridge Spur
A spur of the Broad Street Line, known as the Broad-Ridge Spur, takes trains from the northern terminus of the BSS to 8th and Market Streets via a split from the main line at Fairmount. At its southern terminus at 8th and Market, a transfer is available to the Market-Frankford Line and the PATCO Speedline. The name comes from the street above the line, Ridge Avenue. It was originally known as the Ridge-8th Street Subway, and at one time continued south and west along the Locust Street Subway, which is now used by the PATCO Speedline. It was also used by the Delaware River Port Authority when it operated its old "Bridge Line" subway service between Camden's city hall and Philadelphia, before being phased out and replace with the current PATCO service. The spur was originally intended to be a subway loop throughout Center City; however, city officials decided against it due to lack of funding, therefore the "loop" only runs from Broad & Fairmont to 8th & Market.[1]
[edit] History
Service on the northern half of the Broad Street Line between City Hall and Olney Avenue opened on September 1, 1928. Service south to Snyder Avenue began on September 18, 1938. Service to Fern Rock began in 1956, and the line was extended to Pattison in 1973. <ref>[2]</ref> Although the Broad Street Line north of Walnut-Locust was built for four tracks, only the sections between Walnut-Locust and Girard, and Olney and the Fern Rock shops, were equipped with four tracks at the time of opening. The two express tracks were extended from Girard to Erie in 1959, and from Erie to Olney in 1991. Two stations that have been closed are Spring Garden St. on the Broad-Ridge Line and Franklin Square on the former Camden, now PATCO, line.Outside of New York City, the Broad Street Line is one of two rapid transit lines in the United States to use separate local and express tracks for a significant length, the other being Chicago's Red Line.
[edit] Service
Four different types of trains run along the Broad Street Line:
- Local (L) — trains show white marker lights; stops at all stations
- Express (E) — trains show green marker lights; stops at select stations between Fern Rock and Walnut-Locust
- Broad-Ridge Spur (R) — trains show yellow marker lights; features service via Ridge Ave to 8th & Market from Monday-Saturday
- Special (S) — trains show blue marker lights; features service from all express stations to Pattison for sporting and entertainment events
A local trip along the entire line takes about 35 minutes. Trains run from approximately 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and a bus service replaces the subway throughout the night, stopping at the same locations as the subway trains.
| Service | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Northbound Train | 5:02 am | 12:55 am |
| Southbound Train | 5:00 am | 12:41 am |
| Northbound Night Bus | 12:20 am | 5:36 am |
| Southbound Night Bus | 12:09 am | 5:35 am |
| Northbound Broad-Ridge Spur (M-F) | 5:45 am | 9:15 pm |
| Southbound Broad-Ridge Spur (M-F) | 5:25 am | 8:48 pm |
| Northbound Broad-Ridge Spur (Sat) | 6:38 am | 9:22 pm |
| Southbound Broad-Ridge Spur (Sat) | 6:15 am | 9:02 pm |
[edit] Stations
All stations are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stations along the Broad-Ridge Spur itself are shaded in gray.
| Station | Lines | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Fern Rock Transportation Center ![]() | L E R S | transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail and SEPTA buses 28, 57, 70, C only above-ground station aerial photo |
Olney Transportation Center ![]() | L E R S | original north terminus flying junction for never-built spur transfer to SEPTA buses 6, 8, 18, 22, 26, 55, 80, C, L |
| Logan | L | transfer to SEPTA buses C, J |
| Wyoming | L | transfer to SEPTA buses C, 75 |
| Hunting Park | L | transfer to SEPTA buses 1, C, R |
| Erie | L E R S | flying junction for never-built spur transfer to SEPTA buses 23, 53, 65, C, H, XH |
| Allegheny | L | transfer to SEPTA buses C, 60 |
| North Philadelphia | L R | transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail and SEPTA buses 54, 60 |
| Susquehanna-Dauphin | L | formerly Dauphin-Susquehanna transfer to SEPTA buses C, 39 |
Cecil B. Moore/Temple University ![]() | L | formerly Columbia transfer to SEPTA buses 3, C |
| Girard | L E R S | transfer to SEPTA buses 15, C |
| Fairmount | L R | transfer to SEPTA buses 61, C |
| Spring Garden | abandoned, on the Broad-Ridge Spur | |
| Chinatown | R | formerly Vine |
| 8th Street | R | transfer to Market-Frankford Line and PATCO Speedline transfer to SEPTA buses 47 and 61 formerly Market Street |
| Spring Garden | L E S | transfer to SEPTA buses 43, C |
| Race-Vine | L E S | transfer to SEPTA Route C bus |
| City Hall | L E S | free transfer to Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail at Suburban Station transfer to SEPTA buses 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 121, C |
Walnut-Locust ![]() | L E S | transfer to SEPTA buses 9, 12, 21, 42, C |
| Lombard-South | L | transfer to SEPTA buses 40, C |
| Ellsworth-Federal | L | transfer to SEPTA buses 64, C |
| Tasker-Morris | L | transfer to SEPTA buses 29, C |
| Snyder | L | flying junction north of Snyder for never-built spur to West Philadelphia transfer to SEPTA buses 37, 79, C |
| Oregon | L | transfer to SEPTA buses 7, 68, C, G |
| Pattison Sports & Entertainment Complex ![]() | L S | Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum stadiums transfer to SEPTA buses 17, 71 |
[edit] Timeline
- September 1, 1928: Original section of subway opens from City Hall to Olney Avenue. Fare is 15 cents.
- 1930: Subway extended to South Street.
- 1938: Subway extended south to Snyder Avenue.
- 1956: Subway extended from Olney to Fern Rock (over existing tracks to Fern Rock shops).
- 1959: Express service begins following installation of second pair of tracks north to Erie.
- 1967: Roosevelt Boulevard subway station built at Adams Avenue in anticipation of extending the subway along the Roosevelt Boulevard.
- 1969: Locust St.-Camden tracks separated from BSL to form PATCO Line.
- 1973: Subway extended to Pattison Avenue sports complex.
- 1991: Express Tracks extended from Erie to Olney.
[edit] External links
- World.nycsubway.org: Philadelphia: SEPTA Broad Street Subway
- Secrets Beneath the Streets
- Current Broad Street line Train Roster
[edit] References
<references/>
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority |
| City Division | Market-Frankford Line - Broad Street Line - Subway-Surface Lines - Girard Avenue Trolley (Route 15) |
| Suburban Divisions | Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) - Suburban Trolley Lines (Routes 101 & 102) |
| Regional Rail | R1 - R2 - R3 - R5 - R6 - R7 - R8 |
| Major Stations | Market East Station - Suburban Station - 30th Street Station |
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MBTA Blue, Orange, and Red Lines | MTA New York City Subway and Staten Island Railway | PATH | SEPTA Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines | PATCO Speedline | Baltimore Metro Subway | Washington Metro | MARTA | Miami Metrorail | Tren Urbano | RTA Rapid Transit Red Line | Chicago 'L' | BART | LACMTA Red Line




