Port Authority Transit Corporation

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Port Authority Transit Corporation
PATCO Speedline <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">Image:PATCO Logo.jpg</td></tr>
Locale	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden County, New Jersey
Transit type	Rapid transit<tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Began operation</th><td>June 7, 1936</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">No. of lines</th><td>1</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">No. of stations</th><td>13</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Daily ridership</th><td>38,000/day</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space: nowrap;">Track gauge</th><td>4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm</td></tr>
Operator	Port Authority Transit Corporation

A Philadelphia-bound PATCO train arrives at Woodcrest Station.

PATCO 15-16th & Locust Station exit onto street in Philadelphia.

Port Authority Transit Corporation operates the PATCO Speedline between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden County, New Jersey in the United States. The Speedline runs underground in Philadelphia, crosses the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, runs underground in Camden, then runs aboveground in the New Jersey suburbs after that. PATCO and the Speedline are owned and controlled by the Delaware River Port Authority. PATCO Speedline operation began on February 15, 1969, with the first trip from Lindenwold, New Jersey, to Center City, Philadelphia. The line transports over 33,000 people daily<ref name="post1">"Card makes change for PATCO riders" by Eileen Stilwell, Courier-Post, July 11, 2006, retrieved July 11, 2006</ref>, and operates 24 hours a day.

1 History
2 Fare collection
3 Connections to other transit systems
4 Union representation
5 Station list
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
9 Sources

[edit] History

The modern-day PATCO Speedline is composed of several disparate rail lines, some dating back to the early 20th century. Ben Franklin Bridge was designed to accommodate rail as well as road traffic; when it opened on July 1, 1926, it had two outboard structures under the main roadway for rail (in addition to two never-used streetcar tracks on the main roadway). Construction of the rail line didn't actually begin until 1932, and the Bridge Line opened on June 7, 1936. Relatively short, it only had four stations: 8th Street and Franklin Square in Philadelphia (the latter now closed) and City Hall and Broadway in Camden (connecting to the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines at Broadway). Service was soon extended north along the Broad-Ridge Spur and Broad Street Line from 8th Street to Girard station.

In Philadelphia, the tunnel known as the Locust Street Subway was built from 8th Street to 18th Street in 1931, but tracks were not laid. 1936 plans to extend the tunnel west to 49th Street never came to fruition. Trains didn't run through the tunnel until February 10, 1952, as an extension of the Broad-Ridge Spur, which now ends at PATCO's 8th and Market station. The last train ran from this line onto the Broad Street Line on August 23, 1968, and the line was reconfigured as a rerouting of the Bridge Line<ref>SEPTA Broad Street Subway, accessed July 9, 2006</ref>. This section is still owned by SEPTA, and is leased by PATCO.<ref>http://www.drpa.org/publish/library/DRPA-04-125.pdf</ref>

The rest of the line from Camden to Lindenwold opened on February 15, 1969 along former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines trackage. Woodcrest Station was added later, in 1980, between the existing Haddonfield and Ashland stations. In 2005, PATCO officials started talks of building a second PATCO spur from the main PATCO line, in which it would serve Gloucester County and ending in Glassboro, on the grounds of Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College).<ref>http://www.drpa.org/patco/history.html</ref>

[edit] Fare collection

Since 1969, PATCO has used a magnetic ticket as the sole means of collecting fares.

In July 2006, PATCO announced that it would start the transition from a magnetic ticket fare system to an electronic smart card system. Magnetic tickets will still be sold, however they too will be upgraded. The system is expected to be used by the general public in late 2006 following a testing period by PATCO employees and some frequent commuters. The system is being put into effect in an attempt to gain ridership which has fallen sharply since its peak in 1990. The system was built in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Cubic Transportation Inc.<ref name="post1"/>

[edit] Connections to other transit systems

[edit] New Jersey Transit connections

New Jersey Transit buses connect to most PATCO stations in New Jersey. The New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line also stops at Lindenwold Station, and the River LINE connects at Broadway Station (Walter Rand Transportation Center).

[edit] SEPTA connections

The SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Market-Frankford Line connects to PATCO at the 8th & Market Station, which is two blocks away from SEPTA Market East Station, where all of SEPTA's regional trains stop.

SEPTA's Broad Street Line connects to PATCO at Walnut-Locust Street station via a short underground walkway to PATCO's 12th-13th & Locust St. Station.

[edit] Amtrak connections

The stations of the PATCO Speedline are a few miles from making connections with inter-city Amtrak trains at 30th Street Station. To make the connection to 30th Street Station, one must transfer at the 8th Street and Market Station to the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line subway, and then travel four stations west to 30th Street Station. Alternatively, one can ride to 30th street via the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line from the Lindenwold Station.

[edit] Union representation

PATCO train operators are represented by Teamsters Local 676.

[edit] Station list

State	Municipality	Station	Notes
PA	Philadelphia	15-16th & Locust	End of the line and short walk to SEPTA Broad Street Line
		12-13th & Locust	short walk to SEPTA Broad Street Line
		9-10th & Locust
		8th & Market	transfer to SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and Broad-Ridge Spur
		Franklin Square	closed since 1979
NJ	Camden	City Hall
		Broadway (Walter Rand Transportation Center)	transfer to New Jersey Transit River LINE
		Ferry Avenue
	Collingswood	Collingswood
	Haddon Township	Westmont
	Haddonfield	Haddonfield	The only station east of Camden to be located below street level (in an open cut).
	Cherry Hill Township	Woodcrest	parking lot very close to interchange (Exit 31) with I-295
	Voorhees Township	Ashland	Original terminal
	Lindenwold	Lindenwold	transfer to New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line