SEPTA Doubles Number of El, Broad Street Subway Stops for Pope Visit

Map of papal stop visits courtesy of SEPTA (click to enlarge)

SEPTA announced today it has doubled the number of stops on the Broad Street Subway and Market-Frankford El that will be open for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia on September 26th and 27th.

“SEPTA is doing everything possible to make public transportation convenient and efficient during the Papal Visit,” SEPTA GM Joseph Casey said in a statement. He added that SEPTA was able to finalize its schedule for the papal visit now that more information was available.

According to SEPTA, trains will travel in each direction on both days of the papal visit from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. There won’t be overnight service. Express service on the El will stop at 69th Street, 30th, Second and Frankford Transportation Center (Bridge-Pratt). Local stops will be Arrott Transportation Center (Margaret-Orthodox), Erie-Torresdale, Allegheny, Huntington, Girard, 8th (closes at 7 p.m.), 34th, 52nd and 60th.

Express service on the Broad Street Subway will stop at Fern Rock Transportation Center, Spring Garden, Walnut-Locust and AT&T (Pattison). Local stops will be Olney Transportation Center, Erie, North Philadelphia, Cecil B. Moore and Snyder (which could close at peak times, depending on ridership).

Riders can use regular fares (tokens, passes) to board SEPTA the weekend of the pope’s visit. SEPTA is also offering a two-day papal pass for $10 that will be valid on all subway, bus and trolley lines on Pope Weekend. (That pass costs $5 for those eligible for reduced fares.)

SEPTA also announced a credit for certain riders. Those with monthly TransPasses or TrailPasses can get $5 off the purchase of a TransPass for any of the following three months. Those with weekly TransPasses that include Pope Week can get $2 off a future pass; it’s $10 for TrailPass riders. You’ll have to hand in your old TransPass or TrailPass to get the credit, so hold on to it if you want a few bucks off.

Certain bus lines will also be detoured the weekend of the pope’s visit; SEPTA will announce more information on this in the coming weeks.

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