SEPTA: “Significant Number” of Trains Canceled Tonight

Photo: Dan McQuade

Update, 6pm: SEPTA received an injunction from the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas early this evening to prevent picketers from blocking access to Regional Rail sites. “SEPTA hopes this will ensure that incidents like those that disrupted service today will not happen again,” authority spokeswoman Carla Showell-Lee said in a release.

Earlier: Your evening commute just got worse.

SEPTA reports that due to striking Transport Workers Union members picketing “several” of its rail yards, dozens of trains for tonight’s evening rush hour are being canceled. Trains that do run could have delays of up to 45 minutes.

RRD: Significant number of trains to be canceled tonight; several rail yards blocked by TWU strike activity. Seek alternate means.

— SEPTA (@SEPTA) November 1, 2016

Controllers are scrambling to provide service. This event hinders our ability to display status info on boards/Appshttps://t.co/dMwlHgpWEt

— SEPTA_SOCIAL (@SEPTA_SOCIAL) November 1, 2016

SEPTA says striking workers are “blocking” the rail yards; it’s unclear if they’ve formed a human chain of some kind or non-striking SEPTA workers are refusing to cross the picket line. Regional Rail workers are not part of the strike.

“The union is working with with SEPTA’s lawyers to protect the exercise of free speech through picketing,” Transit Workers Union Local 234 spokesman Jamie Horwitz says, “while still allowing unfettered access to SEPTA facilities and preventing any form of interference.”

Riders are urged to find alternate means to get home. If they can’t, they are in for a long wait at 30th Street, Suburban and Jefferson Stations this evening.

TWU representatives have not responded to a request for comment.