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How upcoming SEPTA cuts will impact Philly sports fans — and what, if anything, can be done to help

The first round of cuts will go into effect on Aug. 24, and will create challenges for fans getting to and from games.

Eagles fans arrive at SEPTA’s NRG station, at the end of the Broad Street Line, before the Eagles played the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles fans arrive at SEPTA’s NRG station, at the end of the Broad Street Line, before the Eagles played the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Barring a last-minute funding solution, the first round of SEPTA service cuts is set to hit on Aug. 24.

For decades, local sports fans have used the Broad Street Line and other SEPTA services to travel to Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers games. This game-day train service is about to change in a big way due to a significant funding shortfall for the transit system.

Here’s what we know so far.

What do SEPTA’s cuts mean for games at the sports complex?
What about in the long term?
Could a sponsor step in and cover the costs?
How are the teams reacting?

What do SEPTA’s cuts mean for games at the sports complex?

The biggest changes for sports fans beginning on Aug. 24 are the end of game day express service, and additional game day service. The cuts will also result in a 20% decrease in all service.

SEPTA projects that approximately 15,000-17,000 fans take SEPTA to get down to the sports complex on Eagles game days. To accommodate the extra demand, SEPTA runs 10 additional express trains on game days, adding 10,000 in capacity on those days.

But SEPTA projects the biggest impacts will be on fans getting home from the games. With the robust tailgate scene, fans stagger into the sports complex over a longer period of time, but most fans are looking to leave in the first hour following the game.

In the first hour after a game, SEPTA runs approximately 9 or 10 trains from NRG Station, and most of those trains are extra game day service trains. That will likely drop to four, according to SEPTA, which means potentially more than 10,000 fans will have to seek alternate routes or wait considerably longer to catch a train.

“We’ve looked at this for that first Eagles game on Sept. 4, which will be very challenging,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch told the Inquirer. “It’s at the end of the night when service has a cutoff point. We will probably have time to still take people before service ends, but it would be a limited number, probably about four postgame trains vs. at least 10 in other circumstances.”

In addition to the service cuts, SEPTA fares are rising 21.5% across the board beginning Sept. 1. The one-way base price is set to rise from $2.50 to $2.90.

The doors close on a jammed pack subway as fans leave SEPTA’s NRG station near Lincoln Financial Field.
The doors close on a jammed pack subway as fans leave SEPTA’s NRG station near Lincoln Financial Field.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

What about in the long term?

The other major impact of the service cuts may come later on, with cuts slated for five Regional Rail lines, and the end of service after 9 p.m. on all service except buses.

For later season Eagles games at night, and virtually all Sixers and Flyers games after Jan. 1, there will be no postgame rail service at all, if the second round of cuts occur, making SEPTA a much less viable option.

There will also be a trickle-down effect for almost anyone who attends a game. Traffic will likely worsen, as fewer people taking public transit means more people driving, and more cars trying to get in and out of the sports complex parking lots at the same time.

» READ MORE: Is there actually $1 billion sitting in a fund for SEPTA? Explaining the Public Transportation Trust Fund.

Could a sponsor step in and cover the costs?

In the past, sponsors have stepped in to provide free rides from Eagles games on SEPTA. But SEPTA doesn’t know if that is a viable long-term solution for continued service.

Currently, those SEPTA partnerships cost sponsors the total amount of fares for all the patrons using SEPTA — that’s approximately $43,500 per Eagles game, if you estimate 15,000 fans times the $2.90 fare.

In order to pay for that service after the cuts are enacted, a sponsor would need to cover the full cost of service, including labor and power, and not just the fares. That could be prohibitively expensive and is currently not in the works.

How are the teams reacting?

The city’s pro sports teams have been in regular communication with SEPTA about the cuts and game day service.

“Public transportation to and from the Sports Complex for our fans and employees is of paramount importance,” a spokesperson for the Phillies said Friday. “We have been, and will continue to be, in communication with SEPTA regarding the impact of the scheduled cuts.”

The Sixers, Eagles, and Flyers declined to comment for this story. In April, the four teams released a joint statement about the cuts.

“The Phillies, Flyers, 76ers, and Eagles collectively share deep concerns about the potential impact of SEPTA’s proposed budget cuts,” a spokesperson for Comcast-Spectacor said in the statement. “Ensuring the best experience for our fans, employees, and the surrounding South Philadelphia community starts with sufficient access to public transportation to and from our venues. We are hopeful for a resolution prior to implementation later this summer.”