Waterfront trolley line could run $500 million

A trolley line along the Philadelphia waterfront, with a connection to Center City, could cost about $500 million and eventually carry about 15,000 riders a day, according to new estimates.

The Delaware River Port Authority, which operates the PATCO High Speed line between South Jersey and Philadelphia, is proposing to build a light-rail line along Columbus Boulevard.

The DRPA, along with SEPTA and city officials, is expected to announce next month its plans for the waterfront line and its choice among three possible rail links to Center City.

The link likely to be selected is "Alternative Two," a trolley line along Market Street from Columbus Boulevard to City Hall.

That would offer the highest ridership and would be the most expensive of the three alternatives under consideration, according to details unveiled Tuesday at a public session on the plans.

The cost is estimated at $364 million to $514 million. Daily ridership is projected to be 12,000 to 14,600 passengers by the year 2030.

"That's certainly not chump change, but it's relatively inexpensive for transit construction," said DRPA chief executive John Matheussen. The DRPA hopes to get federal funding to help pay for the line, which wouldn't be built for at least five years.

The other alternatives would connect the waterfront trolley to the soon-to-be-reopened PATCO station at Franklin Square beneath 6th and Race streets.

One, dubbed Alternative One, would cost an estimated $310 million to $437 million and carry 7,000 to 8,500 riders a day by 2030. The other, Alternative Three, would cost an estimated $339 million to $479 million and carry 7,900 to 9,700 riders per day by 2030.

Discussions continue with city and SEPTA officials about who would operate the service. It's possible DRPA could build the line and SEPTA would operate it.

The annual operating and maintenance costs would also be slightly higher for the Market Street alternative: up to $14.3 million a year, compared to $12.3 million for Alternative One and $13.5 million for Alternative Three.

The proposed waterfront line would operate on tracks in the middle of Columbus Boulevard from Pier 70 at the south end to Girard Avenue at the north end. That would provide service between the two casinos planned for the waterfront, Foxwoods in the south and SugarHouse in the north.

The proposed Market Street trolley to City Hall from the waterfront line would provide a connection to City Hall and the Pennsylvania Convention Center. But, planners said, it could require changes to Market Street auto and bus traffic.

And the routing of the Market Street trolley over I-95 "may be inconsistent with the city's vision for Penn's Landing" on the waterfront, the DRPA noted.

The trolleys would not be speed merchants.

Estimates for travel times during peak hours predict a 39-minute ride along the 3.3 miles of waterfront from Pier 70 to Girard Avenue, with seven intermediate stops.

To get from City Hall to either Girard Avenue or Pier 70, via the Market Street trolley, would take 38 minutes, according to preliminary estimates.

Planners and DRPA officials heard Tuesday from several people who suggested changes in the plans.

Architect Alan Johnson urged that the Market Street trolley be scrapped in favor of using the existing Market Street subway to get from the waterfront to Center City. He advocated extending the existing Second Street subway station 400 feet to Columbus Boulevard to provide a waterfront link.

Scott Maits, vice president of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers and a former trolley operator on Columbus Boulevard, advocated extending the southern end of the waterfront line to Oregon Avenue, near the intersection of I-95 and I-76, where a large park-and-ride lot could be built.

A second public session on the waterfront trolley proposal is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania at 1300 Locust St.