Obama train will slow traffic, rail service

So you're not going to the inaugural because you want to avoid the crowds, traffic and hassle?

Well, the inaugural crowds, traffic and hassle may be coming to you.

President-elect Barack Obama's whistle-stop train ride from Philadelphia to Washington today will draw cheering crowds and once-in-a-lifetime photo ops. It will also snarl traffic and disrupt normal train service along the way.

Obama is scheduled to board his Presidential Inaugural Train at 30th Street Station after an 11 a.m. send-off from 250 supporters in the North Waiting Room. He'll make public stops in Wilmington and Baltimore.

Here are the local effects:

SEPTA trains.

All trains traveling to and from 30th Street Station between 9 a.m. and noon will be subject to delays en route to the station. Service on the R2 Newark line to Claymont and Wilmington will be suspended, with trains stopping at Marcus Hook. Regular service will resume after Obama's train leaves Wilmington.

30th Street Station.

The station will be open, but some travelers may be rerouted within it. Some automated ticket machines will be inaccessible. The baggage office will be relocated. Club Acela will be closed till noon. The ramp and main terminal stairways to the SEPTA platforms will be closed during the Obama visit. SEPTA passengers are advised to use Suburban Station instead.

Amtrak.

The Wilmington station will be closed between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. During that period, Amtrak trains will not stop in Wilmington but will make all other scheduled stops. Delays of 30 minutes to one hour can be expected on regularly scheduled trains between Philadelphia and Washington, and delays may extend as far as Boston and Newport News, Va.

Local streets.

There are no scheduled street closures around 30th Street Station, but there may be intermittent closures and delays after 8 a.m. for arriving and departing motorcades. Traffic may also be affected along the rail route as motorists seek viewpoints from which to watch the train.