PATCO makes quiet cars permanent starting Jan. 2

Quiet cars will become permanent on PATCO High-Speed Line rush-hour trains starting Jan. 2, the Delaware River Port Authority announced Monday.

The move follows PATCO's launch of a pilot program in March in which the last car on every train was designated a quiet car. Riders responded positively in customer surveys over the summer, the agency said.

The quiet cars will be part of trains operating from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, but will no longer be available at other times.

Operators also no longer will announce quiet cars' availability.

"We had customers who made an observation that PATCO thought was valid, which was that, what good is a quiet car if you have a public address every stop saying the last car on the train is a quiet car?" DRPA spokesman Tim Ireland said.

PATCO has begun outfitting trains with signs informing passengers that the last car on each six-car rush-hour train is a quiet car and displaying the hours of availability.

As on other lines that use quiet cars, including Amtrak and SEPTA, passengers are asked to limit cellphone use to silent texting, to listen to music on headphones at a volume that cannot be heard by other riders, and to speak quietly.

Ireland reported that not all passengers favored quiet cars, saying they "thought it was futile or . . . a bad idea."