The trolley tunnel closes Friday night for 16 days of SEPTA’s construction blitz. Here’s how to get around it.
The trolley tunnel blitz has become a Philly summer tradition as SEPTA aims to get lots of work done. Here's what to know about service changes.
SEPTA’s trolley tunnel, one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in Philadelphia, is about to get blitzed.
The conduit for five of the city’s subway-surface trolley lines is scheduled to shut down at 10 p.m. Friday and remain closed for 16 days of heavy maintenance, cleaning, and construction beneath the streets of Center City. Crews will be working 24/7.
It is scheduled to fully reopen on July 25 at 5 a.m.
This has been an annual ritual since 2012, colloquially known as the trolley tunnel blitz. Trolleys are the workhorses of SEPTA’s rail transit system and, on average, 700 vehicles operate through the five-mile tunnel every day.
Of course, the tunnel’s closing could cause headaches for riders of Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36.
What should passengers do?
During the construction period, trolleys will stop at the 40th Street portal at Market Street. Inbound riders can transfer there to the Market-Frankford Line to continue the trip, SEPTA says. Passengers outbound to West and Southwest Philadelphia can take the Market-Frankford Line to the station at 40th and Market Streets and transfer to the trolleys.
SEPTA says it will have tents at the portal as temporary shelter for people moving between the MFL and the trolleys. The authority plans to have signs and employees at the station to help riders navigate the system during the blitz.
During the overnight hours, from about 12:30 to 4:35 a.m., riders can use SEPTA’s Night Owl Bus Service, which parallels the MFL and makes the same stops as the El.
SEPTA says it will post real-time service updates at septa.org and on Twitter @SEPTA. Each trolley route also has its own Twitter account.
What kind of work will be done?
Workers will demolish and rebuild the entire eastbound 22nd Street platform, and replace the track bed there. They also will replace worn track at curves throughout the tunnel, install four miles of new overhead wire that powers the trolleys, clean and flush pipes and drains, repair switching equipment, and test and maintain signals.
Other trolley stations in the tunnel are scheduled for deep cleaning, maintenance, and improvements. That will include painting, lighting, and graffiti removal, SEPTA says.
The agency plans the blitz in the summer so it can get work done in a concentrated burst. This year, that will include planning for work needed to accommodate SEPTA’s long-promised trolley modernization project, which will have larger vehicles.
“The goal is to have the tunnel in tip-top shape for when we bring new trolleys onto the system in the not too distant future,” said Dave Montvydas, chief engineer for the division of engineering, maintenance, and construction.