2 replies to this topic

[BillMagee]

The sale of special SEPTA one-day passes for the September 26 & 27 Papal visit will start July 20. The $10 per day passes will be sold on-line only, with a limit of 10 per order and a maximum of 175,000 to be sold for each day.  The pre-purchased passes will be the only tickets valid for travel September 26 and 27.  Other tickets, including regular monthly passes, will not be accepted.
 
In addition, the operation of the Regional Rail system will be radically altered that weekend.  Each line will have limited outer stations (some just one), and each will serve only one center city station (University City, 30th Street or Jefferson Station). Suburban Station will not be used for any Regional Rail operations that weekend. Prior to the day's events, service will be inbound only (5:30am to noon). No passengers will be permitted to board in center city to go to an outer station during the inbound slots. After the events, service will be outbound only, with no passengers permitted inbound.
 
The NJ Transit/SEPTA Trenton connection will be broken since SEPTA will not be operating to Trenton.  The Airport Line will operate as two lines with trains from two airport stops to Jefferson Station, and other trains from Eastwick to University City.
 
Here is a listing of the outer station(s) and center city station for each rail line.  I've never seen anything like this.  This will be a good weekend for locals to stay home or head to the shore. Pity the poor traveler who stumbles into this mess by accident.
 

Saturday, September 26 & Sunday September 27

 
Airport Line (1): Terminal C-D and Terminal A-B to and from Jefferson Station (Market East) only
 
Airport Line (2): Eastwick to and from University City only
 
Chestnut Hill East Line: will not operate
 
Chestnut Hill West Line: Chestnut Hill West to and from 30th Street Station only
 
Fox Chase Line: Fox Chase to and from Jefferson Station only
 
Lansdale/Doylestown Line: Pennbrook and Fort Washington to and from Jefferson Station only
 
Media/Elwyn Line: Media and Primos to and from University City only.
 
Norristown Line: Norristown Transportation Center to and from Jefferson Station only
 
Paoli/Thorndale Line: Paoli and Radnor to and from 30th Street Station only
 
Trenton Line: Levittown, Croydon* and Cornwells Heights** to and from 30th Street Station only
*boardings 5:30am to 8:30am only
**boardings 8:30am to noon only
 
Warminster Line: Warminster to and from Jefferson Station only
 
West Trenton Line: Woodbourne to and from Jefferson Station only
 
Wilmington/Newark Line: Wilmington and Marcus Hook to and from 30th Street Station only
 
SEPTA News Release

[CNJRoss]

Reuters, 7/20:

 

Papal pilgrims overwhelm Philadelphia transit ticket system

 

Philadelphia's transit system on Monday suspended sales of rail passes for Pope Francis's upcoming visit to the city after visitors eager to snap up train tickets overwhelmed its online ordering system.

 

City officials have already warned that with an estimated 2 million people expected to travel into the city for an open-air Mass in front of Philadelphia Museum of Art in September, Philadelphia's roads and railways are likely to overwhelmed.

 

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which operates the region's transit system, opened sales at 9 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) on Monday for the 175,000 rail tickets to be available on each day of the pope's Sept. 26-27 visit to the city, but said its website was quickly overwhelmed by some 900,000 visits in about ten minutes.

 

"Most transactions were not completed, and therefore most of the regional rail one-day passes are still available for customers to purchase when sales resume," SEPTA officials said in a posting on its website. The group did not say when sales would continue.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

CBS news 8/3:

 

Lottery for Philly papal visit rail passes goes live

 

The overwhelming demand for rail passes during Pope Francis' September visit to Philadelphia has already crashed one website. Now an online lottery has been launched to give consumers another opportunity to purchase tickets.

 

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) instituted a lottery site in which consumers can register to purchase the passes required for travel on regional rail during the papal visit. The site, organized by TicketLeap, went live shortly after midnight.

 

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