Jump to content


Photo

SEPTA immersed in 'unprecedented' planning for papal visit


2 replies to this topic

#1 CNJRoss

CNJRoss

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 43390 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fairfax, VA

Posted 17 August 2015 - 01:25 PM

Progressive Railroading, August 2015:

 

SEPTA immersed in 'unprecedented' planning for papal visit to Philadelphia

 

Ever since November 2014, when Catholic Church officials confirmed Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia over two days this September, there's been an all-hands-on-deck mindset at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

 

Philadelphia officials estimate 1.5 million to 2 million visitors will descend on the city for the pope's Sept. 26-27 visit, which will coincide with the World Meeting of Families, a conference organized every three years by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family. Although the city and its affiliated agencies have prepared for many major public-gatherings in the past — Philadelphia hosted the Republican National Convention in 2000 and will host the Democratic National Convention in 2016, for example — SEPTA's planning for the papal visit is unprecedented, says Deputy General Manager Jeff Knueppel.

 

"In all my years here, I've never experienced anything like this," Knueppel said. "It's been a massive undertaking."

 

Continue here.



#2 BillMagee

BillMagee

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 5361 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Cherry Hill, NJ
  • Interests:Travel, Rail, Aviation, Sports

Posted 18 August 2015 - 08:42 AM

To put this in a little perspective, the average weekday ridership of the SEPTA regional rail system is just under 150,000 trips. There are not a lot of empty seats at rush hour either way. SEPTA is selling 175,000 rail passes for each day of that weekend. That represents 350,000 trips per day. Those 350,000 trips have to use the same equipment that normally carries less than 150,000. That is the reason for massive rework to the rail operating plan. Having trains stop at a dozen or more stations, some barely a mile apart, kills equipment utilization, and equipment is the critical capacity constraint.

Each line will have one or two open stations. Each open station will have a staging area that will hold one trainload of passengers. Passes with be checked at the station and passengers will enter the fenced staging area. An empty train will pull in, load, and then run non-stop to that line's designated center city station. The train will discharge and then run empty back to the 'burbs and repeat the process. Avoiding all those stops will allow very quick turns by the equipment. Checking passes prior to boarding eliminates the need to collect tickets on board. Staging one trainload of passengers at a time eliminates passengers trying to board a full train delaying departure. The stations being used have ample parking either there or at nearby commercial or retail centers, and have room for the staging areas.

This will be a future transportation planning textbook chapter in high capacity rail operation. The only question is whether the textbook will show it as how to handle a crush like this, or how not to. In six weeks we'll know the answer.

#3 BillMagee

BillMagee

    Administrator

  • Admin
  • PipPip
  • 5361 posts
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Cherry Hill, NJ
  • Interests:Travel, Rail, Aviation, Sports

Posted 28 August 2015 - 12:07 PM

How things have changed.

 

According to Philly.com, SEPTA has only sold 150,000 of the available 350,000 Regional Rail passes. They have gone from a web-based lottery to allocate the passes to what they thought would be a huge demand to now selling the passes over the counter at stations and offering bulk sales to tour agents. They have even started a PR campaign to try to sell the passes.

I think SEPTA and the city are starting to wonder if this is going to turn out to be a huge bust.





Reply to this topic



  


1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users