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December 8, 2009
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December 8, 2009
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December 8, 2009
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December 8, 2009
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December 8, 2009
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Entries in bsl (15)

Thursday, June 17, 2010
3:06PM

WTF: AT&T Station

Posted by AuthorColin at Date3:06 PM in under

In a move guaranteed to please absolutely no one, Plan Philly is reporting that SEPTA is preparing to sign the naming rights to Pattison Station over to AT&T for the next five years.

As part of the deal, SEPTA will change every reference to Pattison station throughout the system and online.

For a company that is currently working to overcome its long-standing negative public image, giving the naming rights to AT&T is a downright terrible move.

AT&T is notoriously famous for shoddy data service and endless dropped calls in Center City. Most recently, their systems failed and hung up the hundreds of thousands of people trying to pre-order the new iPhone.

Rich DiLullo, SEPTA’s director of marketing and advertising, told the operations committee SEPTA had also approached the South Philadelphia sports teams to talk about a deal involving one of them but hadn’t had any luck.

Were there really no beloved Philadelphia-area companies that wanted to put their name on the station? Tastykake? Victory Beer? Even Comcast would be better than AT&T.

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Friday, June 11, 2010
1:43PM

Supposed SEPTA Subway Scissor Stabbing Sounds Suspicious

Posted by AuthorColin at Date1:43 PM in under

Philly.com:

The violent confrontation unfolded about 1:20 p.m. as the subway car whisked south on Broad Street toward the Oregon Avenue stop, police said.

Sgt. Cynthia Kelly, of South Detectives, said the two men got caught up in some sort of dispute that led to one man stabbing the other in the arm, torso, shoulder and face.

The sad part of the story is that apparently, no one called 911.

"Lots of people were on there and saw this happen," Kelly said. "No one called 9-1-1. Everyone just got out of there."

But then, the story gets suspicious.

SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said late yesterday afternoon that surveillance cameras on the Oregon Avenue platform didn't show anyone getting off the subway who appeared to have been stabbed.

Supervisors inspected all of the cars and didn't find any evidence, such as blood spatter or a weapon, to suggest a stabbing had occurred.

It was unclear if they reviewed surveillance footage from the subway cars.

Sounds kind of fishy to me. No one called 911, no footage of someone who was stabbed getting off the train, and supposedly there was a panic-stricken crowd, but not one of them stayed to talk to police or the media?

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Thursday, January 21, 2010
2:00PM

SEPTA to the Navy Yard

Posted by AuthorColin at Date2:00 PM under ,

An editorial on Philly.com today talks about expanding the Broad Street Subway into the Navy Yard.

This is certainly a project that has been talked about going back as far as the earliest days of the Broad Street Subway, but like many transit projects in Philadelphia (Arch Street Subway anyone?) it never quite came to be. Until now. Maybe.

Like many other areas of our fair city, the Navy Yard is seeing a resurgence. Tastykake is about to be a major new tennant. Urban Outfitters will find a home there as well. This is on top of the already 8,000 people who work there.

The author argues, and I believe rightly so, that it's the perfect time to talk about an expansion. The Obama administration is handing out money for major infrastructure projects. PIDC conducted a feasibility study last year with SEPTA and the DVRPCC, with the outcome that the expansion is something that could happen.

Frankly, there's no reason for it NOT to happen. If the Navy Yard is about to explode once more with corporate growth, it only makes sense to invest the money now to make it even more accessible.

Plus, it would bring us one step closer to an expansion that most definitely should happen one day, and that's an expansion across the river to Gloucester City, NJ. This would also make Gloucester City a vital transit link in the region, because within the next ten years the PATCO expansion to Glassboro and Millville will be starting with Camden, Gloucester City, and Woodbury. It would make jobs at the Navy Yard and South Philadelphia more attractive to South Jersey residents because they would be able to get into South Philadelphia without having to take PATCO into Center City or NJ Transit to 30th Street.

The Broad Street Subway hasn't seen a significant enhancement since the expansion to Pattison in 1973. The potential for explosive growth is there and it would be foolish to not try and harness it.

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Friday, August 21, 2009
7:30AM

TGIF SEPTA news round-up

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date7:30 AM under , , , , , ,

And now, a round-up of recent SEPTA news:
  • Remember last year when the Commonwealth told SEPTA that it would be getting a dedicated funding stream in part due to a plan to toll I-80? That plan's run into some problems and SEPTA is now worried it's going to be $120 million short this fiscal year.
  • Remember the senseless murder of Sean Conroy, the Starbucks manager who was jumped by a gang of teens at the 13th & Market El concourse? His alleged attackers are on trial this week. This past Tuesday, they jury went on a field trip to the scene of the crime.
  • Remember the construction that was set to begin on the Spring Garden and Girard Street BSL stops? It's begun.
  • Remember how on-board cameras caught that grisly hammer attack on the BSL? SEPTA's now installing cameras on the El, too.
  • Remember your manners? SEPTA started a new poster campaign this week to encourage politeness and civility for riders.
  • Remember Darby? The Darby Borough Historical & Preservation Society is squabbling with the Darby Historical Commission over what should go on the historical markers outside the new transit center. Somehow, SEPTA's gonna get blamed for all this.
Oh yeah, and a couple accidents:

(image credit.)
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Monday, April 6, 2009
12:22AM

Riding SEPTA to the Phillies Season Opener

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date12:22 AM under ,
It's been a long off season.  But, as my friend Amanda says, it was shorter than mos

Took the BSL down to the season opener last night and were met by friendly SEPTA staff giving out these chocolate individually-wrapped Go SEPTA Go Green coins.  They don't seem very environmentally friend, but it was a nice gesture.


And Phillies and SEPTA fans will be glad to hear that that SEPTA bus race, played between innings late in the game, is back this year.


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Friday, March 6, 2009
7:30AM

Tragedy at Susquehanna-Dauphin

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date7:30 AM under , ,

I've written about suicide-by-SEPTA stories in the past (1, 2, 3.)

I'm afraid it's happened again: A 16-year-old student from Philadelphia Military Academy at Elverson committed suicide by stepping in front of a BSL train at Susquehanna-Dauphin on Wednesday afternoon.  The Daily News and Temple News Online have more.

(image credit.)
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Monday, February 23, 2009
7:30AM

AT&T cell phone users can now yak on the BSL

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date7:30 AM under ,

Last April, I reported on AT&T's partnership with SEPTA that permitted AT&T cell phone users to yak underground while they're on the El.  AT&T issued a press release on Friday noting that it had expanded its service on the BSL from Fairmount to Walnut-Locust.  

Are we going to need a quiet car on the subway soon?

(image credit.)
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
7:30AM

Wedding snaps on the BSL platform

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date7:30 AM under ,

A SEPTAphile couple have their wedding photos taken at the Walnut-Locust stop.  SEPTA sends out a press release.  Jill Porter of the Daily News writes a column.  Half a dozen of their photos are now online.  

Much ado about nothing?  Sure, but they're some pretty pictures.  And who can argue with love?

(image credit.)
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Monday, February 9, 2009
2:30PM

"Bottle-bomb-devices" found on SEPTA?

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date2:30 PM under , ,

Missed this last week. But the local ABC affiliate reported this:
SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - February 4, 2009 - (WPVI) -- SEPTA police are investigating three suspicious devices found along the Broad Street line near Lombard South Station.

No injuries have been reported. Sources tell Action News that the devices resemble classic "bottle-bomb-devices."

Investigators say chemicals recovered at the scene from inside the bottles were caustic and not explosive.

One device was found at 8:00 am Tuesday and two others were found at 8pm Tuesday night.
I haven't heard any other news on this.

(image credit.)
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Friday, January 30, 2009
7:30AM

Delaying the 34 trolley without explanation

Posted by AuthorMichael at Date7:30 AM under , ,

Last Friday, I got to my Baltimore Avenue corner to wait for the 34 trolley at 8:10am.  It was close to 9am before I gave up on the trolley, crossed the street, and caught a 64 bus to the 46th Street El station.  It was the third 64 bus that had passed as I was waiting.

The 34 trolley is usually more reliable so I'll accept a delay every so often.  But it would have been nice to have SEPTA staff come by to tell those of us who were waiting the cause of the delay and when the trolleys were expected to roll again.  On my corner alone there were over 30 people by the time I left.


When the BSL was delayed an hour last week because of signal problems, SEPTA informed the riders.
Jerome Carey, 28, of Germantown, was waiting for a southbound train at the Girard Avenue station around 2:30 p.m. He said a SEPTA officer came down to the platform and “told us something was wrong with the signals and the tracks.” At first the crowd was directed to the street to catch a shuttle, but Carey said another worker then told passengers that trains were operational. “I went up and down the steps twice,” he said, before getting final word that the trains were not operating. 

Couldn't they do something similar for us trolley riders during rush hour?

(image credit.)

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