SEPTA trolley riders in Center City will need to adjust their commutes beginning Friday, July 11, as major maintenance and upgrade work shuts down the trolley tunnel for four weeks.
Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 will be suspended in the Center City tunnel through Monday, Aug. 11. During the shutdown, trolley service will start and end at 40th and Market streets. Riders traveling to or from Center City are advised to use the Market-Frankford Line for connections between 40th Street Station and 13th Street Station.
The temporary closure is part of the transport authority’s annual “Trolley Tunnel Blitz,” a concentrated effort to complete maintenance and infrastructure upgrades.
Work scheduled during the blitz includes replacing worn track at various locations, cleaning pipes, drains, and vent wells, replacing overhead contact wire, servicing the tunnel’s signal system, as well as deep cleaning and maintenance at all stations, including graffiti removal, painting, and lighting improvements.
“The blitz gives our crews the opportunity to tackle construction, maintenance, and safety improvement work in a concentrated period of time to reduce the number of outages throughout the year,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer.
In addition to SEPTA’s work, PennDOT will conduct maintenance on the portion of the tunnel that runs beneath the Schuylkill River.
Commuters are encouraged to check SEPTA’s website and real-time alerts for updates and alternative travel options during the tunnel closure.
