SEPTA on Saturday schedule as Philly digs out

The snow is over. But the effects of the so-called “bomb cyclone” weather pattern are still being felt in Philly as the region experiences a deep freeze with temperatures hovering around 8 degrees as of Friday morning.

Public and Archdiocese schools are still closed in Philly and the region.

The “snow emergency” is over, after the Streets Department deployed 800 employees and 400 pieces of equipment to clear the streets.

SEPTA is operating the Regional Rail on a Saturday schedule. All other modes of transit, including Market Frankford and Broad Street lines, trolleys and buses, are operating on normal weekday schedules. But some delays are still considered inevitable due to snow drift and ongoing freezing temperatures. They are monitoring conditions closely as the day wears on.

“SEPTA will closely monitor the morning and afternoon/evening commutes, and where possible, add capacity to alleviate over-crowding. In addition, rescue buses will be positioned strategically throughout the system in the event a train becomes stranded and a passenger rescue is needed,” SEPTA said in a statement. “SEPTA urges all customers traveling during this severe weather to allow extra time for possible delays. Real-time service updates will continue to be posted to SEPTA’s homepage, www.septa.org, and on Twitter @SEPTA.”

The Philadelphia Housing Authority is closed, and so are Philly courts. Both plan to reopen on Monday.

Among the busiest workers in the city were food delivery drivers, with some restaurants stating they had an hour to 90 minute waits for orders. 

But as one hardy pizza deliveryman, who declined to give his name, put it, “This is nothing. We’re busy like this all the time.”