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Broad Street Line
Broad Street Line train at Susquehanna–Dauphin station
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
Status	Operational
Locale	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Termini	Pattison (south) Fern Rock Transportation Center (north)
Services	Local Express Broad-Ridge Spur Special
Daily ridership	114,816
Operation
Opened	September 1, 1928
Owner	City of Philadelphia
Operator(s)	SEPTA
Character	Underground and surface
Technical
Line length	12.0 mi (19.3 km)[1]
No. of tracks	4
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Third rail (600 volts)
Route map Legend Fern Rock Regional Rail Olney Logan Wyoming Hunting Park Erie Allegheny North Philadelphia Susquehanna–Dauphin Cecil B. Moore Girard Fairmount Spring Garden (closed) Chinatown PATCO 8th Street Market–Frankford Spring Garden Race–Vine Regional Rail Trolleys Market–Frankford City Hall Walnut–Locust PATCO Lombard–South Ellsworth–Federal Tasker–Morris Snyder Oregon Pattison

The Broad Street Line (BSL), also known as the Broad Street Subway (BSS) or Orange Line, is a rapid transit line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that runs from Fern Rock Transportation Center in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia. The latter station provides access to the stadiums and arenas for the city's major professional sports teams, about a quarter mile away. It is named for Broad Street, the street under which it runs for almost its entire length. The line, which is entirely underground except for the northern terminus at Fern Rock, has four tracks in a local/express configuration from Fern Rock to Walnut-Locust and two tracks from Lombard-South to the southern terminus at Pattison. The line and its trains are owned by the City of Philadelphia and were leased to SEPTA in 1968^[2] after it assumed operation of the city transit systems.^[3] Broad Street Line subway cars bear both the SEPTA logo and the seal of the City of Philadelphia to reflect the split ownership-operation arrangement.

History

Service on the northern half of the Broad Street Line, between City Hall and Olney Avenue, opened on September 1, 1928. While the original subway tunnel had been finished to just north of the present-day Lombard-South station, service to the Walnut-Locust station did not begin until 1930; the Lombard-South station entered service in 1932. Service from that point south to Snyder Avenue began on September 18, 1938. Service to a new park-and-ride station built next to the Fern Rock shops began in 1956, and the line was extended further south to Pattison Avenue in 1973 to serve the recently completed Sports Complex.^[4]

Although the Broad Street Line was originally planned in the 1920s to be a 4-track facility for its entire length (Fern Rock portal to Snyder), the tunnel was built with provision for 4 tracks only from the portal to just north of Lombard-South. At the time of opening, the outer 2 tracks were built along this length, whereas the inner 2 express tracks were built only in two sections, from the Fern Rock portal/shops to just south of Olney, and from Girard to their terminus just north of Lombard South. To close the gaps, the two inner express tracks were laid from Erie to Girard in 1959, and again from Olney to Erie in 1991.

From Lombard-South station south to Snyder, the tunnel was constructed differently - only the eastern half of the line was built. The track currently used for southbound trains is actually the northbound express track. The extension to Pattison in 1973 continued this arrangement. Space exists under the western half of Broad Street for the construction of the western half of the tunnel, which would include the remaining 2 tracks and additional island platforms for southbound local and express trains. The resulting infrastructure would match the configuration built in the northern half of the line.

Provisions for flying junctions exist in the tunnels at three locations: north of Olney station, north of Erie station, and between Tasker-Morris and Snyder stations. These were to connect to planned but never built extensions to the north, northeast, northwest and southwest. Tracks were laid in the upper levels of the flying junctions north of Olney and Erie; these have been used over the years to store out-of-service trains and as layover points for express and Ridge Spur trains.

Riders boarding the Broad Street Line at City Hall Station.

The Pattison Avenue station contains a lower level platform, built to accommodate additional trains for large crowds at sporting events. Seldom used in recent years, these tracks are most often used to store rolling stock and work trains. Two of the Broad Street Subway system's stations have been closed: Spring Garden on the Ridge Spur and Franklin Square on the former Bridge Line, now PATCO Lindenwold Line.

The Broad Street Line is one of only two rapid transit lines in the United States outside of New York City to use separate local and express tracks for a significant length, the other being Chicago's Purple Line.

Broad–Ridge Spur

A two-track spur of the Broad Street Line, known as the Broad–Ridge Spur, diverges from the main line at Fairmount. Originally known as the Ridge-8th Street Subway, the line follows Ridge Avenue, from which it takes its name, southeastward from the intersection of Broad Street, Ridge and Fairmount avenues to a two-level wye junction beneath 8th and Race streets, where tunnels leading to and from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Camden connect to it, then proceeds south under 8th Street. At its southern terminus at 8th and Market streets, passengers may transfer to the Market-Frankford Line and the PATCO Speedline. Ridge Spur service to 8th and Market streets began in 1932; in 1936, the Delaware River Joint Commission (now Delaware River Port Authority, or DRPA) began operating "Bridge Line" service to 8th and Market from Broadway and Mickle Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) in Camden, New Jersey, with intermediate stops at Camden City Hall and Franklin Square (now closed).

The Ridge-8th Street subway tunnel continues south under 8th Street from Market to Locust, where it turns west and runs under Locust Street to a terminus at 15th-16th Street station; a two-track tail used for layovers extends from 16th to 18th streets. Though this tunnel was also completed in 1932, it did not open for service until 20 years later; Ridge Spur and Bridge Line trains used it until 1969, when a new DRPA subsidiary, the Port Authority Transit Corporation, began operating the Lindenwold High-Speed Line (PATCO Speedline) through the 8th-Locust subway; at that time, a new single-track terminal for Ridge Spur trains was opened on the upper level of 8th and Market station. The track connection between the Ridge Spur and the 8th-Locust subway has been removed and a gate seals the tunnel opening. The spur was built as a replacement for a planned downtown subway loop that would have run west from the current terminus at 18th, turned north under 19th street, turned east under Arch street, and connected to the Broad Street main line at Arch street; work began on this loop in 1915 but was canceled the following year due to lack of funding.^[5]

The Fairmount subway stop on the Broad-Ridge spur, Philadelphia, PA.

Currently the spur operates Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., running two-car trains on shortened platforms. This is down from five-car trains operated from the line opening through the 1970s, on full-length platforms. In recent years trains operated on a 24-hour schedule, as well as stopping at the Spring Garden Street station during peak hours. Spring Garden Street station was later closed for safety reasons and low ridership. Safety concerns also jeopardized the Chinatown station, but community concern kept it open during peak hours with increased police patrols.

Service

Four different types of trains run along the Broad Street Line:

• Local (L) — trains show white marker lights; stops at all stations
• Express (E) — trains show green marker lights; stops at select stations between Fern Rock and Walnut-Locust
• Broad-Ridge Spur (R) — trains show yellow marker lights; features service via Ridge Ave to 8th & Market from Monday-Saturday
• Special (S) — trains show blue marker lights; features service from all express stations to Pattison for sporting and entertainment events

Panel indicators

The Kawasaki B-IV cars feature multi-panel signs to indicate the origin point, destination, and type of service. One sign is mounted on each side of a car, set just inside a window to make it visible from both the interior and exterior. A similar, smaller sign is mounted over car-end doors when cab equipment is present; this sign is only visible from the exterior. These signs were a significant improvement over earlier rolling stock which completely lacked such signage.

Designed in the late 1970s before the advent of high-brightness LEDs, each sign consists of a set of 12 panels arranged in 4 rows of 3 columns each (a 3 x 4 grid). Each panel can be illuminated by an incandescent light bulb. As shown above, the upper three rows indicate station names while the bottom row indicates type of service. Trains normally light three panels: two station names (origin and destination) and a type of service (local, express, or special). Only significant stations are represented in the grid.

In 1982, following delivery of the first significant number of B-IV cars, SEPTA assigned these cars to the restoration of express service. The signs were lit to show "OLNEY" "WALNUT" "EXPRESS". In early 1983, with more B-IV cars arriving and placed into local service, signs showed "FERN ROCK" "PATTISON" "LOCAL". After delivery of the last cars, Broad-Ridge Spur trains showed "ERIE" "8^th-MARKET" (rush hour) or "GIRARD" "8^th-MARKET" (off-peak and weekends). Special trains showed "FERN ROCK" "PATTISON" "SPECIAL" "EXPRESS". Subsequent changes to express and Broad-Ridge Spur service patterns led to the current signage: express trains show "FERN ROCK" "WALNUT" "EXPRESS" and Broad-Ridge trains show "OLNEY" "8^th-MARKET" "EXPRESS" (weekdays) and "FERN ROCK" "8^th-MARKET" "EXPRESS" (weekends).

Operation times

A local trip along the entire line takes about 35 minutes. Trains run from approximately 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and a bus service replaces the subway throughout the night, stopping at the same locations as the subway trains.

Stations

All stations are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stations along the Broad-Ridge Spur itself are shaded in gray.

Station	Lines	Notes
Fern Rock Transportation Center	L E R S	transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail R1, R2, R3, R5 lines and SEPTA buses 28, 57, 70, C only above-ground station   aerial photo
Olney Transportation Center	L E R S	original north terminus flying junction for unbuilt spur to northwest Philadelphia via Stenton Ave. transfer to SEPTA buses 6, 8, 18, 18 Express, 22, 26, 55, 80, C, L close to Sigler Travel, served by Greyhound Lines
Logan	L	transfer to SEPTA buses C, J
Wyoming	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 75, C
Hunting Park	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 1, C, R
Erie	L E R S	flying junction for unbuilt spur to northeast Philadelphia via Roosevelt Blvd. transfer to SEPTA buses 23, 53, 56, C, H, XH
Allegheny	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 60, C
North Philadelphia	L R	transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail lines R5 and R6 at North Broad station and R7 at North Philadelphia station and SEPTA buses 54, C
Susquehanna–Dauphin	L	formerly Dauphin-Susquehanna station transfer to SEPTA buses 39, C
Cecil B. Moore Temple University	L	located on Temple University main campus formerly Columbia station (SEPTA transfers still retain this designation as "COL") transfer to SEPTA buses 3, C
Girard	L E R S	transfer to SEPTA routes 15 and C
Fairmount	L R	transfer to SEPTA buses 61, C
Spring Garden		abandoned, on the Broad-Ridge Spur
Chinatown	R	transfer to SEPTA buses 47 South, 47m South, 61 South formerly Vine station
8th Street	R	transfer to Market-Frankford Line and PATCO Speedline transfer to SEPTA buses 17, 33, 38 West, 44, 47 South, 47m South, 61, 62 formerly Market Street station
Spring Garden	L E S	transfer to SEPTA buses 43, C
Race–Vine Convention Center	L E S	transfer to SEPTA buses 27, C
City Hall	L E S	free transfer to Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36 at 15th Street Station transfer to SEPTA Regional Rail lines R1, R2, R3, R5, R6, R7, R8 at Suburban Station transfer to SEPTA buses 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 121, 124, 125, C part of the Center City Commuter Connection concourse
Walnut–Locust Avenue of the Arts	L E S	transfer to SEPTA buses 9, 12, 21, 27, 32, 42, C transfer to PATCO Speedline at 15-16th & Locust station part of the Center City Commuter Connection concourse
Lombard–South	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 27, 32, 40, C
Ellsworth–Federal	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 64, C
Tasker–Morris	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 29, C
Snyder	L	original south terminus flying junction north of Snyder for unbuilt spur to West Philadelphia via Passyunk Ave. transfer to SEPTA buses 37, 79, C adjacent to Fairfax Bus and Bagel, served by Greyhound Lines
Oregon	L	transfer to SEPTA buses 7, 68, C, G
Pattison Sports & Entertainment Complex	L S	Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, Wachovia Center and Wachovia Spectrum stadiums transfer to SEPTA buses 17, 71, C platforms on two levels

Timeline

• September 1, 1928: Original section of subway opens from City Hall to Olney Avenue. Fare is 15 cents.
• April 20, 1930: Extended service from City Hall to South Street.
• December 21, 1932: Open Ridge Av Spur , service Girard Av to 8th & Market St
• September 18, 1938: Extended south from South Street to Snyder Avenue.
• August 8, 1943: Ridge Av Spur thru-routed with Bridge Line to Camden evenings and Sundays.
• February 15, 1953: Discontinued evening and Sunday thru service to Camden, all Ridge Av Spur trains run to 8th & Market only.
• September 13, 1953: Evening and Sunday thru service to Camden resumed.
• September 9, 1956: Extended north from Olney to Fern Rock (over existing tracks to Fern Rock shops).
• September 28, 1959: Weekday and Saturday daytime express service begins following installation of second pair of tracks north to Erie, Ridge Av Spur trains extended from Girard to Erie Monday thru Saturday daytime .
• 1965: Discontinued express service except Mon-Fri rush periods.
• 1967: Roosevelt Boulevard subway station built at Adams Avenue in anticipation of extending the subway along the Roosevelt Boulevard.
• August 27, 1968: Locust St.-Camden tracks separated from BSL to form PATCO Line. Ridge Av south terminal now at a new station at 8th & Market St.
• April 8, 1973: Subway extended from Snyder Avenue to Pattison Avenue sports complex.
• September 5, 1976: Discontinue Sunday service on Ridge Av Spur.
• November 19, 1979: Discontinue express service account lack of serviceable cars.
• February 15, 1981: Suspend Ridge Av Spur service account interference with construction.
• January 3, 1983: Resume Mon-Fri express service Olney to Walnut/Locust.
• September 6, 1983: Resume Ridge Av Spur service.
• 1991: Express Tracks extended from Erie to Olney.

Proposed extension

Both the City of Philadelphia and SEPTA have studied extending the Broad Street Line along Roosevelt Boulevard, in order to serve a growing population in the northeast section of the city. The city government's archives contain a survey report, prepared in 1948, discussing a need for an extension of the Broad Street line from Erie Avenue to the vicinity of Pennypack Circle (see Roosevelt Boulevard).^[6] Subway car destination signage even included station and terminus names for major streets along Roosevelt Boulevard such as Rhawn Street, in the newer "South Broad" cars. An expansion into another part of the City could better use the capacity of the four-track trunk line. In 1964, the city proposed a nine-mile, $94 million extension of the Broad Street line along Roosevelt Blvd. in conjunction with a new Northeast Expressway to be built by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Development was limited to the building of one subway station by Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1967, at its complex on Roosevelt Boulevard at Adams Avenue, at the cost of $1 million, in anticipation of future service. This station was destroyed when the facility was demolished in October, 1994.^[7][8] Ultimately the Northeast Expressway was never built, due to lack of funds, and the subway extension remained a paper concept. On September 10, 1999, SEPTA filed a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Northeast Extension with the EPA.^[9] In December 2001, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission supported extending the Broad Street Line along Roosevelt Blvd. to Bustleton Avenue, where it would be joined by the Market-Frankford Line, extended from its Frankford terminal.(now the rebuilt Frankford Transportation Center). The estimated cost had ballooned to $3.4 billion. Given the dominance of suburban legislators on SEPTA's Board, as well as the lack of dedicated capital funding, the probability of any significant extension of subway service within Philadelphia is very low.

References

• U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 (PDF)

External links

• World.nycsubway.org: Philadelphia: SEPTA Broad Street Subway

SEPTA City Transit Division Market–Frankford Line • Broad Street Line • Subway–Surface Trolley Lines (Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36)  • Route 15 (Girard Avenue Trolley) • City surface routes • Suburban Division Norristown High Speed Line • Routes 101 and 102 (Media–Sharon Hill Line) • Suburban bus routes Regional Rail R1 • R2 • R3 • R5 • R6 • R7 • R8 Major stations Frankford Transportation Center • Fern Rock Transportation Center • Market East Station • Norristown Transportation Center • Olney Transportation Center • Suburban Station • 30th Street Station • 69th Street Terminal Former services Route 23 trolley • Route 56 trolley • Route 60 trolley • R3 Elywn-West Chester service • R6 Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge service • R8 Fox Chase-Newtown service

Mass transit in the Delaware Valley Transit buses SEPTA: Philadelphia • Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties Reading: Berks Area Reading Transportation Authority New Jersey Transit: Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County suburban service • Camden, Gloucester, and Salem County local service • Long-distance local routes from Philadelphia DART First State: New Castle County Commuter rail SEPTA: Regional Rail (R1 • R2 • R3 • R5 • R6 • R7 • R8) New Jersey Transit: Atlantic City Line • Atlantic City Express Service Rapid transit and light rail SEPTA: Broad Street Line • Market–Frankford Line • Norristown High Speed Line • Subway–Surface trolleys • Route 15 • Routes 101 and 102 Delaware River Port Authority: PATCO Speedline New Jersey Transit: River Line Other: Greenline (proposed)