2 days ago
SEPTA shutting down Chestnut Hill East Line until early September for bridge repairs
SEPTA is temporarily halting service on its Chestnut Hill East Regional Rail line from Sunday, June 15 until Tuesday, Sept. 2, to allow for five bridges along the line to be repaired.
While service is suspended, there will be extra service on the Chestnut Hill West Line, SEPTA said.
SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer and Philadelphia City Councilmember Cindy Bass will speak on the rail line's temporary shutdown at 9 a.m. Wednesday. You can watch in the player above.
The line connects communities like Chestnut Hill, Germantown and Mt. Airy to Penn Medicine and 30th Street stations in the heart of the city.
While this is a capital budget expense (the budget used for construction projects/building for the future), SEPTA is still facing a $213 million deficit in its operating budget, which covers day-to-day operations of running the transit system.
SEPTA is warning that riders will face service cuts and the elimination of multiple transit routes if the budget gap is not fully funded.
Meanwhile, Gov. Josh Shapiro is speaking out about that deficit.
"All across our commonwealth, our mass transit agencies are in need. I'm confident that we're going to find a way forward. I'm working incredibly hard on this with all parties to make sure that we can get it done," he said Tuesday.
The agency collects revenue from fares but is also supported by funds from state, local and federal governments and recently, federal funding from the COVID-19 pandemic stopped.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
