SEPTA is getting ready for winter weather and all the unexpected conditions that come along with this time of year.  SEPTA frontline crews are making the necessary preparations to ensure that all transportation modes remain safe for riders, and customer communications procedures and protocols are being updated to ensure more timely delivery of service status information.

Enhanced Communication

SEPTA is addressing how it communicates with riders and the public during extreme weather events. While crews in the field move quickly to clear downed trees and help maintain safe travel, new measures are being implemented to improve communication of real-time information that customers need to plan their travel and respond to severe weather. This includes ensuring that staff in the field are providing customers with the latest details, along with announcements and updates online.

The SEPTA App is a great resource for customers making their travel plans or adjusting to inclement weather.  The SEPTA App received major upgrades earlier this month.  The new and improved app allows customers to get real-time travel updates, plan trips, manage their Key Cards, and connect with Customer Service and Transit Police, all in one place. The App is available for download from the App Store or Google Play. Full details on new features, how to download and how to provide feedback is available at https://wwww.septa.org/app/.

Customers should also bookmark the SEPTA website –  https://www.septa.org/ – and follow SEPTA’s social media accounts for real time communication on SEPTA service and other information.  The full listing of official SEPTA social media accounts is available at  https://wwww.septa.org/customer-service/social-media/

Here’s what customers can expect by mode:

Regional Rail:

Frozen switches and ice on overhead wires or the electrical poles on top of rail cars can delay or shut down Regional Rail service.

Maintenance crews work to keep the corridor between Center City Philadelphia and Lansdale open so SEPTA can continue to provide service on the main branch if frozen switches prevent trains from operating on other lines.

Amtrak owns the tracks on which the Wilmington/Newark, Paoli/Thorndale, and Trenton Lines operate. SEPTA works with Amtrak to resolve weather-related problems.

Broad Street & Market-Frankford Lines:

The Broad Street Line [B] and Market-Frankford Line [L] are best bets for riders during severe winter storms.

SEPTA keeps the cars ready for service by storing them overnight in tunnels and maintenance car houses. Crews are assigned to keep station entrances, platforms and sidewalks clean of ice and snow.

Bus Routes & Trolley Lines:

During a winter snow or ice emergency, SEPTA will attempt to operate all bus service, although a large number of routes may be detoured. We try to maintain service without detours on our most heavily used routes, which generally operate over streets that have been given a high priority for snow removal.

SEPTA ACCESS (formerly CCT Connect):

Depending on road conditions, full CCT service may be provided in some areas, while limited or no service may be provided in others.

During extreme weather conditions when CCT service is suspended, every effort will be made to continue service for kidney dialysis and other urgent, critically-needed medical treatment.

Weather Preparation and Clearing for Regional Rail:

SEPTA has a program in place for weather preparations as well as clearing parking lots and platforms at SEPTA’s Regional Rail stations. An in-house “Snow Team” monitors weather forecasts and conditions to determine the best time to send out our internal and contractor forces. Generally, snow removal starts when the snow stops. But with a service area covering 2200 square miles, the exact time may vary depending on conditions.

SEPTA uses third-party contractors for platform and parking lot snow removal and salting at all Regional Rail stations. Each contractor is responsible for eight to 10 stations. Once they go out it will take some time to get all stations cleared.  SEPTA maintenance forces may also be deployed, in advance of the contractor’s arrival, to clear steps and walkways.

 

The Visit PA New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront features two shows, one at 6 pm and the second at midnight, over the Delaware River. To avoid traffic, take the Market-Frankford Line [L] to 2^nd Street Station or Bus Routes 5, 12, 17, 21, 25, 33 or 42.

New Year’s Eve Modified Service & Bus Detours

On New Year’s Eve, Regional Rail trains operate on a weekday schedule with special late-night service. The late-night New Year’s Eve schedules include added service on the following lines:

• Chestnut Hill East Line
• Fox Chase Line
• Lansdale/Doylestown Line
• Manayunk/Norristown Line
• Media/Wawa Line
• Paoli/Thorndale Line
• Trenton Line
• Warminster Line
• West Trenton Line
• Wilmington/Newark Line

Find specific New Year’s Eve train times for each Regional Rail line. Please consult regular schedules for other information such as earlier trains arriving in Center City, fare zones and wheelchair accessibility.

All metro lines and bus routes operate on a weekday schedule. Additional trains on the Broad Street Line [B] and Market-Frankford Line [L] will operate before and after the New Year’s Eve fireworks at Penn’s Landing, with late night trains available.

In preparation for the Mummers Parade, the following bus routes will be detoured beginning at 8:15 am on 15^th Street between JFK Boulevard and Chestnut Street: 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 62, 124, 125, BSO and MFO. Always refer to SEPTA’s Alerts and Detours page for the details and the latest information.

New Year’s Day Modified Service

On New Year’s Day, Regional Rail, Metro and buses operate on a Sunday schedule.

Bus routes 204, 310, 311 and LUCY will not run on New Year’s Day.

View alerts, advisories and detours across the system. To get the latest service news, call Customer Service at 215-580-7800 or follow SEPTA @SEPTA.

 

If you’re riding SEPTA on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, make sure to check your schedule as all modes will be running on modified service.

Christmas Eve Modified Service Schedules

On Christmas Eve, Metro, buses and Regional Rail will operate on a weekday schedule.

Christmas Day Modified Service & Special Regional Rail Timetables

On Christmas Day, Metro and buses will operate on a Sunday schedule.

Bus routes 204, 310, 311 and LUCY will not run on Christmas Day.

All Regional Rail lines will run on special Christmas schedules, see specific changes for each line below:

• Airport Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Chestnut Hill East Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Chestnut Hill West Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Fox Chase Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Glenside Combined Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Lansdale/Doylestown Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Manayunk/Norristown Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Paoli/Thorndale Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Trenton Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Warminster Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Media/Wawa Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• West Trenton Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)
• Wilmington/Newark Line Christmas Day Schedule (PDF)

View System Status for alerts, advisories and detours across the system. To get the latest service news, call Customer Service at 215-580-7800 or follow SEPTA @SEPTA. Customer Service is open on Christmas Eve from 8 am – 5 pm and Christmas Day from 8 am – 4:30 pm.

Media, PA – To help ensure Pennsylvanians are prepared for the upcoming federal REAL ID enforcement deadline of May 7, 2025, PennDOT announced that it will hold special REAL ID service hours at its Granite Run Driver License Center at 1067 West Baltimore Pike in Media on Dec. 16 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure our customers are prepared for REAL ID enforcement on May 7, 2025,” said PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services, Kara Templeton. “Offering these special hours on a day when the Granite Run center is normally closed gives our customers who may want to get a REAL ID another opportunity to be prepared.”

More than 2.5 million Pennsylvanians have chosen to opt into the REAL ID program. Getting a REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania, but beginning May 7, 2025, Pennsylvanians will need a REAL ID-compliant license/identification card, or another form of federally acceptable identification (such as a valid passport or military ID) to:

Board domestic commercial flights.

Enter a military base.

Enter certain federal facilities that require a federally acceptable form of ID.

If you’re not sure whether a REAL ID is right for you, our REAL ID online wizard may be able to help.

Federal REAL ID regulations require that PennDOT must verify the below documents:

-Proof of Identity: examples include an original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the State Office of Vital Records/Statistics with a raised/embossed seal, or a valid, unexpired U.S. Passport.

-Proof of Social Security Number (proof must display currently legal name and full nine digits of the Social Security Number): examples include a Social Security card, a W-2 form, a SSA-1099 form, a non-SSA-1099 form, or a pay stub.

-Two Proofs of Current, Physical PA Address: examples include a current, unexpired PA driver’s license or identification card, vehicle registration, or a utility bill with the same name and address.

-Proof of all Legal Name Changes (if current legal name is different than what is reflected on proof of identity document): examples include certified marriage certificate(s) issued by the County Court for each marriage, court order(s) approving a change in legal name, or adoption decree issued by your county’s family court.

-Note: If current name is the same as what is reflected on the proof of identity document (usually birth certificate or passport), show proof of legal name change does not need to be shown.

More information about REAL ID document requirements can be found on PennDOT’s REAL ID website.

When a customer gets their first REAL ID product, they will pay a one-time fee of $30, plus the applicable renewal fee (the current renewal fee is $39.50 for a four-year non-commercial driver’s license and $42.50 for a photo ID). The expiration date of their initial REAL ID product will include any time remaining on their existing non-REAL ID product, plus an additional four years, unless the customer is over 65 and has a two-year license. This expiration date structure means that the customer won’t lose time that they’ve already paid for. After the initial REAL ID product expires, the customer will pay no additional fee beyond regular renewal fees to renew a REAL ID product.

After customers present the proper documentation and pay the applicable fee, customers may obtain a REAL ID-compliant product by:

Receiving the product in the mail within 15 days, if application was made at a Driver License Center, such as the Granite Run Driver License Center. Receiving the product over the counter, if application was made at one of PennDOT’s 14 REAL ID Centers.

Customers who received their first Pennsylvania driver’s license, learner’s permit, or photo ID card AFTER September 1, 2003, may already have their REAL ID documentation on file with PennDOT. These customers can apply for REAL ID pre-verification and order their REAL ID-compliant product online.

For a full list of driver license centers, REAL ID Centers, and services offered, please visit the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website at www.dmv.pa.gov and click on Find A Location.

For more information on REAL ID, visit PennDOT.pa.gov/REALID. REAL ID is optional for Pennsylvanians, but will be required for domestic air travel and entry to certain federal facilities after the May 7, 2025, deadline. A passport will still be required for international travel.

#PennDOT #RealID #domesticflight #dmv