Norristown High Speed Line

Norristown High Speed Line
SEPTA N-5 car #144 of the Norristown High Speed Line, Route 100, as it enters the Gulph Mills Station in Upper Merion, Pennsylvania.
Overview
Type	Interurban / Commuter Rail
System	SEPTA Suburban Division
Status	Operational
Locale	Delaware and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania
Termini	69th Street Terminal (south) Norristown Transportation Center (north)
Stations	22
Services	Local Norristown Express Hughes Park Express Norristown Limited
Daily ridership	8,530 (average weekday FY 2010)
Operation
Opened	1907
Operator(s)	SEPTA
Character	Surface (grade separated)
Rolling stock	Asea-Amtrak (Asea Brown Boveri) Type N-5 MU (25)
Technical
Line length	13.4 miles (21.6 km)
No. of tracks	1–3
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail
Route number	100 (former)
Route map Legend Manayunk/Norristown Line Norristown Transportation Center Schuylkill River Bridgeport DeKalb Street I-276 (PA Turnpike) Hughes Park Gulph Mills I-76 (Schuylkill Expwy) Matsonford County Line Paoli/Thorndale Line / Amtrak Radnor I-476 Villanova Stadium – Ithan Avenue Garrett Hill Roberts Road Bryn Mawr Haverford Ardmore Avenue Ardmore Junction Wynnewood Road Beechwood–Brookline Penfield Township Line Road Parkview 69th Street Transportation Center Routes 101/102 Market–Frankford Line

The Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) is an interurban line operated between Upper Darby and Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA by SEPTA. The rail line runs entirely on its own right-of-way, inherited from the original Philadelphia and Western Railroad line (still referred to by locals as the "old P&W" and Route 100).

The Norristown High Speed Line is unique in its combination of transportation technologies. Originally chartered as a Class I (steam) railroad, the line is fully grade separated, collects power from a third rail, and has high-level platforms common to rapid transit systems or commuter rail systems such as the Long Island Rail Road or Metro-North Railroad, but has onboard fare collection, mostly single-car operation, and frequent stops more common to light rail systems. Previously, the Norristown High Speed Line was considered to be a light rail line, according to a 2008 SEPTA budget report; however, the line is currently considered a heavy rail interurban line, according to a 2009 SEPTA business plan.

The purple color-coded line was formerly known simply as Route 100, but was officially changed to its current name in September 2009 as part of a customer service initiative by SEPTA.

History

See also: Philadelphia and Western Railroad and Bullet (interurban)

The Norristown High Speed Line began service in 1907 as the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W), which ran from the present 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to a converted farmhouse station in Strafford, Pennsylvania. In 1911, the line was extended 0.47 mile west to a new Strafford P&W station adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad's Strafford station, allowing easy interchange between the two lines. In 1912, a 6.2-mile branch was constructed from Villanova Junction, 0.33 mile west of the existing Villanova station, to Norristown. When the newly-built branch quickly attracted more ridership than the Strafford main line, the Norristown section became the main line and the Strafford stretch was demoted to branch status; in the mid-1930s, the Strafford spur was narrowed to a single track for its last 1.74 miles between the Wayne-St. Davids and Strafford stations, while the Norristown line received a sleek new art deco terminus at Main and Swede Streets.

Lehigh Valley connection

From Norristown, the P&W RR connected its tracks with the Lehigh Valley Transit Liberty Bell Route to provide direct electric train service from 69th St. Terminal to Allentown, Pennsylvania. However, in 1951, the Lehigh Valley Transit Company ended its service on the Liberty Bell Route, and in 1953 the company ended all its remaining rail service. Two years later, the P&W RR was taken over by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (PSTC), which was more popularly known as the Red Arrow Lines. In 1956, the PSTC abandoned the original branch between Villanova and Strafford, leaving only electric MU train service between 69th Street and Norristown, as it is today. The PSTC was absorbed into SEPTA in 1969, eliminating the original railroad charter and immediately becoming the "Norristown High-Speed Line Trolley", officially known as Route 100.

Ridership

Ridership on the Norristown Line peaked in 1973 at 2,860,000 annual linked trips, and again in 1980 with 2,579,000 annual linked trips. Ridership statistics for fiscal years 2000 and later are from SEPTA annual service plans. Data for years 1972 to 1997 are from the SEPTA 1997 ridership census. There may be some discrepancy in how the ridership is reported since the annual service plans report total unlinked trips, while the ridership census uses linked trips, which may exclude passengers transferring from other lines.

Station names

Effective June 14, 2010, SEPTA changed the names of four stations to reflect the streets on which they were located. Township Line Road (formerly West Overbrook Station), Roberts Road (formerly Rosemont Station), Stadium – Ithan Avenue (formerly Stadium Station) and DeKalb Street (formerly King Manor Station).

Proposed closure of Schuylkill River bridge

SEPTA is planning on indefinitely closing the bridge carrying the Norristown High Speed Line over the Schuylkill River in the summer 2013. The bridge, which was built in 1911, is deteriorating and needs to be rebuilt which would cost an upwards of $30 million. SEPTA does not have the funding to replace the bridge. As a result of closing the bridge, buses will be used to transport passengers between the Bridgeport station and the Norristown Transportation Center.

The SEPTA web site informs that the deterioration was erosion in the supports beneath the Schuylkill River. Repairs required constructing a temporary causeway in the river for construction vehicles to use. Divers did most of the repair work, which was completed in less than one month. It was done by the Loftus Construction Company of King of Prussia at a cost of $139,000 to SEPTA.

Station list

Mileage	Station	Zone	Township	County
0.0	69th Street Terminal	1	Upper Darby	Delaware
0.7	Parkview
1.4	Township Line Road		Haverford
1.9	Penfield
2.5	Beechwood–Brookline
3.1	Wynnewood Road
3.4	Ardmore Junction	1 and 2
3.9	Ardmore Avenue
4.5	Haverford
5.4	Bryn Mawr		Radnor
5.9	Roberts Road	2
6.4	Garrett Hill
6.8	Stadium – Ithan Avenue
7.0	Villanova
7.9	Radnor
8.6	County Line		Lower Merion	Montgomery
9.4	Matsonford
10.3	Gulph Mills		Upper Merion
11.0	Hughes Park
12.3	DeKalb Street		Bridgeport
12.8	Bridgeport
13.4	Norristown Transportation Center		Norristown

Most stations (except terminals) are request stops. Passengers wishing to board must push a button at the station, which activates a light visible to the engineer. If the train is scheduled to stop at the station (see below), it will stop. Detraining passengers must press a button on board to request the train to stop.

Service

Route 100 map from 1974

The fare as of 2010 is $2.00 cash on board, or $1.55 using pre-purchased tokens, with an additional $0.50 zone charge when traveling in more than one zone. The service runs seven days a week, from about 5:00 am to 1:00 am at night. Traveling the entire length of the railline requires a two-zone fare which a SEPTA Zone 2 Trailpass would be required for the entire route, or a Zone 1 Trailpass for a limited number of stations.

Local trains from 69th Street to Norristown stop at all 22 stations, and the trip lasts approximately 32 minutes. Occasionally, local trains may run only between 69th Street and Bryn Mawr, stopping at ten stations.

During weekday peak periods (6:00–9:00 AM, 2:15–6:45 PM), the Norristown High Speed Line features express and limited services, which stop only at select stations, therefore decreasing travel time between 69th Street and Norristown. Norristown Express service, which is noted by red destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 26 minutes, and stops at 17 stations. Hughes Park Express service, which is noted by green destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Hughes Park in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at 16 stations. Norristown Limited service, which is noted by blue destination signs, travels between 69th Street and Norristown in approximately 22 minutes, stopping at only eight stations. All trains share the same two tracks, so a limited leaving Norristown, for example, will be immediately followed by a local, which stops at more stations, and therefore is spaced farther from the previous train. The next limited will catch up with it. Similarly, a local may leave Bryn Mawr right after an express stops there, and gets to 69th St. just before the next express or limited catches up with it.

Local	Norristown Express	Hughes Park Express	Norristown Limited
69th Street Terminal	69th Street Terminal	69th Street Terminal	69th Street Terminal
Parkview	—	—	—
Township Line Rd.	—	—	—
Penfield	Penfield	—	—
Beechwood–Brookline	—	Beechwood–Brookline	—
Wynnewood Road	—	Wynnewood Road	—
Ardmore Junction	Ardmore Junction	Ardmore Junction	Ardmore Junction
Ardmore Avenue	—	Ardmore Avenue	—
Haverford	Haverford	Haverford	—
Bryn Mawr	Bryn Mawr	Bryn Mawr	—
Roberts Road	Roberts Road	Roberts Road	—
Garrett Hill	Garrett Hill	Garrett Hill	—
Ithan Av.	Ithan Av.	Ithan Av.	—
Villanova	Villanova	Villanova	—
Radnor	Radnor	Radnor	Radnor
County Line	County Line	County Line	—
Matsonford	Matsonford	Matsonford	—
Gulph Mills	Gulph Mills	Gulph Mills	Gulph Mills
Hughes Park	Hughes Park	Hughes Park	Hughes Park
DeKalb St.	DeKalb St.	—	DeKalb St.
Bridgeport	Bridgeport	—	Bridgeport
Norristown	Norristown	—	Norristown

Proposed extension to King of Prussia

Map of the Red Arrow Lines showing the current Norristown High Speed Line (blue); the former branch to Strafford is dashed, as well as former trolley Routes 101–104 (red, still in use, and orange, disbanded)

There is a proposal to extend the Norristown High Speed Line to serve the King of Prussia Mall and Valley Forge office parks. The 4.9-mile (7.9 km) extension would branch from the existing line just north of the Hughes Park station, continue westward along the Norfolk Southern Morrisville Line right-of-way, and then northward through King of Prussia to Valley Forge. This extension would include 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of elevated track.

It is projected that this extension would attract an additional 3,800 daily riders. SEPTA already has enough N-5 rail vehicles to cover this extended service.

Fiscal year	Average weekday	Annual passengers
FY 2005	8,801	2,512,690
FY 2004	8,428	2,463,500
FY 2003	7,925	2,491,074
FY 2000	9,250	3,046,927

Fiscal year	Annual linked trips		Fiscal year	Annual linked trips
1997	1,754,000		1984	2,338,000
1996	1,696,000		1983	2,484,000
1995	1,926,000		1982	2,089,000
1994	2,079,000		1981	1,899,000
1993	2,251,000		1980	2,579,000
1992	2,222,000		1979	2,133,000
1991	2,234,000		1978	1,992,000
1990	2,162,000		1977	1,832,000
1989	2,295,000		1976	2,218,000
1988	2,185,000		1975	2,162,000
1987	1,888,000		1974	2,425,000
1986	1,915,000		1973	2,860,000
1985	2,255,000		1972	2,496,000

See also

• List of rapid transit systems

References

• Norristown High Speed Line schedule PDF (164 KB)
• U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980 PDF
• US DOT Planning Report
• McGraw Publishing Co.: Norristown Extension of Philadelphia & Western Railway. Electric Railway Journal, Vol. XL, No. 16, October 26, 1912, p. 906.