Cynwyd Line

Route

The Cynwyd Line runs from Suburban Station to the 52nd Street Junction, where it diverges from Amtrak's Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg line. It makes station stops at Wynnefield Avenue, Bala, and Cynwyd before stopping just short of the Schuylkill River.

History

The Cynwyd Line is the truncated remnant of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Schuylkill Branch, which ran from Philadelphia to Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Electrified service was opened between Philadelphia and Norristown (Haws Avenue) on June 20, 1930. Plans for electrification beyond Norristown, to Phoenixville, were not carried out. Passenger service ended between Manayunk and Norristown on October 29, 1960 and the line beyond Manayunk was de-electrified, although the pylons remain.

In 1980 SEPTA extended service from Manayunk to a new park-and-ride station at Ivy Ridge.

Service beyond Cynwyd was suspended on May 27, 1986, because of poor track conditions and concerns about the Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill River.

Between 1984–2010, the route was designated R6 Ivy Ridge (later R6 Cynwyd) as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Ivy Ridge Line trains operated through the city center to the Manayunk/Norristown Line on the ex-Reading side of the system. The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010.

In the late 1990s and up to 2003, SEPTA funded a study called the Schuylkill Valley Metro which included plans to extend both sides of the R6 line to Pottstown, Reading and Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. The project suffered a major setback when it was rejected by the FTA New Starts program, which cited doubts about the ridership projections and financing assumptions used by the study.

Though there have been repeated calls to restore the "temporarily" discontinued service between Cynwyd and Ivy Ridge, SEPTA permanently dropped plans for restoration in 2008 when all trackage north of Cynwyd to Ivy Ridge was removed between 2008 and June 2010 to make way for the Cynwyd Heritage Trail and Ivy Ridge Trail.

On October 29, 2010, the Cynwyd Line was where the Silverliner V rail cars made their first run in revenue service, and, on June 29, 2012, where the final Silverliner IIs and IIIs ran in revenue service before being fully retired.

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Cynwyd Line on November 21, 2016.

On April 9, 2020, the line was suspended indefinitely due to a staff shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited service resumed on September 7, 2021.

Following the Interstate 95 bridge collapse on June 11, 2023, SEPTA used vehicles and human resources from Cynwyd Line to operate additional services on Trenton Line, West Trenton Line, and Fox Chase Line starting June 12. Rail services on Cynwyd Line were replaced by buses running to Overbrook station and connecting to Paoli/Thorndale Line trains. Train service on the Cynwyd Line resumed on June 26, 2023.

Incident

On November 14, 2013, a New York-bound Amtrak Keystone Service train, which carried 130 riders, accidentally reversed onto the Cynwyd Line from 30th Street Station.

Stations

The Cynwyd Line includes the following stations north of 30th Street Station; stations indicated with gray background are closed.

Ridership

Between FY 2013–FY 2019, yearly ridership on the Cynwyd Line ranged from 120,000 to 180,000, peaking at 184,138 in FY 2014. Ridership collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes

References

References

1. "Ivy Ridge line closed, May 18, 1986 - Newspapers.com".
2. (1950). "Eastern Region, Philadelphia Terminal Division, Schuylkill Branch Map Showing Switching Districts As Shown On General Notice No. 503 2-14-1950".
3. {{Williams-Philadelphia
4. Baer, Christopher T.. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE SUCCESSORS OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY AND THEIR HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1980-1989". Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society.
5. (16 July 2014). "Starting the Second Life of a Manayunk Icon".
6. (1984). "General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System". SEPTA.
7. Lustig, David. (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Kalmbach Publishing.
8. "fta.dot.gov".
9. [http://www.cynwydtrail.org/ cynwydtrail.org/]
10. "Ivy Ridge Green".
11. Geringer, Dan. (October 30, 2010). "Mass appeal for SEPTA's new Silverliner V train". Philadelphia Daily News.
12. (29 June 2012). "SEPTA to scrap the last 'Silverliner II'".
13. (May 1, 2017). "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA.
14. "Service Information". [[SEPTA]].
15. "Regional Rail Select Schedule Changes". SEPTA.
16. (2023-06-11). "I-95 Philadelphia collapse: SEPTA adds, modifies lines and service to ease commuting troubles". Fox 29 Philadelphia.
17. (6 June 2023). "Until Further Notice: SEPTA Is Adding Extra Capacity And Service Due To I-95 Bridge Collapse". SEPTA.
18. (6 June 2023). "Beginning Monday, June 26: SEPTA Is Adjusting Capacity And Service Due To I-95 Reopening". SEPTA.
19. (19 November 2013). "Amtrak Investigates How Train Headed To NYC Ends Up In Bala Cynwyd - CBS Philadelphia". CBS News.
20. (21 November 2013). "Amtrak train from Philadelphia to NYC ends up in Philly suburb after wrong turn". New York Daily News.
21. (20 November 2013). "Amtrak wants to know how NYC-bound train got lost in Philadelphia suburb". Yahoo News.
22. (20 November 2013). "Riders on Amtrak train from Philly to NYC get an unexpected detour". NJ.com.
23. (January 7, 2024). "Cynwyd Line schedule". Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
24. SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics".
25. "SEPTA Route Statistics".