SEPTA is finally set to reopen the Center City trolley tunnel, which has been shuttered since November for a slew of overhead wire repairs. The transit authority confirmed that the work is complete and test runs are underway, with the aim of getting service up and running again in mid-January.
According to SEPTA officials, the five-mile tunnel, which runs under Market Street, was closed due to maintenance issues involving the sliders that connect trolley cars to the overhead wire. The transit authority had attempted to replace these sliders with four-inch pieces to reduce wear and tear, but the new components damaged the overhead infrastructure, resulting in two mass evacuations of the train.
After reopening the tunnel on November 13, workers identified more problems and shut it down again. SEPTA reinstalled the original sliders and has been working to repair the damage since then.
The tunnel closure is unrelated to SEPTA's annual summer maintenance blitz or its recent response to inclement weather in Delaware County, where two trolley lines have been running on a shuttle basis since December due to hazardous conditions caused by fallen trees.
According to SEPTA officials, the five-mile tunnel, which runs under Market Street, was closed due to maintenance issues involving the sliders that connect trolley cars to the overhead wire. The transit authority had attempted to replace these sliders with four-inch pieces to reduce wear and tear, but the new components damaged the overhead infrastructure, resulting in two mass evacuations of the train.
After reopening the tunnel on November 13, workers identified more problems and shut it down again. SEPTA reinstalled the original sliders and has been working to repair the damage since then.
The tunnel closure is unrelated to SEPTA's annual summer maintenance blitz or its recent response to inclement weather in Delaware County, where two trolley lines have been running on a shuttle basis since December due to hazardous conditions caused by fallen trees.
they finally fixed the center city tunnel and I'm low-key hyped for it to be open again in january. those trolley lines are gonna get so busy once it's up and running lol. and i feel bad 4 the evacuations earlier, hope everyone got out safely 
. let's keep our fingers crossed that everything runs smoothly from now on 
I'm so over this whole trolley tunnel thing... Can't they just fix it right the first time? Like, what's with all these shutdowns and evacuations? It's crazy 
. And now they're gonna reopen it in mid-January? Are we really gonna be stuck in traffic on that one-mile stretch for a month? 
. I'm not even sure why they bother reopening the whole tunnel, can't they just do some quick fixes and save people the hassle? 
. And btw, have you seen those new sliders they're trying to use? 4-inch pieces? Are they even safe? 
Can't wait for them to get the tunnel back up and running! I'm so tired of delays 
. Mid-January can't come soon enough 
. How's SEPTA handling the shuttle service in Delaware County though? Poor guys must be dealing with some rough weather 
️. Hope the trolley lines get fixed ASAP so they can get back to normal 
.
... literally! Can't believe SEPTA couldn't get it done sooner. And, man, four-inch sliders? That's just crazy talk 
... who thought that was a good idea? I swear, these maintenance issues are gonna be the death of me 
...
And what's up with the four-inch pieces not working out?! It's like they were trying to make it worse!