SEPTA in Philly

[surgerypeds]

I am thinking about using it to commute to school in the Fall (center city)

For those in the downtown philly area, what are advantages/disadvantages of the SEPTA regional rail system? I have heard some positive and negative things, and I am just curious as to what others think.

Thanks!

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[SRK85]

Um never used it but I hear its pretty bad. Im sure philly has one of the worst public transporation systems in the country.

 

[beffers8888]

Pretty ghetto, doesnt feel safe and kind of expensive...

 

[NoSoupforYou13]

The blue line is great. Everything else is, well, . . . not so great.

 

[albinomidget]

Which part of Septa do you plan on using? Blue line, Subway-surface Green line, Broad Street Orange Line, Bus, Regional Rail??? I think it depends on which system you plan on using and the times you are going to use it. Are you planning on studying late at school, or using it during normal buisness hours?

 

[surgerypeds]

I am looking into the regional rail...commuting from a suburb ~20 min from center city, probably studying late occasionally. I guess you can park your car at some of the regional rail stations, and then take the train downtown.

I just don't want to deal with the traffic/parking in the center city area, so I was thinking about using SEPTA - it seems a little more convenient.

Which part of Septa do you plan on using? Blue line, Subway-surface Green line, Broad Street Orange Line, Bus, Regional Rail??? I think it depends on which system you plan on using and the times you are going to use it. Are you planning on studying late at school, or using it during normal buisness hours?

 

[chula505]

I used regional rail on a regular basis when I was in undergrad. It's not that bad. WAAAYYY better than the trains in Atlanta, where I am now. Lots of people use it and it's pretty reliable. I haven't ever had to wait long for a train

 

[Withnail]

Little old ladies ride regional rail no problem. Don't listen to the scrubbers who say its too dangerous. I've ridden it all of my life and never once had a problem. Then again I am one intimidating mo-fo.

 

[MDCali]

I've ridden septa. It's pretty easy to use and it seems relatively safe. I know that all kinds of people use it. As long as you're smart and aware of your surroundings, i wouldn't worry too much about safety. The windows are too small though haha.

 

[deleted6669]

I am looking into the regional rail...commuting from a suburb ~20 min from center city, probably studying late occasionally. I guess you can park your car at some of the regional rail stations, and then take the train downtown.

I just don't want to deal with the traffic/parking in the center city area, so I was thinking about using SEPTA - it seems a little more convenient.

when I was at hahnemann I lived in lansdowne west of the city and took the r3 rail line in every day. very safe, drops you right off downtown at city hall.
the bus system is a little more sketchy.....

 

[stherling]

My opinion on SEPTA:

Buses are unreliable, schedule wise, during rush hour. What else is new 🙂 The drivers liss me aff when I'm biking or driving, but when I'm on the bus it's all good 😛

Subway system is fine. I ride all three systems (blue/green/orange) to/from work almost everyday. They run fairly frequently, except around lunchtime. My only complaint is that they could keep the stations cleaner. They seem to be working on it, but change is slow with SEPTA 😛 In the meantime, avoid the North Philadelphia stop.

Regional rail... it's not Amtrak, but it's perfectly safe. As with all of SEPTA, the transportation isn't sketchy itself. If you get OFF the train in a sketchy neighbourhood then that's a different story. The best thing about RR is of course the schedules. And all the trains stop at City Hall, so if you're going downtown you shd be fine. Depending on how far out you are, a monthly pass can run you up to $163 a month (http://www.septa.org/fares/trailpass.html), but you can ride anything within the SEPTA system for free on that pass.

 

[Slide]

SEPTA subways and regional rail are actually great for campus travel to Penn, Drexel, Temple, and even Bryn Mawr if you plan it right. The buses, though, don't run for ****.

 

[U Should Study]

I am looking into the regional rail...commuting from a suburb ~20 min from center city, probably studying late occasionally. I guess you can park your car at some of the regional rail stations, and then take the train downtown.

I just don't want to deal with the traffic/parking in the center city area, so I was thinking about using SEPTA - it seems a little more convenient.

Yes you can park your car at the station, although some stations fill up quickly. Parking costs a dollar during weekdays and is free on weekends http://www.septa.org/service/parking.html

As someone else noted, assuming the area you get on and off are safe, you will be fine. I've never felt worried about my safety while on the train. The passes mentioned previously can be a good deal if you ride often. For zone 5 the pass that covers everything is roughly equivalent in price to buying tickets to ride round trip 4 times a week, 2/3 of which is peak fare (rush hour). I would guess the other zones follow a similar pricing strategy, so if you ride roughly that often or plan on using the subway and RR together I think the pass is a good deal. Of course you have the extra convenience of not having to worry about buying tickets all the time. If the station you board at has an open ticketing window you get a $2 surcharge if you wait until you are on the train to buy a ticket.

 

[spygal]

You should definitely check out www.septa.org. Most trains don't run past 11pm, and after rush hour only run one train/hour, which can be very annoying if you're pressed for time. Depending on the train station, parking can be free or cost a dollar. The regional rail is rather expensive. I commute into Philly daily on the bus, which takes a bit longer than the train, but I've always said that if I go back to school, I wouldn't want such a long commute...it's a waste of valuable time if you need to study. Safety is not an issue on the trains or most bus lines.

 

[PhillyMD2006]

yeah my only warning to you would be to avoid the subway system latenight (aka post 10 PM) -- the subway waiting areas are pretty sketchy. the busses are never on time, so i would avoid using those regularly. green/blue/orange lines are perfect for getting to and from during regular travel hours. regional rail is probably safer, but you do have the issue of getting to and from the train stations to school.

PM if you have any questions. i have lived in Philly for 5 years and use SEPTA transportation.

 

[stiffany]

Um never used it but I hear its pretty bad. Im sure philly has one of the worst public transporation systems in the country.

Quotes like this annoy me. If you've never even bothered to use the public transport system, then how can you postulate that it's one of the worst public transportation systems in the country?

Getting in to Penn from Center City is hardly ever bad (the only time it was was during the one week SEPTA strike, but it was gorgeous outside anyway and the walk isn't too long). Since I work at Penn and also take classes, every morning I take the bus or the subway (takes 15-25 minutes depending on what time of the day it is schedule and rush hour wise) and then at night I almost always end up taking the subway or the trolley back to my apartment. I've never had any problems with SEPTA and overall it's a pretty decent deal: I get to live where I want (downtown, away from Penn's campus where I've now studied for 5 years) and I get a convenient and relatively cheap ($1.30 each way) way of getting home. In addition, when it's nice outside I can walk from campus to downtown in about 30 minutes (I live east of Broad Street, which is actually farther west than most Penn students, but I love it). I have not experienced Regional Rail late at night (other than coming back from NY through Trenton or returning from the airport, so I'm not sure how great or bad it is). However, as another poster mentioned you can check out the schedule available on SEPTAs website. In general, I think the regional rail timetable is more reliable than the bus schedule.

For those of you posting who have never bothered to use the subway system or for those who think it's scary, try it before you knock it! We live in a city and there are certain risks that each of us take each day for that privilege. As a freshman who had never experienced public transportation five years ago, I felt scared and would often avoid going downtown at night other than in a cab. Then, I started using the subway more often and now it's not a big deal. I actually feel safer on the subway or riding the bus late at night by myself than I do walking the distance back to my place from the subway/bus stop. Although the Broad Street line (goes North to South through the Center of the City - you don't use it for much other than going up to other universities or going down to South Philly or the stadiums) is a little run down, I think public transport in this city is fine! If you don't want to live in a city environment, with its pros and cons, then why are you coming to Penn, an urban university?!

 

[riceman04]

I guess since they have recently gone on strike you wont have to worry about that for a little while.

Those days were horrible...luckily I live on campus b/c I would not have walked from north philly to university city

 

[MDMAMA]

I use Septa to get to work at a downtown hospital. It is quite reliable, runs in bad weather, easy to figure out, and beats driving and parking. Come on over and test it
out sometime.

 

[surgerypeds]

The trains stops at Suburban Station and 30th Street Station according to the SEPTA website.

The suburban station is only a few blocks from the Drexel Center City Hahnemann campus right? Is that walk pretty safe? I think Drexel provides a shuttle from the 30th Street Station to the Hahnemann campus, but not from the suburban station.

Thanks for your responses. I plan on checking out the area in July, but until then, I am just trying to learn more about SEPTA.

 

[stherling]

Yeah Suburban Station is essentially City Hall. The Drexel campus is about two blocks north of City Hall, and yeah I'd consider that walk perfectly safe. Center City is in general not a problem if you're a sane individual who doesnt pick fights with strangers 🙂

If you're commuting everyday, I definitely recommend getting a pass. The convenience is definitely worth it.

Feel free to PM me as well if you want -- this is my 6th year in Philly, I work in North Philly (Olney) and live in West Philly/U. City (46th St).... and even weathered the recent SEPTA strike, so I'm pretty familiar with SEPTA 🙂