Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority - Definition and Overview

SEPTA redirects here. For other meanings of the term, see SEPTA (disambiguation).

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional quasi-public state agency that operates bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, trolley (streetcar), and until recently trackless trolley service in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.

The city transit system was formerly owned and operated by the Philadelphia Transportation Company (known as the PTC) until 1968, and before that the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (the PRT). The region's suburban bus and trolley lines were operated by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (also called the Red Arrow Lines), the Schuylkill Valley Lines, and a handful of other smaller companies into the 1970s.

SEPTA runs the following lines:

• City Transit Division
  • Market-Frankford Line - subway and elevated
  • Broad Street Line (including the Broad-Ridge Spur) - subway
  • SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines
  • bus routes
• Suburban Transit Division
  • Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) - interurban rapid transit
  • SEPTA Surface Trolley Lines (Routes 101 and 102)
  • bus routes
• SEPTA Regional Rail - commuter rail

SEPTA Route 15 of the City Transit Division is a bus line as of early 2005, but was supposed to be restored to trolley service by now. Restoration is being held up by a dispute with Philadelphia over parking on a narrow two-block section of 59th Street that one track runs along.

The PATCO Speedline is not operated by SEPTA, but runs underground in Center City. It then runs east across the Ben Franklin Bridge into Camden, New Jersey and suburbs. PATCO connects to SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line and Broad-Ridge Spur at 8th and Market Streets; an additional fare is required.

External links

• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Official Website (http://www.septa.com)