Route 11 Subway–surface trolley line
SEPTA's Route #11 line bound for Darby
Overview
Termini	Darby (Transportation Center) Center City (13th–Market)
Stations	8 underground stations, 1 surface level station, and 40 street-level stops
Service
System	Subway–surface trolley lines
Depot(s)	Elmwood Carhouse
Daily ridership	13,480 (avg weekday 2019)
History
Opened	1858
Technical
Line length	13.3 mi (21.4 km)
Track gauge	5 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1,588 mm) Pennsylvania trolley gauge[1]
Electrification	overhead lines
Route map SEPTA Main Line to Glenside MFL to Frankford T.C. 13th Street MFL BSL City Hall 15th Street MFL Suburban 19th Street 22nd Street Schuylkill River Northeast Corridor 30th Street Station 30th Street MFL Harrisburg Subdivision NEC/Keystone Corridor 32nd Street Tunnel MFL to 69th Street T.C. 33rd Street  10  to 63rd–Malvern 36th Street 37th Street 40th Street Portal  34  Baltimore Avenue Chester & Woodland  13  Chester Avenue Woodland & 41st Woodland & 42nd Diversion tracks to 40th & Market Woodland & 43rd Woodland & 45th Woodland & 46th Woodland & 47th WAW Woodland & 48th Woodland & 49th  36  49th Street Woodland Heavy Maintenance Shop Woodland & 50th Woodland & 51st Woodland & 52nd Woodland & 53rd Woodland & 54th Woodland & 55th Woodland & 56th Woodland & 57th Woodland & 58th Non-Revenue Track to Chester Ave. Woodland & 60th CSX Philadelphia Subdivision Woodland & 61st Woodland & 62nd Woodland & 63rd Woodland & 64th Woodland & 65th Woodland & 66th Woodland & 67th Woodland & 68th Woodland & 69th Woodland & 70th Woodland & 71st Woodland & 72nd Woodland & Island Non-Revenue Track to Elmwood Ave. Cobbs Creek Main & Front Main & 2nd Main & 3rd Main & 4th Main & 5th CSX Philadelphia Subdivision Main & 6th Main & Summit Main & Mill Main & Powell Darby T.C.  13

Route 11, also known as the Woodland Avenue Line, is a trolley line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) that connects the 13th Street station in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Darby Transportation Center in Darby, Pennsylvania. It is one of five lines that are part of the subway–surface trolley system. Sitting at an average of 13,580 riders per weekday in 2019, it is the most used subway-surface trolley route, even though it lacks overnight service.

Route description

Starting from its eastern end at 13th Street, Route 11 runs in a tunnel under Market Street. It stops at underground stations at 15th Street, 19th Street, 22nd Street, 30th Street, and 33rd Street. From 15th to 30th Streets, it runs on the outer tracks in the same tunnel as SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line.

Passengers may transfer free of charge to the Market–Frankford Line at 13th, 15th, and 30th Streets and to the Broad Street Line at 15th Street. Connections to the SEPTA Regional Rail are also available. Underground passageways connect the 13th and 15th Street Stations to Jefferson Station and Suburban Station.

Route 11 surfaces at the 40th Street Portal near 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue (US 13), and then runs southwest along Woodland Avenue, along with Route 36 trolleys, and then turns down 49th Street where the Route 10 diversion line ends. Route 11 continues its run along Woodland Avenue, and is the most consistent of the five subway–surface lines when it comes to taking a straight route. The line runs parallel to the north side of the Wilmington/Newark Line and crosses a bridge over CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision freight line, at 60th Street.

At the intersection of Island Road and the Cobbs Creek Parkway, an unnamed line runs southward toward Elmwood Depot on the corner of Elmwood Avenue, which is a major turning point for the Route 36 line. The northwest corner is also the home of the historic Blue Bell Inn^[2] Route 11 moves northwest from Woodland Avenue to Main Street as it crosses the Cobbs Creek and enters Darby. Here, Route 11 crosses the Philadelphia Subdivision again, but at an at-grade crossing along with 6th Street.^[3] The road and line move to the west shortly, only to turn back northwest and finally north to 9th Street at the Darby Transportation Center. Some Route 13 trolleys also terminate at the station, but the other public transportation consists of SEPTA Suburban Transit Division buses.

History

Route 11 was established as the West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company in Darby on December 24, 1858, and ran as horsecars from 9th and Main Streets in Darby to 49th Street and Woodland Avenue in West Philadelphia. It was originally a segregated streetcar that required African-Americans to ride on platforms along with the driver, until abolitionist William Still challenged that rule between 1859 and 1867.^[4] In 1896, the line was extended as far east as Front Street via Chestnut and Walnut Streets, and was integrated into the subway–surface trolley system by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company on December 15, 1906.^[5]

The at-grade crossing along Main Street at the intersection of Sixth Street in Darby^[6] was the site of the Darby Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station. B&O had passenger service into Philadelphia until 1958.^[7]

On December 9, 2021, a Route 11 trolley collided with a CSX Transportation freight train operating on the Philadelphia Subdivision at the at-grade crossing between the two lines near the intersection of Main Street and Sixth Street in Darby. Seven people on the trolley were injured, and the front windshield was smashed.^[8] All of the people injured in the crash were treated and released from the hospital on the same day.^[9] This is reportedly the only intersection in the nation where an active freight rail line crosses a fixed active rail transit line.^[10]

In 2021, SEPTA proposed rebranding their rail transit service as "SEPTA Metro", in order to make the system easier to navigate. Under this proposal, the subway–surface lines will be rebranded as the "T" lines with a green color and numeric suffixes for each service, and Route 11 would be renamed "T4 Woodland Avenue."^[11][12] SEPTA described that "most comments were positive" in the public comment period for this rebranding project.^[13]

Stations and stops

All are in either the City of Philadelphia or the Borough of Darby.

Neighborhood / location	Images	Station or stop	Connections	Notes
Market East		13th Street	MFL Market–Frankford Line 10, 11, 13, 34, 36 27, 31, 32	Closed between 12:30–5:00am
Penn Center		15th Street	all lines (at Suburban) MFL Market–Frankford Line, BSL Broad Street Line (at City Hall) 10, 11, 13, 34, 36 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48 124, 125	Late night terminus
		19th Street	10, 11, 13, 34, 36 17, 31, 38, 44, 48, 62, 78 124
Center City West		22nd Street	10, 11, 13, 34, 36 7, 31, 44, 62 124, 125	Replaced 24th Street station
University City		30th Street	Amtrak (at 30th Street) NJ Transit: ACL Atlantic City Line (at 30th Street) all lines (at 30th Street) MFL Market–Frankford Line 10, 11, 13, 34, 36 31, 49, LUCY	No direct passage to 30th Street Station
		33rd Street	10, 11, 13, 34, 36 30, 31, 49, LUCY	Serves Drexel University
		36th Street	13, 34, 36 21	Serves University of Pennsylvania
		37th Street	13, 34, 36 40, 42, LUCY	Serves University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Spruce Hill		40th Street Portal	13, 34, 36 30, 40, 42, LUCY	End of Route 34 concurrency
		Chester & Woodland	13, 36 30	End of Route 13 concurrency
		41st & Woodland (EB)	36 30
		42nd & Woodland	36
		43rd & Woodland (WB) 45th & Woodland (EB)	36
Squirrel Hill		46th & Woodland	36
		47th & Woodland (EB)	36
Kingsessing		48th & Woodland	36
		49th & Woodland	36 12, 52, 64	End of Route 36 concurrency
		50th & Woodland	12, 52
		51st & Woodland	52
		52nd & Woodland	52
		53rd & Woodland	52
		54th & Woodland
		55th & Woodland
		56th & Woodland
		57th & Woodland
		58th & Woodland	G
Elmwood		60th & Woodland
		61st & Woodland
		62nd & Woodland	G
		63rd & Woodland
		64th & Woodland
		65th & Woodland	108
		66th & Woodland
		67th & Woodland
		68th & Woodland
		69th & Woodland
		70th & Woodland
		71st & Woodland
		72nd & Woodland
		Island & Woodland	68
Philadelphia–Darby line
Darby		Front & Main
		2nd & Main
		3rd & Main
		4th & Main
		5th & Main
		6th & Main
		Summit & Main
		Mill & Main (EB)
		Powell & Main (WB)
		Darby T.C.	13 113, 114, 115	Limited Route 13 service

References

External links

• Official SEPTA Route 11 schedule and map
• Subway-Surface Lines & Proposals on Google Maps