Warminster Line
A southbound Warminster Line train between the Hatboro and Willow Grove stations
Overview
Service typeSEPTA Regional Rail commuter service
Current operator(s)SEPTA
Ridership7,667 (daily FY 2019)[1]
Route
TerminiPenn Medicine
Warminster
Stops17
Line(s) used
Technical
Rolling stockElectric multiple units
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC

The Warminster Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system. It serves stations between its namesake town, Warminster, and Center City Philadelphia. Half of the route is shared by other lines, including the Lansdale/Doylestown Line, West Trenton Line, Fox Chase Line, Chestnut Hill East Line, and Manayunk/Norristown Line. All trains continue as part of the Airport Line with the exception of several rush hour trains that terminate at 30th Street Station, Thorndale and Newark, Delaware.

Route

The Warminster Line uses the SEPTA Main Line between Center City and Glenside station, where it branches off onto the Warminster Branch to Hatboro and Warminster. The tracks continue past Warminster to Ivyland and eventually to New Hope, where the New Hope Railroad runs heritage excursion trains.

The Warminster Line becomes a single-track line just north of Ardsley, but was once double-tracked as far north as Roslyn, the original northbound track being removed in 2010. A passing siding exists north of Willow Grove. There is also a second storage track at the Hatboro station and the line becomes double-tracked again as it approaches the terminus at Warminster station.

History

Hatboro station was the extent of electrified service until 1974
The logo for the Warminister Line

The Warminster Line is a continuation of the Reading Company's suburban services over the Warminster Branch. The line was built between 1872 and 1874 and electrified as far as Hatboro in 1931.[2] Passenger service beyond Hatboro ended in 1952. The Reading extended electrification and suburban service to Warminster on July 29, 1974.[2][3]

With the Reading's final bankruptcy in 1976 Conrail took over the operation of the trains and ownership of the branch.[4] The Warminster Branch was conveyed to SEPTA in 1979; SEPTA took over operation of the trains in 1983. A train crash occurred on July 1, 2006, in Abington Township injuring 38 passengers and 6 crew members.[5]

Beginning in 1984 the route was designated R2 Warminster as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Warminster Line trains operated through the city center to the Wilmington/Newark Line (then Marcus Hook) on the ex-Pennsylvania side of the system.[6] The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010.[7] As of 2022 the majority of Warminster trains continue on to the Airport Line, though some peak hour weekday trains terminate at 30th Street Station.[8]

On April 18, 2016, SEPTA launched positive train control on the Warminster Line, the first Regional Rail line to use the signal system which will enhance safety.[9][10]

Potential for expansion beyond Warminster

In a 1991 report, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission ranked the line between Warminster and New Hope as having "medium potential" for reuse based on projected growth in population and employment in the region. It noted that SEPTA considered the line a "long range transit opportunity corridor."[11]

Stations

Warminster station, which serves as the terminus of the Warminster Line

The Warminster Line includes the following stations north of the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with gray background area closed.[12]

Zone Location Station Miles (km)
from
Center City		 Date opened Connections / notes
C Temple University Temple University Disabled access 2.1 (3.4) SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines
1 Nicetown–Tioga, Philadelphia Wayne Junction Disabled access 5.1 (8.2) SEPTA Regional Rail:      Chestnut Hill East Line,      Fox Chase Line,      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      West Trenton Line
SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 2, 23, 53
SEPTA Trackless Trolley: Trolleybus 75
Olney-Oak Lane, Philadelphia
Logan One of four stations discontinued on October 4, 1992[13]
Tabor Closed 1992
Fern Rock Transportation Center Disabled access 7.3 (11.7) SEPTA Regional Rail:      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      West Trenton Line
SEPTA City Transit: BSL Broad Street Line
SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 4, 28, 57, 70
2 Melrose Park Melrose Park Disabled access 8.4 (13.5) SEPTA Regional Rail:      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      West Trenton Line
Elkins Park Elkins Park 9.2 (14.8) May 14, 1899[14] SEPTA Regional Rail:      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      West Trenton Line
SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 28
3 Jenkintown Jenkintown–Wyncote 10.8 (17.4) SEPTA Regional Rail:      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      West Trenton Line
SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 77
Glenside Glenside 11.9 (19.2) SEPTA Regional Rail:      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line
SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 22, 77
Ardsley Disabled access 13.0 (20.9)
Roslyn Roslyn Disabled access 14.2 (22.9) SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 22
Abington Crestmont Disabled access 15.4 (24.8)
Willow Grove Willow Grove 16.2 (26.1) SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 22, 55, 310, 311
Upper Moreland Township Fulmor 18.1 (29.1) Closed November 10, 1996[15]
Hatboro Hatboro 18.6 (29.9)
Warminster Warminster Disabled access 20.1 (32.3) July 29, 1974[16] SEPTA City Bus: Bus interchange 22
TMA Bucks: Bus interchange Richboro-Warminster Rushbus[17]

Ridership

Between FY 2008–FY 2018 yearly ridership on the Warminster Line has ranged between 2.3 and 2.7 million.[note 1]

500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
FY 2008
FY 2009
FY 2010
FY 2011
FY 2012
FY 2013
FY 2014
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
FY 2019

Notes

  1. ↑ Annual ridership statistics compiled from SEPTA's Annual Service Plans.[1][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Coates (1990), p. 84.
  3. ↑ Bell (1992), p. 69.
  4. ↑ USRA (1975), p. 281.
  5. ↑ King, Larry (August 5, 2007). "A collision of errors on the R2 is detailed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
  7. ↑ Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
  8. ↑ "Warminster Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ Laughlin, Jason (February 28, 2016). "Feds approve new SEPTA train-control safety system". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Potential Reuse of Inactive Rail Lines" (PDF). Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Warminster Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  13. ↑ "New Rail Schedules Set". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 2, 1992. p. 36. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ↑ "Elkins Station Opened at Ogontz Park". The Philadelphia Times. May 15, 1899. p. 3. Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ↑ Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Scene". The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 29, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved July 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  17. ↑ "Richboro-Warminster Rushbus" (PDF). tmabucks.com. TMA Bucks. p. January 2, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2019. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 27, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2018. p. 74. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2017. p. 44. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. October 2016. p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2016 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2015. p. 94. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2014. p. 60. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2013. p. 44. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2012. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. July 2011. p. 94. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2010. p. 70. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. June 2009. p. 63. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.

References

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