Regional Rail ridership up 12% on some lines in wake of I-95 collapse
The increases came on the Fox Chase, Trenton and West Trenton lines.
Almost from the moment the elevated section of I-95 in Tacony pancaked, officials have urged the public to consider taking public transportation.
Ridership jumped 12% Monday on three Regional Rail lines serving areas north of the severed expressway compared to June 5, SEPTA said, a sign that people were leaning on transit to navigate around the mess.
The increases came on the Fox Chase, Trenton and West Trenton lines, as measured by Key Card taps, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said. The metric gives the quickest read but would not count passengers who paid with cash or credit cards aboard trains.
Fox Chase carried 961 people, up 4% from June 5, when 922 rode.
Trenton carried 2,342 passengers Monday, up 13% from June 5.
West Trenton ridership was up 14%, from 1,648 June 5 to 1,879 Monday.
On Tuesday, SEPTA reported standing room only on several trains, mostly on the Trenton Line.
Before this week, weekday Regional Rail ridership was approximately 50% of what it was pre-COVID, and service levels were about 70% of where they stood in 2019, Busch said.
”There is still plenty of room for more riders on Regional Rail,” he said.