SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill West rail line resumes weekday service almost a year after suspension
Regular riders have been worried that the line, on which service was suspended due to the pandemic, might not come back.
SEPTA’s Regional Rail Chestnut Hill West Line began weekday service Monday for the first time since it was suspended last spring as the transit agency shuffled schedules to account for reduced ridership early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chestnut Hill West trains are scheduled to run to and from Center City between 5:51 a.m. and about 8 p.m. They will not operate during late-night hours or on Saturday and Sunday. One reason the line remained suspended longer than others, SEPTA said, was extensive track work that would have made the service unreliable.
» READ MORE: SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill West Line has been suspended for months, and there’s no timeline on a return
SEPTA and Amtrak will continue to repair track and tunnels on the Chestnut Hill West Line overnight and on weekends, the regional transit agency said.
“We are thrilled to welcome back riders on the Chestnut Hill West Line,” SEPTA general manager Leslie Richards said in a statement. “The early morning trains will help essential employees get to work, and trips throughout the day will give riders more travel options.”
Regular riders seemed at least equally thrilled.
“Glad to be where I belong on SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill West line,” one rider tweeted.
SEPTA suspended some Regional Rail lines last April as many of its suburban riders adjusted to working remotely. As the commuter trains began to make a slow return over the summer, SEPTA kept the Chestnut Hill West and Cynwyd Lines suspended — in part because of track work.
Before the pandemic, the Chestnut Hill West Line had about 4,400 weekday riders, while Cynwyd carried about 500. The Cynwyd Line remains suspended, according to Regional Rail schedules.