Fox Chase Line

The Fox Chase Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service connecting Center City Philadelphia with Fox Chase. It uses the Fox Chase Branch, which branches off from the SEPTA Main Line at Newtown Junction north of the Wayne Junction station. It runs entirely within the city of Philadelphia. The line is fully grade-separated, except for one grade crossing on Oxford Avenue.

Fox Chase Line
Fox Chase station in December 2012
Overview
Service type	SEPTA Regional Rail commuter service
Current operator(s)	SEPTA
Former operator(s)	Reading Company
Ridership	2,001 (FY 2022)^[1]
Route
Termini	Fox Chase 30th Street Station
Stops	10
Line(s) used	Fox Chase Branch SEPTA Main Line
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric multiple units
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map Legend 11.1 mi 17.9 km Pre-1983 service to Newtown 11.1 mi 17.9 km Newtown George School Holland Churchville Southampton County Line Woodmont Zone  4   3  Bryn Athyn Huntingdon Valley West Trenton Line Walnut Hill Zone  3   2  11.1 mi 17.9 km Fox Chase 10.1 mi 16.3 km Ryers 9.7 mi 15.6 km Cheltenham 9.0 mi 14.5 km Lawndale Zone  2   1  7.3 mi 11.7 km Olney Main Line to Glenside 5.1 mi 8.2 km Wayne Junction Zone  1   C  NOR to Norristown–Elm Street 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University Reading Viaduct Spring Garden Street closed Reading Terminal closed 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson MFL 0 mi 0 km Suburban BSL MFL 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street MFL This diagram: view talk edit

Originally known as the Fox Chase/Newtown Branch, service was truncated in January 1983 from Newtown to its current terminus in Philadelphia at Fox Chase. Plans to restore service beyond Fox Chase remained on SEPTA's Capital Program until 2009.^[2][3] The rail bed between Fox Chase and Southampton has been converted to rail trail usage.^[4]

History

Main article: Fox Chase Branch

Most of what is now the Fox Chase Branch was built by the Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad between 1876 and 1878. Initially, it was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, but the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad leased it in 1879. Under the Reading it was known as the Newtown Branch. Following the Reading's final bankruptcy in 1976 the branch was conveyed to SEPTA; Conrail operated services under contract until 1983 when SEPTA took full control.^{[citation needed]}

Accidents

During the Reading Company era, an accident on the line in Bryn Athyn occurred where two steam trains collided head on with each other. ^[5] Almost a century later, a similar incident occurred involving a car, tank truck, and train. ^[6]

Conrail/SEPTA Era

 

Between 1984 and 2010 the route was designated R8 Fox Chase as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Fox Chase trains operated through the city center to the Chestnut Hill West Line.^[7] Plans had called for the Fox Chase Line to be paired with a Bryn Mawr local and designated R4, but this depended on a never-built connection from the Chestnut Hill West Line to the ex-Reading near Wayne Junction.^[8] As of 2022^[update], most Fox Chase Line trains continue through Center City to the Airport Line on weekdays and the Media/Wawa Line on weekends.^[9]

Beyond Fox Chase

 

Passengers changing over to a Newtown-bound Budd Rail Diesel Car at Fox Chase on November 24, 1981

 

SEPTA performing a test run of the British BRE-Leyland Diesel railbuses at Huntingdon Valley Station, September 1985. Note brand new SEPTA "lollipop" station sign at right and "Station for Lease" sign on the now-demolished station shelter.

Under the Reading Company Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) operated through from the Reading Terminal in downtown Philadelphia to Newtown.^[10] The Reading extended electrification to Fox Chase in 1966; limited diesel shuttles from Fox Chase to Newtown continued.^[11] SEPTA suspended these shuttles on July 1, 1981, as part of a systemwide discontinuation of non-electrified service. The shuttles returned on October 5 as the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line.^[12] The operation of the line was troubled: the RDCs were in poor mechanical condition, SEPTA's decision to use transit division employees from the Broad Street Subway caused labor issues, and ridership was low.^[3] SEPTA suspended service again on January 18, 1983.^[13]

Since 1983, there has been interest from Bucks County passengers in resuming service to Newtown. In anticipation of a possible resumption, SEPTA performed extensive track upgrades in 1984. Street crossings in Newtown and Southampton received brand new welded rail, which were secured using sturdy Pandrol clips vs. traditional rail spikes. Though not promoted, this work was done in order to comply with a federal grant.^[14]

By March 1985, SEPTA gave into political pressure and made a concerted effort to integrate the non-electrified Fox Chase-Newtown line into the rest of its all-electrified commuter system. A $10 million plan to restore service to Newtown and Pottstown using British Rail-Leyland diesel railbuses was considered, with a test run reaching Newtown on September 3. Though the trial runs were relatively successful, ride quality was lackluster. Burdened with ongoing budgetary problems, SEPTA decided against the purchase of the railbuses.^[15]

In March 1987, SEPTA received several bids from private operators interested in running diesel-hauled trains to Newtown (as well as between Norristown and Pottstown). The operators suggested using non-union workers, which SEPTA was against. In addition, funding for these operations was allegedly questionable, and the SEPTA board rejected all offers.^{[16][page needed]}

Beginning in 2009, portions on the line within Montgomery County have been converted into a rail trail.^[3][4] By 2015, the Pennypack Trail extended 5.4 miles (8.7 km) along the former line between Rockledge and Byberry Road near Bryn Athyn.^[17] Additional trackage was in Southampton was dismantled in October 2018,^[18] though several townships along the line are still hoping for resumption of rail service to alleviate traffic congestion on local roads and highways. The right-of-way in Bucks County is currently being redeveloped as the Newtown Rail Trail.

As of 2024, the right-of-way between Lorimer Park and Fox Chase station is being converted to a rail trail. ^[19]

Stations

Fox Chase trains make the following station stops after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection. Stations indicated in gray background are closed. Although SEPTA suspended service to all stations north of Fox Chase in 1983 and has since converted most of the northern portion of the line to a rail trail, it continues to list those stations in its public tariff.^[20][21]

 

Olney station

 

Bryn Athyn in 2008

 

The original George School station

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Connections / notes
C	Temple University	Temple University	2.1 (3.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines   SEPTA City Bus:   3, 23, 47
	Nicetown–Tioga, Philadelphia
		Tioga		Closed 1989
		Nicetown		Closed November 14, 1988 due to fire damage^[22]
1		Wayne Junction	5.1 (8.2)	SEPTA Regional Rail:      Chestnut Hill East Line,      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      Warminster Line,      West Trenton Line   SEPTA City Bus:   2, 23, 53   SEPTA Trackless Trolley:   75
	Olney, Philadelphia	Olney	7.3 (11.7)	SEPTA City Bus:   8
2	Lawncrest, Philadelphia	Crescentville		Closed March 26, 1978^[23]^[24]
	Lawndale, Philadelphia	Lawndale	9.0 (14.5)
	Cheltenham	Cheltenham	9.7 (15.6)
	Fox Chase, Philadelphia	Ryers	10.1 (16.3)	SEPTA City Bus:   70, 77
		Fox Chase	11.1 (17.9)	SEPTA City Bus:   18, 24, 28
3	Huntingdon Valley	Walnut Hill	12.8 (20.6)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
		Huntingdon Valley	14.4 (23.2)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
	Bryn Athyn	Bryn Athyn	15.1 (24.3)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
4	Huntingdon Valley	Woodmont	17.2 (27.7)	Closed in 1965
	Upper Southampton Township	County Line	18.0 (29.0)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
		Southampton	18.9 (30.4)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
		Churchville	20.8 (33.5)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
	Northampton Township	Holland	22.4 (36.0)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
	Newtown Township	George School	25.0 (40.2)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]
	Newtown	Newtown	26.3 (42.3)	Closed January 18, 1983^[25]

Ridership

Yearly ridership on the Fox Chase Line between FY 2013–FY 2019 remained steady around 1.2-1.4 million before collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic:^{[note 1]}

250,000

500,000

750,000

1,000,000

1,250,000

1,500,000

FY 2013

FY 2014

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

FY 2018

FY 2019

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

Notes

1. Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020.^[1]

Footnotes

1. SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics". Retrieved February 24, 2024.
2. SEPTA FISCAL YEARS 2010-2013 CAPITAL PROGRAM
3. Nussbaum, Paul (October 9, 2009). "A Bucks-Montco debate Newtown Station: Reopen it or not?". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
4. Nussbaum, Paul (March 23, 2014). "Montco plans to convert more of rail line for recreation". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
5. Weckselblatt, Gary. "Bryn Athyn train crash a 'Titantic' disaster". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
6. Staff, Fire Engineering (1982-05-01). "Volunteers Stop Major Gasoline Fire After Commuter Train Hits Tanker". Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
7. Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
8. Vuchic & Kikuchi 1984, pp. 2–8
9. "Fox Chase Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. December 16, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
10. Williams 1998, p. 97
11. Williams 1998, p. 98
12. Williams 1998, p. 49
13. King, Larry (May 17, 2006). "New vision for abandoned rail line Speedy bus line could revive the Newtown-Fox Chase route. Old rail line may be revived for bus system". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
14. Schwieterman 2001, p. 266
15. Woodland 2003, p. 26
16. Woodland 1998
17. (Map). Montgomery County Division of Parks, Trails, & Historic Sites. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
18. Monaco, Vic (January 28, 2016). "Advocates push for bike trail on abandoned rails in Bucks". Philly Voice. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
19. "Streets Department Announces Construction to Begin on the Fox Chase Lorimer Trail Project | Department of Streets". City of Philadelphia. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
20. "TARIFF NO. 154 SUPPLEMENT NO. 39" (PDF). SEPTA Regional Rail Division. March 12, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
21. "Fox Chase Line Timetable" (PDF). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. September 10, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
22. Bowden, Mark (December 23, 1988). "A SEPTA Ride to a Sealed Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
23. "Notice: Station Abandonment". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 6, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
24. "City: A Hearing Will Be Held on the Closing of a Railroad Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 23, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
25. Kennedy, Sara (October 21, 1983). "SEPTA to Boost Rail Service 13%". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1–2. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  

References

• Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2001). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Eastern United States. Kirksville, Missouri: Truman State University Press. ISBN 978-0-943549-97-2.
• Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA.
• Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1.
• Woodland, Dale W. (1998). Reading in the Conrail Era. Vol. 2. Telford, PA: Silver Brook Junction. ISBN 978-0-9640425-9-9.
• Woodland, Dale W. (December 2003). "SEPTA's Diesels". Railpace Newsmagazine.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fox Chase Line.

Template:Attached KML/Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line

KML is not from Wikidata

• "SEPTA – Fox Chase Line schedule" (PDF).
• Reading Company Routes and Mileages
• Newtown Branch restoration website 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine