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SEPTA Route 11

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Route 11 (T4)
SEPTA's Route #11 line bound for Darby
Overview
Termini
Stations8 underground stations, 1 surface level station, and 40 street-level stops
Service
SystemSEPTA Metro
Depot(s)Elmwood Carhouse
Daily ridership13,480 (avg weekday 2019)
History
Opened1858
Technical
Line length13.3 mi (21.4 km)[citation needed]
Track gauge5 ft 2+14 in (1,581 mm) Pennsylvania trolley gauge[1]
ElectrificationOverhead line600 V DC
Route map
Map
13th Street
15th Street
19th Street
22nd Street
30th Street
33rd Street
36th Street
37th Street
40th Street Portal
Baltimore Avenue
Chester & Woodland
Chester Avenue
Woodland & 41st
Woodland & 42nd
Diversion tracks to 40th & Market
Woodland & 43rd
Woodland & 45th
Woodland & 46th
Woodland & 47th
Woodland & 48th
Woodland & 49th
arrow for R 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.
Main & Front
Main & 2nd
Main & 3rd
Main & 4th
Main & 5th
Main & 6th
Main & Summit
Main & Mill
Main & Powell
Darby T.C.

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. This route will be rebranded as the T4 as part of the transition to SEPTA Metro.

Route description

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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

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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

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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 SEPTA#Rapid transit  MFL  Market–Frankford Line
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 27, 31, 32
Closed between 12:30–5:00am
Penn Center 15th Street SEPTA Regional Rail all lines (at Suburban)
SEPTA#Rapid transit  MFL  Market–Frankford Line,  BSL  Broad Street Line (at City Hall)
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48
SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes 124, 125
Late night terminus
19th Street SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 17, 31, 38, 44, 48, 62, 78
SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes 124
Center City West 22nd Street SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 7, 31, 44, 62
SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes 124, 125
Replaced 24th Street station
University City Drexel Station at 30th Street Amtrak Amtrak (at 30th Street)
NJ Transit NJ Transit: ACL Atlantic City Line (at 30th Street)
SEPTA Regional Rail all lines (at 30th Street)
SEPTA Metro Market–Frankford Line
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 31, 49, LUCY
No direct passage to 30th Street Station
33rd Street SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 10, 11, 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 30, 31, 49, LUCY
Serves Drexel University
36th Street SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 21
Serves University of Pennsylvania
37th Street SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 40, 42, LUCY
Serves University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Spruce Hill 40th Street Portal SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 13, 34, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 30, 40, 42, LUCY
End of Route 34 concurrency
Chester & Woodland SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 13, 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 30
End of Route 13 concurrency
41st & Woodland (EB) SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 30
42nd & Woodland SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
43rd & Woodland (WB)
45th & Woodland (EB)
SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
Squirrel Hill 46th & Woodland SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
47th & Woodland (EB) SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
Kingsessing 48th & Woodland SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
49th & Woodland SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 36
SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 12, 52, 64
End of Route 36 concurrency
50th & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 12, 52
51st & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 52
52nd & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 52
53rd & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 52
54th & Woodland
55th & Woodland
56th & Woodland
57th & Woodland
58th & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes G
Elmwood 60th & Woodland
61st & Woodland
62nd & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes G
63rd & Woodland
64th & Woodland
65th & Woodland SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes 108
66th & Woodland
67th & Woodland
68th & Woodland
69th & Woodland
70th & Woodland
71st & Woodland
72nd & Woodland
Island & Woodland SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 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. SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines 13
SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes 113, 114, 115
Limited Route 13 service

References

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  1. ^ Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (January 1, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804740142. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  2. ^ Blue Bell Inn (DarbyHistory.com)
  3. ^ Philadelphia Transit; Streetcars;Route 11 (Kavanaugh Transit Systems)
  4. ^ "William Still, Darby, and the Desegregation of Philadelphia Streetcars". DarbyHistory.com. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  5. ^ 1974 SEPTA Trolleys Brochure
  6. ^ Google view of the crossing in Darby
  7. ^ Former Darby B&O Station (Existing Railroad Stations in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)
  8. ^ Rushing, Ellie (December 9, 2021). "SEPTA trolley collided with freight train in Delco, 6 passengers injured". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  9. ^ McCormick, Annie (December 9, 2021). "6 injured after SEPTA trolley collides with freight train in Darby, Pennsylvania". 6abc Action News. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Petrillo, Matt (December 9, 2021). "6 People Injured In Accident Involving SEPTA Trolley, CSX Freight Train In Darby". CBS Philadelphia. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Vitarelli, Alicia; Staff (September 7, 2021). "SEPTA Metro? Transit agency mulling big changes including new name, map, and signage". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Wayfinding Recommendations". SEPTA. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Design Concept Feedback". planning.septa.org. SEPTA. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
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