Soon, the R5 Paoli local may only be known as the "Paoli Local". This recent change of heart stems from the long-time confusion of issues such as "which R3 will take me to Neshaminy Falls".
When the commuter rail tunnel was constructed in 1984, Reading RR lines and Pennsylvania RR lines with similar ridership characteristics were paired together. This helped manage passenger car loads so that there weren't many cars on a train running empty. At this time, R designations were used to represent the new combined lines.
With new line pairings in today's world, the Rs are nothing but confusing and unnecessary, as there's an R number representing a "Reading route" and the same R number representing a "Penn line". SEPTA approached the Citizens Advisory Committee with the proposal to eliminate the Rs last spring, and they agreed that it would be a good idea.
Now, SEPTA started to take action with their new plans. On the website, they primarily refer to the Regional Rail Lines by their destination with the R designation in perenthesis. Just look at the travel advisory page: the littls logos for each advisory completely leaves out the R designation.
Also, in their new schedules, the R designation of the line is being moved to the right of the schedule, rather than the left side where it has been located all of these years.
Hopefully, this drastic change will help occasional and new riders navigate the Regional Rail system with great ease.