This site is for public transportation enthusiasts who are interested in various types of public transportation agencies in the Delaware Valley region.
SEPTA “BAE” New Flyers finally being used onother routes out of Southern depot. Since their initial runs back in April, thee BAEs were primary used on the 29, 45 and 79 in South Philadelphia. Within the past two weeks, ,the BAEs has been assigned on the other routes which operates out of Southern. Thus far up to 3551 has been delivered and is currently at Germantown depot being accepted. Thus far 27 has been delivered and 23 were spotted tracking in service. It’s unknowned at this point how many new buses that Southern is expected to receive but based off of the D40LFs assigned there, it is a safe bet to assume that at least 70 would be assigned there with the remainder of this batch going to Callowhill and Frontier.
In case you missed it, on Sunday a fatal crash occured on the off-ramp of the I-95 expressway involving a tractor trailor carrying gasoline. As a result of this, the heat became soo intense that the Northbound overpass which carries I-95 collapsed as result and also rendered the Southbound overpass as unusable.
Federal and state officials are working to address the situation. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has issued a disaster declaration, allowing the state to access federal funds and expedite repairs. Massive chunks of the fallen overpass are being demolished and detours are in place. The demolition is expected to take four or five days, but repairs to the highway could take months.
Late Sunday, SEPTA annouced that they have increased capacity on several of their lines (Fox Chase, Trenton and West Trenton) to try to address this crasis. As a result, a Push Pull set is now assigned onto the Trenton Line (#1723 and #9708). And several more trains were added.
There will be a DART Statewide Bus Service change effective Sunday, May 21, 2023.
There are way too many changes to mentioned but here are the changes summerized:
New Castle County bus routes will undergo schedule adjustments and service changes to enhance punctuality and connections. Several routes on weekdays and weekends will be affected, including Routes 4, 8, 13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 28, 35, 42, 61, 64, and 301. Specific changes include altered trip times, route extensions, rerouting, and discontinuation of certain trips due to low ridership. Additionally, micro-transit service DART Connect – Newark will replace the City of Newark’s UniCity service. Kent and Sussex Counties will also see schedule adjustments on various routes.
-Route 31 will be discontinued and merged into the 13. The route 13 will now go to the serving the Bellefonte Community.
-The Route 47 will be eliminated and combined into Route 37
INTERCOUNTY bus routes will undergo minor schedule adjustments to enhance punctuality, connections, and reliability. Route 301 will experience reduced trips to and from the Dover DMV due to low ridership. Several trip departure times will be modified, including the addition of new stops and the discontinuation of certain stops. Route 302 will have revised routing between North Middletown Park & Ride and the Dover Transit Center, with service to Smyrna. Route 303 will discontinue service to Airpark Plaza, and Route 307 will have reduced service to the South Frederica Park & Ride.
Beach Bus service will start on Monday, May 22, 2023,
Additionally schedule adjustments will be made to Beach Bus routes (201, 203, 204, 206, 208, 215, and 305) to improve performance and reliability. Holiday service will also be available for selected routes.
I have received several emails regarding where to find the documentation on SEPTA Broad Meetings and their agendas. Generally these are kept here on SEPTA’s website – then search for “SEPTA Board Regular Meeting”.
Here’s a list of New Flyer buses that have been retired among the active group of older buses, including the 2005 New Flyer D40LFs and the 2008-2009 DE40LFs that have been retired so far.
The proposal to purchase low floor streetcars from Alstom Transportation Inc. is SEPTA’s on February’s board agenda. The base order includes 130 streetcars, with the option to purchase up to 30 additional vehicles. These streetcars are designed with low level floors and ramps for multi-door boarding, providing SEPTA’s customers with accessible, ADA-compliant vehicles. The estimated cost for the base order is $714,239,455, with an additional $148,500,780 for the option order, if exercised. Delivery of the streetcars is expected to start in Spring 2027.
Finally after about two months delay, the delivery of electric buses at New Jersey Transit has resumed. Thus far 22901-22903 has arrived on their property. These will operate on a wide variety of routes out of Newton depot which is located in Camden.
The February meeting agenda includes the approval of a proposal to purchase ten electric fuel cell buses from New Flyer of America, Inc. The buses, which will operate out of the Midvale Depot and serve all routes, will cost a total of $17,051,216.78. Delivery of the vehicles is slated to begin in July 2024, and the purchase price includes capital spare parts, training aids, special tools and equipment, and publications and training.
See below for insert:
6. To New Flyer of America, Inc., for Item Nos. 1-5, for the purchase of ten 40-foot low floor fuel cell electric buses which will operate out of Midvale Depot on all routes, at a unit price of $1,529,500, along with associated capital spare parts,training aids, special tools and equipment, and publications and training, as described in the staff summary on this subject, with delivery of vehicles scheduled to commence in July 2024, as described in the staff summary on the subject, for a total contract amount not to exceed $17,051,216.78, Sealed Bid No. 23-00038-AMJP - 40 Foot Low Floor Fuel Cell Electric Buses.
Earlier this year, New Jersey Transit started rolling out a pilot electric bus out of Newton garage. The pilot bus is a New Flyer XE40 out of Newton Avenue bus garage. The bus is only operating on the route 452 throughout Camden, NJ. Eight buses total were ordered.
It was reported that the delivery of the remainder of seven electric buses will be delayed until 2023. The issue seems to be linked to the global supply chain shortage. The remainder of the eight were supposed to arrived by end of this year but was pushed back.
