PATCO South Track Outage Ends
Improved Schedule Previews in August
Effective Monday morning August 4th, through Wednesday, August 20th, PATCO will have a new weekday schedule on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. During this time, PATCO trains will return to full, uninterrupted, 24/7 service as both PATCO tracks across the Ben Franklin Bridge will be in use.
However, from approximately 10 a.m. on Thursdays, and continuing over the weekends until 5 a.m. on Mondays, PATCO’s special, single-track schedule will return. This is the same single-track schedule that has been in effect since May 30th. It involves gaps in service as trains are moved over the available single track across the Ben Franklin Bridge.
Exact arrival and departure times from August 4th to August 20th can be found here. Printed timetables are available at PATCO stations.
Here are additional details about the upcoming August schedule:
Because of the August timetable changes, riders are advised to frequently check the PATCO website for schedule updates throughout the month of August.
On the two extended weekends between August 21st and September 1st , when construction moves to the north track of the bridge, PATCO passengers will experience a preview of the service that will be provided beginning September 2nd. This schedule will provide more frequent service due to increased operational flexibility.
The timetable for August 21st to September 1st will be available by Monday, August 18th .
DRPA Chief Executive Officer and PATCO President John T. Hanson believes customers will eventually feel the positive impact of the work instead of the disruption.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience this important track replacement project has caused. The new construction schedules will provide more trains and better service. The PATCO team continues to demonstrate its ability to learn from the feedback it receives. Considering the constraints of limited track availability, the team continues to adapt while providing the best possible service for our customers,” says Hanson.
This two year, $103 million project involves replacing the entire PATCO track system across the Ben Franklin Bridge including all related signal, power and communications cables that are part of the system.
Work on this project has been underway since January. While the majority of the track rehabilitation will be completed during the current 60-day and upcoming 50-day track outages, the supporting electrical systems must be replaced in future stages, separate from the two continuous outages. The project is not expected to be finished until early 2016.
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DRPA is a regional transportation agency that serves as steward of the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross Bridges, PATCO and the RiverLink Ferry on behalf of the community. For more information, please visit our website: www.drpa.org or follow us on Twitter: @DRPA_PaandNJ
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