Editorial: Renaming the rail lines

For a transit agency that's long catered mostly to its regular riders, SEPTA is making smart moves to try to welcome all comers - including occasional commuters and out-of-town tourists.

The most important customer-service initiative will be the long-overdue smart-card fare system, which is still a ways off. Most other major transit agencies have had such a system in place for years.

Once in place, the smart cards will put to rest the jokes about SEPTA cashiers who staff "token booths" where they cannot sell tokens.

Likewise, the addition of the quiet cars is a welcome advance.

But the agency's latest proposal - a possible revamping of the "R" route designations for its commuter trains, announced last week - poses potential risks as well as rewards.

Do it right, and rail riders will be less likely to board the wrong train. Do it wrong, and the new nomenclature for rail routes could confuse more riders and waste money.

Given the solid growth of rail ridership amid high gas prices in the last year or so, SEPTA general manager Joseph Casey has staked out a worthy goal.

If Casey can reduce confusion among rail riders and boost customer satisfaction, the agency stands a better chance of growing its customer base. With the arrival of the recession, that's an even more important concern.

The rail route system was put in place 25 years ago, when the commuter rail tunnel linked the former Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad lines in Center City.

SEPTA's 13 commuter rail lines snake through the downtown and then head off in another direction. To emphasize that suburb-to-suburb connection, the agency gave each rail line an "R" designation with the destination name tacked on the end.

The resulting confusion isn't hypothetical. Regular riders often see examples of confused riders.

Board the R7 in Center City destined for Chestnut Hill, and an occasional passenger is directed off the train at Temple University. Why? Because he intended to go to Torresdale or Bristol and should have boarded the "R7 Trenton" train heading in the opposite direction.

Scrapping the "R" designation seems like the easiest solution, relying exclusively on the destination to identify each route. That's the system used in Washington and on the Paris Metro - systems with similar spider footprints across their regions.

Creating color-coded or newly lettered routes is an option provided it isn't confused with the subway lines already distinguished by color.

The other issue to consider is cost. It won't be cheap to change the signage, maps, and schedules, and then market, advertise, and educate riders.

An analysis of the cost versus the benefits is needed before moving forward. Changing the system is a major public step that should be done right, if needed.

But credit SEPTA officials for looking for customer improvements and seeking input from the public.

Riders certainly shouldn't leave the choice of nomenclature scheme to chance. They should be heard. Take SEPTA up on its invitation to call in or e-mail ideas and preferences to 215-580-7800 or www.septa.com.