SEPTA gets game-day ridership boost

Season-high train ridership at the Temple football game last weekend is the latest marker of a growing trend of people taking public transportation to college and professional football games at Philadelphia's sports complex.

The 18,776 passengers who boarded the Broad Street subway line Saturday at the AT&T Station were more than any other home football game at nearby Lincoln Financial Field, according to newly released SEPTA figures. That was the day of the nationally televised game between Temple University, which went into that match undefeated, and Notre Dame. The average ridership for that station on Saturday when there are Temple home games this season is 11,947. Temple's next home game is Nov. 21 against Memphis.

By comparison, the highest ridership numbers for an Eagles game came on Sept. 20 for the home opener against the Dallas Cowboys, when 17,546 boarded at AT&T Station.

Cecil B. Moore Station, which is near Temple's campus in North Philadelphia, also recorded high ridership on Saturday, with 7,597 people boarding there, compared with typical Saturday total of 4,388 for that station, SEPTA officials said.

Taking the train to football games has become a habit in the city. The average ridership for Eagles games in 2008 was 8,200. In 2014, that number, according to SEPTA, was up to 12,300. So far this season, the ridership average for Eagles home games is 14,456.

"For those who like to enjoy the entertainment factor at games, maybe having a drink or two, this is the safe way to travel," SEPTA deputy general manager Richard Burnfield said of public transit.

SEPTA ridership totals to Eagles games this season is inflated, SEPTA spokesman Manuel Smith said, because of a promotional offer on the day of the home opener for free train rides on the Broad Street Line from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Free rides to the first Eagles home game of the season have become a tradition through a Miller Lite sponsorship, Burnfield said, and are part of a marketing push designed to induce fans to ride trains to games.

Along with the free rides to the home opener, SEPTA has partnered with Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin in promotional materials, Burnfield said. The transportation agency also adds trains to the Broad Street Line on game days and offers express trains that do not stop between Walnut Locust Station and the sports complex.

SEPTA contacts the stadium complex managers in advance of football games to get an indication how many riders to expect, said Richard Burnfield, SEPTA's deputy general manager. The transit agency will put staff on overtime and adjust work schedules depending on demand, he said.

The Eagles' success on the field likely plays a role in ridership numbers, too. Ridership hovered around 8,000 until 2013, when the Eagles had their best record since 2010. The Eagles are off to a 3-4 start this season.

Ridership has declined on days when there are Phillies games, Smith said, in a pattern that seems to mirror the team's lowly fortunes, though specific numbers weren't available Thursday.

Average ridership on a nonevent Saturday at AT&T Station is about 900 passengers, while on a Sunday that figure is about 500.

The biggest draw of the year, in SEPTA ridership terms, remains the weekend Pope Francis visited Philadelphia. On the Saturday of his visit, Sept. 26, 25,000 people boarded at AT&T Station, and 50,000 boarded there Sept. 27.

jlaughlin@phillynews.com

215-854-4587 @jasmlaughlin