SEPTA trolley tunnel to be closed for first half of August
SEPTA is planning to shut down its trolley tunnel in Center City for the first half of August so work can be done on multiple improvement projects at once.
SEPTA is planning to shut down its trolley tunnel in Center City for the first half of August so work can be done on multiple improvement projects at once.
During the closure, which will be in place from Aug. 1 at 10 p.m. through Aug. 18 at 4 a.m., trolleys on routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 will divert to 40th and Market streets.
The trolleys won't be running through the tunnel, so riders can transfer there to the Market-Frankford subway line for service to and from Center City.
A number of construction and cleanup projects will be underway during the tunnel closure, the transit agency says. They include:
Installing 14,140 feet of new rail
Replacing two concrete track switches
Cleaning track drains, the tunnel's stormwater system and stations
Replacing 24,000 feet of overhead wire and 5,000 feet of wire support materials
Testing emergency lighting cables
Signal maintenance
SEPTA says it is planning for the work to be done during a low-ridership period. Doing the work only on nights and weekends would mean the projects would take months to complete, the transit agency said.