Tips for riders as SEPTA returns to a regular weekday schedule

This week's commutes, though, will still likely feature overcrowded trains, the possibility of delays and the need for riders to stay alert as the rail authority attempts to turn the page on a frustrating summer plagued by flawed train cars and lost ridership.

"It is going to be rough the first couple of weeks," said Matt Mitchell, vice president for the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, but added, "It is going to get better."

He and SEPTA urged riders to check schedules for unexpected delays or adjustments before leaving home Monday morning. SEPTA is directing people to their web site septa.org, or its Twitter handle, @SEPTA for the most current information. Even with a public information campaign SEPTA began Thursday, Mitchell said it is likely some riders won't be aware of the schedule change.

"The first few days there are going to be people coming at the time they've come all summer and they're going to be surprised," he said.

About 50 of the Silverliner V cars are back in service and they, in combination with leased vehicles, have allowed SEPTA to get close enough to its normal complement of vehicles to begin running a normal weekday schedule.

Some trains will have fewer cars than normal, though, which will lead to some overcrowding, at least initially. That may also mean trains will be forced to skip stops, and Mitchell recommended riders at inner-zone stations heading into Philadelphia, particularly on the Lansdale Line from Fort Washington and the West Trenton Line from Meadowbrook through Fern Rock, watch Twitter closely for their trains' status.  Mitchell recommended riders try to board trains using vehicles leased from Amtrak, NJ Transit and the Maryland Area Regional Commuter train service. Those will likely be longer trains with more seats.

SEPTA is seeking to return 14 Silverliner V cars a week to service through November, and said crowding will ease as more cars are put on the rails.

There are some schedule variations on departure and arrival information for specific trains on the Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton and Wilmington/Newark lines. Details may be found at www.septa.org/service/rail-service-returns.html.