SEPTA adds trains, staff after I-95 collapse in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- So many people in the Philadelphia area lean on SEPTA every day.

And the collapse of I-95 in Tacony is going to be adding more riders to the already crowded transit system.

SEPTA is doing its part to try and make this new norm on the morning and evening commute a little more bearable.

SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards says they have the space, but will need time to get the process right and to really feel out the demand over the next couple of days.

"I also want to note that on all of our services, we have capacity. We are still below pre-COVID ridership, and we hope people will consider all the options that we have available for them. We are all going to need patience in the coming days," Richards said.

"For those who have not taken Regional Rail in a while, we also want to note that you can use a credit card to pay your fair on board and that your conductor will help you with that," she added.

SEPTA is working with local unions to increase hours to have more employees available.

SEPTA is operating three extra morning and late afternoon trains on the Trenton Line, and adding capacity to regularly scheduled Trenton, West Trenton, and Fox Chase Lines during peak hours.

SEPTA says it is also bolstering staffing to "ensure reliable and frequent service is available on the Market-Frankford Line, buses and other transit service."

The Philadelphia Parking Authority will provide free parking at their three park-and-ride lots at Fern Rock, Fox Chase and at Torresdale to make it easier on commuters looking to take public transportation.

There will also be free parking at all SEPTA-owned Regional Rail lots, as well as the Frankford Transportation Center for access to the Market Frankford line.

SEPTA says customers traveling Monday should be aware of the following:

Extra Trenton Line Service

AM: 6:40 AM and 8:03 AM from Trenton, along with 8:25 AM from Holmesburg Junction.

PM: Trains will run at 3:05 PM from Suburban Station to Holmesburg Junction, along with 4:30 PM and 5:20 PM to Trenton.

These trains are additions to regularly scheduled trips

Other Regional Rail Service

SEPTA will increase capacity on the Trenton, West Trenton and Fox Chase Regional Rail Lines by adding rail cars to scheduled peak service trains. This means adding rail cars to regularly scheduled trains.

Parking continues to be free at Regional Rail Stations and we will be deploying Operations personnel and ambassadors to assist customers Philadelphia Parking Authority parking lots near SEPTA stations at Fern Rock, Torresdale, and Fox Chase will also be free

Market-Frankford Line

Trains will operate every 6 minutes during peak hours

Parking (500 spaces) continues to be free at Frankford Transportation Center

Bus Routes

Bus Routes 70, 78, & 84 will be detoured until further notice due to I-95 bridge collapse.

For more information on the expanded SEPTA services, click here.