How's the public transportation in Philly? (Philadelphia, Reading: transfer to, purchases, costs)

[Ron.]

Is it like Chicago or Toronro?


Can you ride any of the trains to NJ/NYC?

[akorosdc]

You can take the R7 to Trenton, where it parks right behind the NJ Transit train to Penn Station.

I'm not familiar with Chicago or Toronto, so I can't compare to those.

[FindingZen]

I'd say that Philly is about on par with Chicago. I haven't been to Toronto so I can't compare. We've got several commuter trains (Regional Rail), light rail "trolleys" and two subway routes (one of them Elevated at spots).

Some people think having conductors on commuter trains is antiquated. Others find it adds an extra measure of security. Many people agree that it would be nice to have an "add-a-fare" card that can be loaded up instead of tokens, tickets and weekly/monthly zone passes. Fares are not cheap compared to other cities but it's still less expensive than driving.

To get to NYC using local transit, you can take Philly's SEPTA R7 Regional Rail line to Trenton and transfer to the New Jersey Transit train immediately ahead of it. The trip takes just over two hours and costs perhaps $25. Amtrak runs the same route although you'd pay way over double the price to shave off a half hour.

Check out SEPTA .

[CHIP72]

There are also many Greyhound buses and Chinatown buses that go to/from NYC, plus BoltBus and starting 5/30, Megabus to/from NYC as well. I think most people use SEPTA/NJT, Greyhound, or the Chinatown buses, rather than Amtrak (which is really expensive on the Northeast Corridor), for travel between Philadelphia and New York.

[CHIP72]

In comparing Philadelphia to Chicago transit-wise, Philly has a much less extensive heavy/light rail system (SEPTA + PATCO + NJ Transit) than Chicago. The regional/commuter rail systems are fairly comparable though Chicago's system extends further away from the city. (Like Chicago, which has one primary operator - Metra - and one secondary, geographic-specific operator - South Shore Line, Philadelphia also has one primary provider - SEPTA - and one secondary, geographic-specific provider - NJ Transit, which has service to/from Atlantic City.) The bus systems (CTA + Pace vs. SEPTA + NJ Transit) are likely comparable as well, though I suspect CTA/Pace are somewhat more extensive. In terms of rail connections (both between local rail and regional rail and between different regional rail lines), I think Philadelphia is much better than Chicago (which isn't saying much because IMO the CTA/Metra system is not well-connected). Also, because the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads were headquartered in Philadelphia many years ago, the entire SEPTA Regional Rail network is electrified, and much of the system is grade-separated too.

The area where Philadelphia is much stronger than Chicago transit-wise in terms of system options themselves is intercity connections. Of course, this is primarily because Philly is much closer to other large cities (New York, Baltimore, Washington) than Chicago is (Milwaukee). There is a lot of regional and interregional bus service on Greyhound, NJ Transit, and a few Trailways providers, and Amtrak service is very extensive, not only on the Northeast Corridor but also on the Keystone Corridor west to Lancaster and Harrisburg.

[Ron.]

Much appreciation!

Originally Posted by Tone509

I'd say that Philly is about on par with Chicago. I haven't been to Toronto so I can't compare. We've got several commuter trains (Regional Rail), light rail "trolleys" and two subway routes (one of them Elevated at spots).

Some people think having conductors on commuter trains is antiquated. Others find it adds an extra measure of security. Many people agree that it would be nice to have an "add-a-fare" card that can be loaded up instead of tokens, tickets and weekly/monthly zone passes. Fares are not cheap compared to other cities but it's still less expensive than driving.

To get to NYC using local transit, you can take Philly's SEPTA R7 Regional Rail line to Trenton and transfer to the New Jersey Transit train immediately ahead of it. The trip takes just over two hours and costs perhaps $25. Amtrak runs the same route although you'd pay way over double the price to shave off a half hour.

Check out SEPTA .

[Ron.]

Thanks JB.

Originally Posted by juniperbleu

You can take the R7 to Trenton, where it parks right behind the NJ Transit train to Penn Station.

I'm not familiar with Chicago or Toronto, so I can't compare to those.

[Ron.]

Thanks a million C72

Originally Posted by CHIP72

There are also many Greyhound buses and Chinatown buses that go to/from NYC, plus BoltBus and starting 5/30, Megabus to/from NYC as well. I think most people use SEPTA/NJT, Greyhound, or the Chinatown buses, rather than Amtrak (which is really expensive on the Northeast Corridor), for travel between Philadelphia and New York.

[Ron.]

Thanks again CP2

Originally Posted by CHIP72

In comparing Philadelphia to Chicago transit-wise, Philly has a much less extensive heavy/light rail system (SEPTA + PATCO + NJ Transit) than Chicago. The regional/commuter rail systems are fairly comparable though Chicago's system extends further away from the city. (Like Chicago, which has one primary operator - Metra - and one secondary, geographic-specific operator - South Shore Line, Philadelphia also has one primary provider - SEPTA - and one secondary, geographic-specific provider - NJ Transit, which has service to/from Atlantic City.) The bus systems (CTA + Pace vs. SEPTA + NJ Transit) are likely comparable as well, though I suspect CTA/Pace are somewhat more extensive. In terms of rail connections (both between local rail and regional rail and between different regional rail lines), I think Philadelphia is much better than Chicago (which isn't saying much because IMO the CTA/Metra system is not well-connected). Also, because the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroads were headquartered in Philadelphia many years ago, the entire SEPTA Regional Rail network is electrified, and much of the system is grade-separated too.

The area where Philadelphia is much stronger than Chicago transit-wise in terms of system options themselves is intercity connections. Of course, this is primarily because Philly is much closer to other large cities (New York, Baltimore, Washington) than Chicago is (Milwaukee). There is a lot of regional and interregional bus service on Greyhound, NJ Transit, and a few Trailways providers, and Amtrak service is very extensive, not only on the Northeast Corridor but also on the Keystone Corridor west to Lancaster and Harrisburg.

[newmarlig]

This is a new bus service from 30th Street to either Penn Station or Canal Street in NYC. It is subsidiary of Greyhound and competition for the Chinatown buses. They also go to Washington and will be going to Boston.


How do you set your fares?

Our goal is to offer our customers as inexpensive a ticket as possible and still make an operating profit. Our fares will start @ $1 (plus a transaction or booking fee), with a minimum of one $1 fare available on every schedule we operate every day. The fares we charge will vary by day of week, overall passenger demand and how many days until the travel will take place. Typically someone who purchases a week or two out will receive the cheapest fares so it will save you money to plan ahead. Even our higher walkup fares will be reasonable and will allow for inexpensive spur of the moment travel.


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