Commute question in Philadelphia

[drn284]

Hello, I previously posted asking about my move from NYC to Philadelphia. I value living downtown near things to do and my friends highly so I plan to live near suburban station and commute to norristown. i don't mind losing a little bit of personal time and going through a less than ideal commute. As mentioned, I currently live in NYC and commute from the city to a tough part of queens everyday and while its only 30 minutes, I'm no stranger to taking trains and potentially being in "sketchy" commuting positions. I say this because I have been researching my options -- the best case scenario will be if I can always catch the regional rail to and from work, but since they run rather infrequently my back up options would include 1) taking the NHSL to either villanova to catch another RR 2) NHSL to a 124/125? bus or 3) NHSL to the MFL. While its great to have all these options, I have heard horror stories about the safety issues with the buses and MFL. I can't tell if people are being overly sensitive/exaggerating, or if its really that bad and as a 30 year old female I would be in real danger commuting home at 6pm?

Last resort would be to just accept my loss and drive some days, but when I use the waze app to check traffic it says the reverse commute (RH --> Norristown 7am and Norristown --> Rittenhouse around 5/6pm) are both about 45-55 minutes with traffic, which to me doesn't sound terrible to me. Does this seem accurate to someone more familiar with the drive?

Again, have lived and driven in NYC/NJ the past two years so I'm not unfamiliar with rough drivers.

Really appreciative of everyone's advice and input here since I work too much to come visit the area and test these things out myself before my move!!

[bigfish1]

Hi it looks like you put a lot of thought into your commutes. And yes you are correct from Center City the best way would be taking the regional rail to Norristown but as you mentioned the train isn't super frequent. The High Speed line and then the 124/125 wouldn't be a bad transfer except those busses then use the same very congested roadways. Transferring at Villanova then walking to the regional rail station would require some expert level transferring to line the schedules up but definitely possible. The most efficient would be to take the NHSL to the MFL and transfer at 69th st as your back up. It will be the quickest and most frequent. As you mentioned the MFL is the most notorious route on the SEPTA system and unfortunately for good reason. At the same time taking it during or shortly after rush hour you should not have much issues. In term of safety, in my experience, I would say the best is the regional rail (almost never have any issue) then the NHSL (rarely any issues), then busses and trolley which in my experience are fine, then the BSL, and finally the EL. With all of that being said if you are comfortable on the NYC subway you should not have issues here. Sorry that was a big rant but hope it was helpful

[PHL10]

The MFL/NHSL is very efficient with high frequency on both lines. It's a 15 minute ride from CC to 69th Street and a 30 minute ride from 69th Street to Norristown. You should be able to get to from CC to Norristown in under an hour. I occasionally make this exact commute and from a safety standpoint, there are minimal concerns IMO. Many white collar workers make this commute including women. The El can be more gross than dangerous in my view - the run from Center City through West Philly is actually the nicer stretch now (as far as riders are concerned). Further, the interchange between the lines is inside the terminal so you don't need to go walking around or anything like that.

Let me know if you need more info and good luck!

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by PHL10

The MFL/NHSL is very efficient with high frequency on both lines. It's a 15 minute ride from CC to 69th Street and a 30 minute ride from 69th Street to Norristown. You should be able to get to from CC to Norristown in under an hour. I occasionally make this exact commute and from a safety standpoint, there are minimal concerns IMO. Many white collar workers make this commute including women. The El can be more gross than dangerous in my view - the run from Center City through West Philly is actually the nicer stretch now (as far as riders are concerned). Further, the interchange between the lines is inside the terminal so you don't need to go walking around or anything like that.

Let me know if you need more info and good luck!

This is accurate, but the NHSL terminates at the Norristown Transportation Center, which is about 4 miles from the hospital, so you'd need to account for a bus or Uber or something to get to the hospital as well.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

This is accurate, but the NHSL terminates at the Norristown Transportation Center, which is about 4 miles from the hospital, so you'd need to account for a bus or Uber or something to get to the hospital as well.

Oh, I missed that detail (hospital?). It seemed that she was looking for an alternative to RR if her work schedule doesn't align.

Edit: Got it! Just looked at the other thread.

[drn284]

Originally Posted by PHL10

The MFL/NHSL is very efficient with high frequency on both lines. It's a 15 minute ride from CC to 69th Street and a 30 minute ride from 69th Street to Norristown. You should be able to get to from CC to Norristown in under an hour. I occasionally make this exact commute and from a safety standpoint, there are minimal concerns IMO. Many white collar workers make this commute including women. The El can be more gross than dangerous in my view - the run from Center City through West Philly is actually the nicer stretch now (as far as riders are concerned). Further, the interchange between the lines is inside the terminal so you don't need to go walking around or anything like that.

Let me know if you need more info and good luck!

Great to hear! BY chance, have you ever made the drive from CC to Norristown -- waze is telling me 44-55 minutes with traffic. Does that sounds accurate?

[drn284]

Originally Posted by NewtownBucks

This is accurate, but the NHSL terminates at the Norristown Transportation Center, which is about 4 miles from the hospital, so you'd need to account for a bus or Uber or something to get to the hospital as well.

As suggested by someone in the previous thread, I was planing to leave my car at the Norristown transportation center since they still are not charging anything there or even selling the monthly passes (I called) -- so from there I would just make the quick drive to the hospital.

I really appreciate it. I just want to make sure my commute will be do-able / safe before signing a lease and committing to it. Thank you all so much!

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by drn284

Great to hear! BY chance, have you ever made the drive from CC to Norristown -- waze is telling me 44-55 minutes with traffic. Does that sounds accurate?

Yes and as people have mentioned, you will find the drive time terribly inconsistent due to the unpredictability of the traffic. To give you an idea, I made the drive from Center City to Norristown on a Sunday morning before in less than 25 minutes, which is what it would be without traffic.

[selhars]

You want to live in Center City that bad you’re willing to commute every day to Norristown? And take public transportation?… God bless you! You go, girl!

[NewtownBucks]

Originally Posted by drn284

As suggested by someone in the previous thread, I was planing to leave my car at the Norristown transportation center since they still are not charging anything there or even selling the monthly passes (I called) -- so from there I would just make the quick drive to the hospital.

I really appreciate it. I just want to make sure my commute will be do-able / safe before signing a lease and committing to it. Thank you all so much!

OK, I'd plan on using the NHSL/MSL as a backup for RR if the train schedule doesn't align (RR is a little nicer, travel times are probably comparable). The MSL isn't exactly luxury transportation, but it isn't unsafe, either, especially at normal hours, and really, the worst of the worst of the line is through Kensington & Frankford on the Frankford end. There is some rough neighborhood in West Philly near the 69th Street Terminal, but West Philly is improving and by 52nd Street, you're in University City. The NHSL goes mostly through the Main Line, which is the old-money wealthy area of the suburbs. There is no safety issue with that line at all.