SEPTA Regional Rail Lines - your experiences? (Chester, West Chester: renters, neighborhoods) - Philadelphia - Pennsylvania (PA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Nouvelle Villa · 06-10-2009, 10:16 AM

Hi. My wife and I moved to West Chester last summer. I work at Villanova U and I take the R5 line at the Whitford Station. So far, I've had pretty positive experiences. If the train is delayed for any reason, it's usually under 20 minutes. And that is usually pretty rare. Also, parking is very easy at the Whitford station.

I think the areas you have listed are all very nice and worthy of consideration. The area we moved to is West Whiteland township...our house is between the borough of West Chester and Exton, a little west of route 100. What is very nice about the location is that it is single family homes with a rural feel to them (lots of space, quiet, and trees). However, it is only 2.5 miles to downtown West Chester and 3 miles to Exton. If you're not familiar, West Chester is a quaint Pennsylvania borough with nice restaurants and other amenities. Exton has more of a suburban feel and has lots of convenient places (Target, a mall, groceries, etc).

The nice thing about the area is that you can find places to live based on your lifestyle...town living in Media or West Chester, suburban living, and even near rural living. The thing to note however is that if you plan on moving to the Main Line (the series of towns along the R5 line), the prices go down the further west you move. In some cases, considerably. For example, we would have to pay over double what we did for something comparable in Malvern or Paoli.

Good luck!

Sassygirl18 · 06-10-2009, 11:14 AM

Thanks for all the comments so far...keep 'em coming!

Nouvelle, yes we love West Chester and love it for exactly the reasons you mentioned. I think it's so cool how it goes from town to suburbs to country really quickly...it's like the best of all 3 worlds in one area.

Is the Whitford station in Malvern? or Exton? I know West Chester itself does not have a train station.

Our biggest hesitation about moving to West Chester is it's a bit far out from Center City. Do you take the train into Center City? How long does it take you?

H-town reader · 06-12-2009, 06:45 AM

I take the R5 every weekday, and have also taken the regional rail from Media. Over all, they are perfectly fine...especially if considering the alternative of driving. You might find the main challenge (particularly with Wynnewood or other R5 suburbs) to be parking at the station. Several stations have waiting lists for parking permits...some stations have metered parking in addition to permit parking.

Sassygirl18 · 06-13-2009, 02:36 AM

Do you have to pay to park at the Septa train stations?

JasmineFlower · 06-14-2009, 04:35 AM

Yes, you do have to pay to park at stations. Most cost $1 to park each day. That's in the daily parking not the permit parking, don't know if the pricing is different. On Septa's site, if you click on a certain station for information, they give you the on average number of how many spaces are available in that lot. For ones near me, they are pretty accurate. Most estimates being zero spaces available and a few others with 10 spaces available. It won't be exact, but it could give you an idea if your station is popular and you could do a trial run, figure out when you would have to get to the station to get a spot.

If there is a sizable lot where you go, at least in the Zone 2 & 3 areas that are closer in on the lines I mentioned before (R2, R3, R5), you won't have a ton of trouble grabbing a parking space if you get there early. Early for this would be before the 8 o'clock trains. After 8, you can usually find a spot. Things just get fuller. 8:30, a chance, but getting more remote. 9 o'clock, you'll need a prayer. The timing can definitely hinge on what time the last train or trains are that get into Center City before 9am. Now, this changes a bit if you only have one line at a stop. If you have one line, pay attention to when, if any, express train leaves in the morning. That could be the beginning and the end of your attempt at getting a parking spot. If there's an express that comes at 8:10, then its highly likely parking after that time is darn near impossible. This is especially true of a smaller lot.

Remember, summers are better for parking always but since gas prices are rising, the difference may not be too drastic, but still there's usually a slight difference. And also, I've found that there is no worse day for parking than Wednesday. Its like the day everyone seems to need to report in for work or something. Also, you can always look for alternative parking options near the station. For instance, street parking may or may not be plentiful near a station. I have coworkers that never pay for parking and always park on the street, so it can be done at some stations. There's also sometimes nearby free lots that can be used. Like I know of a station that as a grocery store on the other side of the tracks, and a third of the people who take train from that station, park there. But this all depends on what is going on at the particular station you are using.

waltlantz · 06-19-2009, 06:02 AM

Has anyone used the R1 line to the airport, is there some limit to the size luggage you should carry? That line should always be timely right?

BPP1999 · 06-19-2009, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltlantz

Has anyone used the R1 line to the airport, is there some limit to the size luggage you should carry? That line should always be timely right?

No size requirement that I've ever heard of. Actually, the R1 trains are hardly full (that I've seen) so I've never had a problem getting a seat and having room for luggage.

I wouldn't worry about timeliness. All SEPTA trains are occasionally late, but in my experiences it's rarely been a big deal.

waltlantz · 06-20-2009, 12:02 AM

Hardly full, that's wierd. I would think it would be a fairly busy line

orrmobl · 06-20-2009, 02:32 PM

Whitford station is in Exton where Route 30 intersects Route 100. Nouvelle commutes to Villanova, not the city. I personally wouldn't want a commute from that area to the city, especially when there are so many great towns closer in - I actually had a harder time deciding on towns near my wife's work in Malvern than I would have had if she worked closer in. Also the whole Exton/West Chester area is extremely family friendly and filled with kids - something I know you're not exactly looking for.

As for the R1 - it is not used as frequently because people either take a cab or get a ride to and from the airport. Think about it - the train only runs at set times so if you have to be at the airport at a time that doesn't fit with the schedule - or if you arrive and want to get to your final destination quickly - you find alternate means.

discndav · 06-23-2009, 02:01 PM

[quote=BPP1999;9365269]No size requirement that I've ever heard of. Actually, the R1 trains are hardly full (that I've seen) so I've never had a problem getting a seat and having room for luggage.

The R1 to the airport runs every 30 minutes and finding room for luggage
is not a problem. I've taken this from Market East over 20 times.