Reverse commuting via septa (Norristown, King of Prussia: buying, calculation, live in)

[thechainrule]

Just curious if anyone on here commutes out of the city to the suburbs for work using the Septa regional trains. ( Center city to King of Prussia). I was thinking about leaving my car at a train station nearest my building in King of Prussia (most likely going to be conshohocken). and just commuting there daily.

Are the trains pretty reliable and a decent alternative to commuting out of the city by car? Septa's website says that parking is available but it doesnt say anything about overnight, can anyone provide any insight here?

[SEPTA_Social_Media]

Hi thechainrule,

Overnight parking is availabale (allowed) at Conshohocken Station and parking there is free. This being the case (as also with pay parking lots) -please be advised that parking there is considered "at your own risk"; as they are essentially open parking lots that at most, get occasionally patrolled by township police. If you decided to use another station's lot, it is possible that it is a daily pay lot and there is process for paying for overnight parking found here:SEPTA | Overnight Parking

SEPTA | Parking

SEPTA | Regional Rail On-Time Performance

Hope this helps.

[couldntthinkofaclevername]

There's a bus that goes from 69th street in Upper Darby to King of Prussia and only takes around a half hour.

[WashWest]

I reverse commute every day from Center City to the Main Line via train(Regional Rail) - I think I've been late only twice due to train delays. The trains are quite reliable(especially my route - Paoli/Thorndale), and reasonably priced.

Good luck!

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

Originally Posted by couldntthinkofaclevername

There's a bus that goes from 69th street in Upper Darby to King of Prussia and only takes around a half hour.

The norristown highspeed line is a really convenient and fast way to get out to that area too, that is often overlooked.

You take the Market Frankford Line to 69th, then the NHSL to Norristown. During rush hour you can take an express that will really fly you up there.

There are a couple of buses serving that KOP area operating out of Norristown Transportation Center - and there's also large parking facilities.

[Just1Lion]

i did a reverse commute for 3 years. not to KOP, but i went from center city to trenton 5 days a week. it was a great alternative to driving, avoiding nasty highway traffic and accidents. as long as you can adjust your sleep schedule. i know that i had to get up atleat 30 mins earlier to catch the 7am train to work. but once on the train you just relax. no road rage. i sort of miss that. there were occasional delays due to signal probs or weather but usually it was on time.

[drive carephilly]

I did the reverse commute for a bit to Wilmington. Not too bad. The only real drawback was the train schedule - not as many departures as for the traditional commute. Luckily I was able to adjust my schedule at work to accommodate.

For KOP I would check the Paoli/Thorndale trains, the Norristown line, The Route 100 Hi-speed line and the 124/125 buses. I used those express buses a few times to visit a client out in KOP and was pleasantly surprised.

[thechainrule]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

The norristown highspeed line is a really convenient and fast way to get out to that area too, that is often overlooked.

You take the Market Frankford Line to 69th, then the NHSL to Norristown. During rush hour you can take an express that will really fly you up there.

There are a couple of buses serving that KOP area operating out of Norristown Transportation Center - and there's also large parking facilities.

Thanks so much for this. I need to check this out one day this week.

[refried sushi]

Originally Posted by FamousBlueRaincoat

The norristown highspeed line is a really convenient and fast way to get out to that area too, that is often overlooked.

You take the Market Frankford Line to 69th, then the NHSL to Norristown. During rush hour you can take an express that will really fly you up there.

Second this.

I take the NHSL (or R100) everyday into Center City, not officially reverse commuting but often at odd times, against the rush. I find it far more reliable and faster than bus service but less reliable and slower than a regional train, especially one of the Paoli/Thorndale (or R5) express trains. It is a fair deal cheaper than the train also.

Not knowing where exactly you are commuting from/to hinders our ability to help. Your first post mentions KOP and Conshohoken interchangeably, and they are not, especially at rush hour. Also, your residence in Philly matters as well; if you are not close to one of the three Center City train stations, the El to 69th street may well be more convenient for you. Can you be more specific about locations?

[Redux]

Sorry for necrobumping this hyper old thread, but my question relates to this exact topic.

Just started a new job in Wayne, PA not far from the KOP mall and right off E Swedesford road. I live in the greater Rittenhouse Square region. I do have a car with a residential parking permit but after plowing through that rush hour traffic on 76 for my first week of work, I'm looking for other options. I currently have been taking the 124 bus which is great because it drops me off right in front of my building but it's very unreliable in terms of getting there on time. I get on the bus in Center City at around 7AM and cross my fingers I'm not late for my 8:30AM start time. It's been hit or miss, getting to my location from anywhere between 8:10 and 8:50. Using these same calculations, the earlier 124 bus would get me there far before the building even opens. And getting back is even worse: Sometimes taking upwards of 2-2.5 hours to get back into Center City after work ends at 5PM.

I also feel like I could do better with my fare options. Because the 124/125 buses have special fare charges (base fare + $1.50) and I only travel that far out of the city for work Monday-Friday, I feel like the Weekly Zone 3 pass (the minimal "one-swipe fare" needed for this route) is overkill. I could do a Transpass but that would then need $1.50 one direction every time, requiring me to prepare $10 of singles and $5 in change every week. This week is especially of concern because we have off for the holidays: So I've just been buying One-Day Convenience passes for the days I'm working.

I know there must be an option I'm missing here though and that's where you all could help me out. A few previous responses were things I never considered before like train + leaving my car at overnight parking at the station closest to work, highspeed lines, etc. but the OP didn't give very specific details and I wanted to make sure I did instead.

Thank you!