Is SEPTA the best? (Philadelphia, Reading: crime, neighborhood, living)

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by TheBigGeo08

Are there that many Negadelphians on this forum? Or what's up with the "NO" votes

They're all being rational and actually answering the question.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

The Broad St. Line opened in 1932. The LA Purple Line opened in 1990 .

Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, DC, PATCO, BART . . . any of the subway lines built in the 70's and 80s are going to seem really nice compared to the lines built in the 20s and 30s.

LA has a really nice subway/light rail system. So does Dallas. It's because they're brand new.

The Broad Street Subway opened for service from Olney Avenue to City Hall September 1, 1928. It's the second of the city's two subway lines - the first opened in 1907. Also: The first line in LA to open is Blue, not Purple, and it's light rail with one subway station downtown.

I break U.S. subways into two distinct periods: the First Subway Era (begins in 1897 with the opening of the first subway in America in Boston and ends in 1940 with the opening of Chicago's "Initial System of Subways") and the Second Subway Era (begins in 1969 with the opening of PATCO [see Note] and ends in 1992 with the opening of the first segment of LA's Red Line). The opening of Cleveland's Red Line rapid transit line in 1955 falls in between the two eras.

Note: PATCO is, strictly speaking, an extension of an already existing subway - the Bridge Line, placed in service in 1936 - and thus probably not really a Second Subway Era system. However, since it displays three signature characteristics of the systems that followed it - namely, extending well into the city's suburbs, having fully automatic train control without wayside block signals and employing some form of automated fare collection - I think it does rightly mark the start of the era.

[MarketStEl]

I don't think anyone who has been to New York City could answer this question with anything other than "Disagree."

If what this question was trying to measure was the quality of the service offered or its physical condition, then there is more room for argument.

I do think many Philadelphians are harder on SEPTA than they ought to be. The agency has actually done a lot with a little over the last decade or so, and it's in fairly good physical shape.

How much longer this statement will be true is an open question now, however.

Also: The farebox recovery ratio is among the higher for US transit systems and well in line with its big-city peers.

[Marv95]

Originally Posted by TheBigGeo08

Are there that many Negadelphians on this forum? Or what's up with the "NO" votes

Because it's the truth? If anyone thinks SEPTA is the best you need to get out more. And they have the nerve to jack up fares to what they've proposed...

[WAOrganicFarmWannabe]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

#1? No. Top 5 in the U.S. though for sure.

You're not scared on septa buses? I'm afraid to go down into the subway nowadays. Portland's rated the best. Valley Metro in Arizona still small but if all goes well, the light rail will be 52 miles long eventually. Also, Olympia Washington is or at least was rated #1 for a small city. I don't want to hear about crapola Philadelphia. I'm escaping from this place.

[WAOrganicFarmWannabe]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

Build the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway and connect it to the MFL.

Make the R6 Manayunk R7 Chestnut Hill East and R8 Chestnut Hill West quasi-subway lines with more frequent and later service. Fence in the tracks, build high platforms and ditch the conductors. (Also maybe R7 Trenton and R8 Fox Chase)

Use the Reading Viaduct to build a loop subway line that connects the Museum District with Old City, University City, South Street, Graduate Hospital.

Build the Riverline to run from the Stadiums down Packer and up Delaware Ave.

Extend the BSL to the Navy Yard and maybe even North and West running along Cheltenham Ave.

Bring the 23 trolley back and market it more as a tourist attraction for seeing the sites in historic Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill.

Have one smart card available for use on Patco/SEPTA/NJ Transit.

Then yes, Septa will be in contention for the best.

You think this is better than Portland? Consider the cold winters, walking to and from mass transit in ice and slush.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by WAOrganicFarmWannabe

You think this is better than Portland? Consider the cold winters, walking to and from mass transit in ice and slush.

Huh? What does Septa has to do with Portland?

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by WAOrganicFarmWannabe

You're not scared on septa buses? I'm afraid to go down into the subway nowadays. Portland's rated the best. Valley Metro in Arizona still small but if all goes well, the light rail will be 52 miles long eventually. Also, Olympia Washington is or at least was rated #1 for a small city. I don't want to hear about crapola Philadelphia. I'm escaping from this place.

Of course it depends on what bus. The 9 Bus is my favorite................sooo nice and relaxing

I hate the 21 bus

[chris123678]

Septa is a heavily bus-oriented system.
The subways and light rails aren't doing enough to serve the Philadelphia area.
Septa's made some rather poor decisions aswell.
Removing the 56 as a light rail line was very poor. They need to run 3 buses back to back in order to accommodate everyone.

I think the El should have an express and local line. The stops are to close together and A and B trains service is mainly in the Northeast.

The Broad Street Line is one subway that scares me. I'm not on it alot but It always is empty.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by chris123678

Septa is a heavily bus-oriented system.
The subways and light rails aren't doing enough to serve the Philadelphia area.
Septa's made some rather poor decisions aswell.
Removing the 56 as a light rail line was very poor. They need to run 3 buses back to back in order to accommodate everyone.

I think the El should have an express and local line. The stops are to close together and A and B trains service is mainly in the Northeast.

The Broad Street Line is one subway that scares me. I'm not on it alot but It always is empty.

What do you mean always empty?