Valley Forge to Center City (Market Street) (Chester, Paoli: apartments, hotel)

[westcoastbound1]

All,

I am looking at daily commute options from apartments around Embassy Suites in Valley Forge to Market Street Center City. I need to be get to the city by 8 - 830 am and will look to leave by 630 pm.

Option 1: Drive to Paoli, train to 30th Street Station and then walk to Market Street. Best of days that is a 1 hour door-to-door. The cost will be around ~200 monthly SEPTA pass and ~30 parking permit. I can get the door to door time using Keystone line however, I am not sure how the parking situation in Paoli works i.e., I know that the permit is only valid to SEPTA monthly pass holders. If I take Amtrak I have to use the daily lot (and I am not sure how quickly that fills up).

Option 2: Drive. A parking lot in center city will be around 350 a month + gas maybe 100 a month

Option 1 offers predictability (given I will be somewhat tied to the train schedule) but is 'rigid'. Driving is flexible but clearly expensive and I am not sure of how long it takes e.g., I looked up at 630 pm on google ..gives me a sub-40-minute commute to Valley Forge.

Appreciate if anyone here does the Paoli to Center City commute that can share some insight.

Thanks

PS. My daily commute in LA is about 45 minutes drive to downtown assuming I leave my home at 630-640 am no later. I leave work around 630 pm and commute back home is around the same. Also, re: valley forge to center city: "that commute will brutal" although may be a relevant comment but relative to LA may not be bad. That's my thought process (perhaps incorrect)

[cpomp]

Your hotel is pretty close to the Paoli train station, so I would opt for taking the train into the city. The Paoli/ Thorndale line is heavily traveled, so it has frequent trains throughout the work day.

Driving could be a hit or miss depending on what road disaster happens that day. Last week over Labor Day you could probably do that drive in 30 min, but now that schools are back in session and everyone is back to work that could be an 1-1.5 hours easily.

However, if you leave before 7am, that cuts the trip time down, but you also have to plan your trip going home based around traffic too.

Depends on what you prefer in the end

[FrankInPhilly]

I don't know about parking availability in the Paoli or nearby station's lots, but I do know that using SEPTA (option 1) would be a better option than driving. As you pointed out, taking the train constrains your schedule more than driving, but all you have to do is stream KYW radio and listen to the traffic reports and you'll get an idea of how unpredictable the drive would be - some days you'll sail through, other days you'll be tearing your hair out. Even without considering cost, I'd opt for the train just to reduce the variation in door-to-door time. Notice the use of "reduce" - regional rail on-time stats vary by line. Paoli-Thorndale might be better than others. Or not. But still, even with an average 10 minute or so delay, the train will be way better (and less expensive) than driving in the long run.

[Super90]

I'd vote in favor of Septa, but I'd probably drive up Valley Forge Rd/Devon State Rd. and take the R5 from Devon. Better parking and shorter ride.

[westcoastbound1]

Originally Posted by Super90

I'd vote in favor of Septa, but I'd probably drive up Valley Forge Rd/Devon State Rd. and take the R5 from Devon. Better parking and shorter ride.

Thanks all.

Super90: I hear Paoli has Amtrak and SEPTA express trains and hence the preference. No idea how the parking compares.

[Super90]

Paoli is under construction right now, so parking is more of a mess than usual. Not sure what parking will look like when the construction is done, but because of both Amtrak and Septa, the station is busier than others.

Check out the R5 train schedule on septa.org and you will see that, yes, there are a few express trains that run from Paoli and can be good options. A lot depends on your work hours. The "Great Valley Flyer" will be a great option for you in the morning, getting you into the City by 8:00, but if you can't catch the 6:07 on the way home, then you are stuck on the local. So about a 30 minute ride in the morning and a 50 minute ride in the evening. If you can't catch an evening express, then the difference between Devon and Paoli is 10 minutes on the train. I'm thinking that Paoli and Devon are about equidistant from Valley Forge/Chesterbrook, so the drive is a wash. Not huge amounts of time, but that extra 10 minutes is why I would go to Devon.

Amtrak is a whole different matter. I never considered it as an option because I'm under the impression that it is more expensive, and I'm cheap.... It may work for you, but the trains will run less frequently. Also, depending on where you are working in Center City, 30th Street could be a longer walk than Suburban Station.

[PHLondoner]

Originally Posted by westcoastbound1

All,

I am looking at daily commute options from apartments around Embassy Suites in Valley Forge to Market Street Center City. I need to be get to the city by 8 - 830 am and will look to leave by 630 pm.

Do you have to stay out in a hotel in the sticks? There's an Embassy Suites in Center City, you'd have a 6 minute walk to work. Zero variation other than deciding where/when you want to stop and get your coffee on your walk in and where you want to stop and grab a beer on your walk back... Good livin...

[1ondoner]

He lives close to the hotel and not in the hotel

Originally Posted by westcoastbound1

All,

I am looking at daily commute options from apartments around Embassy Suites in Valley Forge to Market Street Center City. I need to be get to the city by 8 - 830 am and will look to leave by 630 pm.

Originally Posted by PHLondoner

Do you have to stay out in a hotel in the sticks? There's an Embassy Suites in Center City, you'd have a 6 minute walk to work. Zero variation other than deciding where/when you want to stop and get your coffee on your walk in and where you want to stop and grab a beer on your walk back... Good livin...

[westcoastbound1]

Originally Posted by Super90

Paoli is under construction right now, so parking is more of a mess than usual. Not sure what parking will look like when the construction is done, but because of both Amtrak and Septa, the station is busier than others.

Check out the R5 train schedule on septa.org and you will see that, yes, there are a few express trains that run from Paoli and can be good options. A lot depends on your work hours. The "Great Valley Flyer" will be a great option for you in the morning, getting you into the City by 8:00, but if you can't catch the 6:07 on the way home, then you are stuck on the local. So about a 30 minute ride in the morning and a 50 minute ride in the evening. If you can't catch an evening express, then the difference between Devon and Paoli is 10 minutes on the train. I'm thinking that Paoli and Devon are about equidistant from Valley Forge/Chesterbrook, so the drive is a wash. Not huge amounts of time, but that extra 10 minutes is why I would go to Devon.

Amtrak is a whole different matter. I never considered it as an option because I'm under the impression that it is more expensive, and I'm cheap.... It may work for you, but the trains will run less frequently. Also, depending on where you are working in Center City, 30th Street could be a longer walk than Suburban Station.

Thank you.