SEPTA Routes 101 and 102

SEPTA Routes 101 and 102,[5] also known as the Media–Sharon Hill Line,[6] are light rail lines operated by the Suburban Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, serving portions of Delaware County. The routes' eastern terminus is 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Route 101 runs to Media, while Route 102 goes to Sharon Hill. Altogether, the two lines operate on approximately 11.9 miles (19.2 km) of route.[2] The lines were formerly interurbans.

Routes 101 and 102
Media–Sharon Hill Line
Route 102 at Sharon Hill station
Overview
LocaleDelaware County, Pennsylvania
TerminiMedia-Orange Street (Route 101)
Sharon Hill (Route 102)
69th Street Transportation Center
Stations52
Service
TypeLight rail
Services2
  • Media Local (101)
  • Media Express (101)
  • Sharon Hill Local (102)
  • Sharon Hill Express (102)
  • 69th Street Local (both routes)
Operator(s)SEPTA
Daily ridershipRoute 101: 4,400
Route 102: 3,576
(average weekday, FY 2014)[1]
History
Opened1906
Technical
Line length11.9 mi (19.2 km)[2]
CharacterSurface (at-grade)
Track gaugePA gauge 5 ft 2 14 in (1,581 mm)[3][4]
ElectrificationOverhead lines
Route map

MFL
NHSL
69th Street T.C.
to 69th Street Yard / Shops
Fairfield Avenue
Walnut Street
Avon Road
Hilltop Road
Beverly Boulevard
Congress Avenue
Lansdowne Avenue
Drexel Park
Irvington Road
Drexel Hill Junction
Route 101
Route 102
Huey Avenue
Garrettford
School Lane
Drexel Manor
Aronimink
Marshall Road
Anderson Avenue
Creek Road
Drexelbrook
Drexeline
Baltimore Pike
Penn Street
Scenic Road
Springfield Road
Springfield Road
Clifton–Aldan ELW
Saxer Avenue
Shisler Avenue
closed
Leamy Avenue
Providence Road
Woodland Avenue
Magnolia Avenue
Thomson Avenue
North Street
Springfield Mall
Bartram Avenue
Paper Mill Road
Andrews Avenue
I-476
MacDade Boulevard
Pine Ridge
Sharon Hill
Beatty Road
Providence Road
Manchester Avenue
Edgemont Street
Monroe Street
Jackson Street
Olive Street
Veterans Square
Media–Orange Street

Along with the Norristown High Speed Line, formerly the Philadelphia and Western Railroad, the routes are the remaining lines of the Red Arrow Lines Trolley System once operated by the Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company (successor to the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company); some local residents still call them "Red Arrow".

This route uses 29 Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company Series 100 LRV cars similar to those used on the SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines. However, unlike the city cars, the Series 100 cars on Routes 101 and 102 are double-ended and use pantograph collection instead of trolley poles.

Current system

Route Length[7] South terminal North terminal
101 8.6 miles (13.8 km) Media
Orange Street at State Street
Upper Darby
69th Street Transportation Center
102 5.3 miles (8.5 km) Sharon Hill
Sharon Hill

The 101 and 102 run together on their exclusive right-of-way from Upper Darby to Drexel Hill Junction for approximately 2 miles (3.2 km), at which point they diverge.

Map of Routes 101 and 102 (red), as well as former trolley (now bus) Routes 103 and 104 (orange), and Route 100 (blue)

Route 101 continues on its own right-of-way traveling west and southwest through Drexel Hill and Springfield with an important stop at the Springfield Mall before entering the street in Media. The 101 has double tracks to Woodland Avenue, then a single track to just before Pine Ridge, then enters the street at Providence Road in Media and runs on a single track the rest of the way. Cars in the street must yield to the trolley. The line terminates in the middle of the street just west of the Delaware County Courthouse.

Route 102 runs southeast from Drexel Hill Junction through Drexel Hill and Clifton Heights and then goes into the street in Aldan. After Aldan, it returns to its own right-of-way, then passes through Collingdale before terminating at Chester Pike in Sharon Hill. The 102 has double tracks until up to North Street in Collingdale, where the 102 returns to its own right-of-way, and after North Street, there is a single track until the end of the line.

Springfield Road contains two stops along both lines. Route 101 stops at Springfield Road in Springfield. Route 102 stops at Springfield Road in Clifton Heights, then joins this street until it moves onto Woodlawn Avenue through Aldan.

History

Heavy steel interurban cars like this ran on the Red Arrow until the 1970s.

The Sharon Hill Line (Route 102) was originally built by the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company, and opened on March 15, 1906, and the Media Line (Route 101) was originally built by the same company, opening on April 1, 1913.[8] The lines were later bought by the Philadelphia Suburban Transit Company in 1954.

Besides Routes 101 and 102, there were also two other, now defunct, Red Arrow trolley lines. The direct ancestor of the SEPTA Route 104 bus line went to West Chester, splitting off from the rest of the system right after 69th Street Transportation Center onto West Chester Pike. The tracks continued all the way up West Chester Pike. West Chester trolleys were replaced by buses in 1954 due to widening of West Chester Pike; rush-hour trips to Westgate Hills lasted until 1958. Tracks remained in use for access to the Red Arrow's carbarn in Llanerch until SEPTA closed the barn in 1971; all tracks were soon removed except for a portion near 69th Street that SEPTA occasionally uses to store out-of service trolleys. The other now-defunct Red Arrow trolley line went to Ardmore until December 1966. It split from the West Chester line at Llanerch and continued on its own exclusive right-of-way. Much of the right-of-way still remains between Schauffele Plaza in Ardmore (the former terminus of the line) and Eagle Road in Havertown, although the tracks were removed and the right-of-way paved for dedicated use by the replacement bus line, now SEPTA Route 103. The 103 still uses this private right-of-way, although much of its other street routing has changed.

On April 1, 2020, service on Route 102 was suspended while Route 101 was substituted with buses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trolley service on both routes resumed June 1, 2020.[9][10][11]

Media stops

Media is the western terminus of the Route 101 trolley line. Despite being located in the town, there is no direct connection to the Media station of the Media/Elwyn Line.

Location Station/stop Connections Notes
Route 101 (Media branch)
Media Orange Street – State Street 110 Route 101 western terminus
Veterans Square – State Street
Olive Street – State Street
Jackson Street – State Street 118
Monroe Street – State Street
Edgemont Street – State Street
Manchester Avenue – State Street

Stations and stops

Location Station/stop Connections Notes
Media Providence Road Begin right-of-way and two-track operation
Formerly known as Bowling Green
Beatty Road
Springfield Pine Ridge Tracks converge east of here
Paper Mill Road Serves Smedley Park
Springfield Mall 107, 109, 110 Formerly known as Sproul Road
Thomson Avenue
Woodland Avenue Resume two-track operation east of here
Leamy Avenue
Saxer Avenue
Springfield Road
Scenic Road
Drexel Hill Drexeline
Drexelbrook
Anderson Avenue
Aronimink
School Lane
Huey Avenue
Route 102 (Sharon Hill branch)
Sharon Hill Sharon HillChester Pike 114, 115 Route 102 western terminus
Collingdale MacDade Boulevard – Woodlawn Avenue 113 Formerly known as Collingdale
Andrews Avenue – Woodlawn Avenue
Bartram Avenue – Woodlawn Avenue
North Street – Woodlawn Avenue Tracks leave right-of-way and merge with Woodlawn Avenue north of here
Aldan Magnolia Avenue – Woodlawn Avenue
Providence Road – Woodlawn Avenue
Shisler Avenue – Woodlawn Avenue Station closed on March 15, 2010
Clifton Heights Clifton-Aldan – Woodlawn Avenue      Media/Elwyn Line Tracks transition onto Springfield Road
Springfield Road Tracks leave Springfield Road for right-of-way south of here
Penn Street
Baltimore Pike 109
Drexel Hill Creek Road Located in Indian Rock Park
Formerly known as Oakdale
Marshall Road
Drexel Manor
Garrettford
Routes 101 & 102 (Common section)
Drexel Hill Drexel Hill Junction 107 Also known as Shadeland Avenue
Routes 101 and 102 diverge west of here
Irvington Road Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Drexel Park Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Also called Fairfax Road
Upper Darby Lansdowne Avenue – Garrett Road 107, 115
Congress Avenue – Garrett Road Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Beverly Boulevard – Garrett Road & Bywood Avenue Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Formerly known as Beverly Hills
Hilltop Road – Garrett Road & Bywood Avenue Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Avon Road – Garrett Road & Bywood Avenue Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Formerly known as Bywood
Walnut Street – Garrett Road & Bywood Avenue Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Fairfield Avenue – Bywood Avenue Bypassed by Route 101 rush hour express service
Tracks merge with street east of here
69th Street Transportation CenterMarket Street MFL Market–Frankford Line, NHSL Norristown High Speed Line
21, 30, 65
103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 120, 123, 126

See also

References

  1. "Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. May 2013. p. 42. Archived from the original (pdf) on September 22, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  2. Demery, Leroy W. Jr. (November 2011). "U.S. Urban Rail Transit Lines Opened From 1980" (PDF). publictransit.us. pp. 37–40. Archived from the original (pdf) on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. "The history of trolley cars and routes in Philadelphia". SEPTA. June 1, 1974. p. 2. Retrieved June 11, 2014. An early city ordinance prescribed that all tracks were to have a gauge of 5' 2 14.
  4. Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (January 1, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  5. "101 and 102 Official map". Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  6. "SEPTA Capital Improvements in Delaware County" (PDF). SEPTA. December 2007. p. 4. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  7. "SEPTA – Spring 2012 Route Statistics" (PDF). Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-28.
  8. "Philadelphia Suburban Transit Routes". ChicagoRailFan.net.
  9. "Service Information". SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  10. "SEPTA Transit Network Lifeline Service Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. April 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  11. "Service Temporarily Suspended" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.

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