PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thousands of drivers are expected to switch to public transit for their commutes following the fiery crash that caused a section of I-95 to collapse on Sunday. SEPTA has added service to the Trenton Line and capacity to the West Trenton and Fox Chase Lines.
Amtrak said there is plenty of capacity on its Northeast Corridor trains running between Philadelphia and New York to accommodate the expected influx of travelers.
SEPTA added more trains to its Trenton Line, including:
—6:40 a.m. and 8:03 a.m. from Trenton Station
—8:25 a.m. from Holmesburg Junction Station
—3:05 p.m. from Suburban Station to Holmesburg Junction Station
—4:30 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. to Trenton Station
There are also additional cars on trains along the Trenton, West Trenton and Fox Chase lines.
Many who would normally take I-95 southbound were encouraged to park and ride at Cornwells Heights Station in Bensalem. A SEPTA Key fare truck is parked outside the station, and passengers can also purchase fares onboard with a credit card or cash.
Expecting company
There were more commuters than usual at Cornwells Heights Monday morning, and many of them for the first time ever, because of the I-95 collapse.
Maryanne Opiekun is a regular Trenton Line commuter, and she’s expecting more company on board for the next few months. She left her home 15 minutes earlier than usual to be sure extra car traffic didn’t prevent her from getting to the train on time.
“I suspect the trains are going to be more crowded, so I’m hoping they follow through and they have more cars open and more conductors,” she said. “And I know the traffic’s probably going to start backing up earlier.”
Anthony, a painter who’s working on a job in Center City, said he took his first Regional Rail ride Monday.
“It’s going to be a hassle,” he said. “Yesterday I was on my way down to the city and I just passed the spot where the accident was, like 10 minutes before that. … I’m going to try [SEPTA] out for today and see how it works out.”
Adjusting to a new normal
A tanker truck burst into flames under an elevated section of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia around 6:15 a.m. Sunday. The intense heat caused the the northbound lanes to collapse and did enough structural damage to the southbound lanes that the entire section of expressway must be replaced. Officials estimate it will take months, and commuters have to adjust to some new routines.
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During Monday night’s rush hour, there was congestion on the roads around the I-95 closure, but riders on the city’s public transportation lines said they didn’t see as many people on board as they expected.
“Now I heard people complaining about traffic driving down. They said that was brutal, but the rail wasn't bad,” said Ken Horenstein from Montgomery County.
Horenstein rode a SEPTA train home after work on Monday and said he really didn’t notice a difference in how many riders were around him.
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Quinton Styron from North Philly said he took an early train Monday morning on the Trenton line, and also didn’t notice a big difference.
“No not really, not really this morning. And it wasn't that crowded,” he said.
Some riders say they are expecting to see more people on board with them in the coming days, speculating that a lot of people were allowed to work from home on Monday.
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Additionally, SEPTA bus routes 70, 78 and 84 will be detoured until further notice. The Cynwyd Regional Rail Line will be bused to and from Overbrook Station to connect with trains to Center City.
Further information about updates and schedules is available on the SEPTA website and Twitter feed.
Listen to live traffic reports every 10 minutes on KYW Newsradio 103.9FM or the Audacy app.
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