PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Most of us ride SEPTA because we have to. Rich Temple will take 22 Regional Rail trains over about 36 hours because he wants to. And, because he wants to make a point.
“I want to do this to draw attention to the fact that SEPTA is an exceptional public resource,” he said. “We really need to have sustainable funding for SEPTA.”
Temple, who is 66, retired and lives in Society Hill, plans to get on his first train (the Trenton Line) Tuesday at 4:05 a.m. at 30th Street Station and ride to all 158 stations on 13 lines. It will take until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday — assuming there are no delays.
Even if any of his trains are late or canceled, he said that adds to his point.
“I think that also in a way says something about the need to invest in SEPTA in a way that could mitigate some of those risks of delays,” he noted.
A public transit enthusiast plans to ride SEPTA’s entire Regional Rail network in 36 hours by KYW Newsradio
This isn’t his first long haul on the tracks. Temple rode all of New York City’s subways in 1988 on a single fare, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.
During his marathon ride throughout Philadelphia, Temple said he’ll chat with people, look out the window, and blog about his adventure.
Rich Temple’s ride to all 158 stations on 13 lines will take about a day and a half
Rich Temple’s ride to all 158 stations on 13 lines will take about a day and a half
