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Fox Chase Line
Fox Chase station in December 2012
Overview
Service type	SEPTA Regional Rail commuter service
Current operator(s)	SEPTA
Former operator(s)	Reading Company
Ridership	2,001 (FY 2022)
Route
Termini	Fox Chase 30th Street Station
Stops	10
Line(s) used	Fox Chase Branch SEPTA Main Line
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric multiple units
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map Show interactive map Legend 11.1 mi 17.9 km Pre-1983 service to Newtown 11.1 mi 17.9 km Newtown George School Holland Churchville Southampton County Line Woodmont Zone  4   3  Bryn Athyn Huntingdon Valley West Trenton Line Walnut Hill Zone  3   2  11.1 mi 17.9 km Fox Chase 10.1 mi 16.3 km Ryers 9.7 mi 15.6 km Cheltenham 9.0 mi 14.5 km Lawndale Zone  2   1  7.3 mi 11.7 km Olney Main Line to Glenside 5.1 mi 8.2 km Wayne Junction Zone  1   C  NOR to Norristown–Elm Street 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University Reading Viaduct Spring Garden Street closed Reading Terminal closed 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson 0 km Suburban 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

The Fox Chase Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service connecting Center City Philadelphia with Fox Chase. It uses the Fox Chase Branch, which branches off from the SEPTA Main Line at Newtown Junction north of the Wayne Junction station. It runs entirely within the city of Philadelphia. The line is fully grade-separated, except for one grade crossing on Oxford Avenue.

Originally known as the Fox Chase/Newtown Branch, service was truncated in January 1983 from Newtown to its current terminus in Philadelphia at Fox Chase. Plans to restore service beyond Fox Chase remained on SEPTA's Capital Program until 2009. The rail bed between Fox Chase and Southampton has been converted to rail trail usage.

History

Most of what is now the Fox Chase Branch was built by the Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad between 1876 and 1878. Initially, it was part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, but the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad leased it in 1879. Under the Reading it was known as the Newtown Branch. Following the Reading's final bankruptcy in 1976 the branch was conveyed to SEPTA; Conrail operated services under contract until 1983 when SEPTA took full control.

Accidents

During the Reading Company era, an accident on the line in Bryn Athyn occurred where two steam trains collided head on with each other. Almost a century later, a similar incident occurred involving a car, tank truck, and train.

Conrail/SEPTA Era

Between 1984 and 2010 the route was designated R8 Fox Chase as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines. Fox Chase trains operated through the city center to the Chestnut Hill West Line. Plans had called for the Fox Chase Line to be paired with a Bryn Mawr local and designated R4, but this depended on a never-built connection from the Chestnut Hill West Line to the ex-Reading near Wayne Junction. As of 2022, most Fox Chase Line trains continue through Center City to the Airport Line on weekdays and the Media/Wawa Line on weekends.

Beyond Fox Chase

Under the Reading Company Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs) operated through from the Reading Terminal in downtown Philadelphia to Newtown. The Reading extended electrification to Fox Chase in 1966; limited diesel shuttles from Fox Chase to Newtown continued. SEPTA suspended these shuttles on July 1, 1981, as part of a systemwide discontinuation of non-electrified service. The shuttles returned on October 5 as the Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line. The operation of the line was troubled: the RDCs were in poor mechanical condition, SEPTA's decision to use transit division employees from the Broad Street Subway caused labor issues, and ridership was low. SEPTA suspended service again on January 18, 1983.

Since 1983, there has been interest from Bucks County passengers in resuming service to Newtown. In anticipation of a possible resumption, SEPTA performed extensive track upgrades in 1984. Street crossings in Newtown and Southampton received brand new welded rail, which were secured using sturdy Pandrol clips vs. traditional rail spikes. Though not promoted, this work was done in order to comply with a federal grant.

By March 1985, SEPTA gave into political pressure and made a concerted effort to integrate the non-electrified Fox Chase-Newtown line into the rest of its all-electrified commuter system. A $10 million plan to restore service to Newtown and Pottstown using British Rail-Leyland diesel railbuses was considered, with a test run reaching Newtown on September 3. Though the trial runs were relatively successful, ride quality was lackluster. Burdened with ongoing budgetary problems, SEPTA decided against the purchase of the railbuses.

In March 1987, SEPTA received several bids from private operators interested in running diesel-hauled trains to Newtown (as well as between Norristown and Pottstown). The operators suggested using non-union workers, which SEPTA was against. In addition, funding for these operations was allegedly questionable, and the SEPTA board rejected all offers.

Beginning in 2009, portions on the line within Montgomery County have been converted into a rail trail. By 2015, the Pennypack Trail extended 5.4 miles (8.7 km) along the former line between Rockledge and Byberry Road near Bryn Athyn. Additional trackage was in Southampton was dismantled in October 2018, though several townships along the line are still hoping for resumption of rail service to alleviate traffic congestion on local roads and highways.

Stations

Fox Chase trains make the following station stops after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection. Stations indicated in gray background are closed. Although SEPTA suspended service to all stations north of Fox Chase in 1983 and has since converted most of the northern portion of the line to a rail trail, it continues to list those stations in its public tariff.

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Connections / notes
C	Temple University	Temple University	2.1 (3.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines SEPTA City Bus: 3, 23, 47
	Nicetown–Tioga, Philadelphia
		Tioga		Closed 1989
		Nicetown		Closed November 14, 1988 due to fire damage
1		Wayne Junction	5.1 (8.2)	SEPTA Regional Rail:      Chestnut Hill East Line,      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line,      Warminster Line,      West Trenton Line SEPTA City Bus: 2, 23, 53 SEPTA Trackless Trolley: 75
	Olney, Philadelphia	Olney	7.3 (11.7)	SEPTA City Bus: 8
2	Lawncrest, Philadelphia	Crescentville		Closed March 26, 1978
	Lawndale, Philadelphia	Lawndale	9.0 (14.5)
	Cheltenham	Cheltenham	9.7 (15.6)
	Fox Chase, Philadelphia	Ryers	10.1 (16.3)	SEPTA City Bus: 70, 77
		Fox Chase	11.1 (17.9)	SEPTA City Bus: 18, 24, 28
3	Huntingdon Valley	Walnut Hill	12.8 (20.6)	Closed January 18, 1983
		Huntingdon Valley	14.4 (23.2)	Closed January 18, 1983
	Bryn Athyn	Bryn Athyn	15.1 (24.3)	Closed January 18, 1983
4	Huntingdon Valley	Woodmont	17.2 (27.7)	Closed in 1965
	Upper Southampton Township	County Line	18.0 (29.0)	Closed January 18, 1983
		Southampton	18.9 (30.4)	Closed January 18, 1983
		Churchville	20.8 (33.5)	Closed January 18, 1983
	Northampton Township	Holland	22.4 (36.0)	Closed January 18, 1983
	Newtown Township	George School	25.0 (40.2)	Closed January 18, 1983
	Newtown	Newtown	26.3 (42.3)	Closed January 18, 1983

Ridership

Yearly ridership on the Fox Chase Line between FY 2013–FY 2019 remained steady around 1.2-1.4 million before collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Notes

1. Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020.

Footnotes

1. ^ SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics". Retrieved February 24, 2024.
2. SEPTA FISCAL YEARS 2010-2013 CAPITAL PROGRAM
3. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (October 9, 2009). "A Bucks-Montco debate Newtown Station: Reopen it or not?". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
4. ^ Nussbaum, Paul (March 23, 2014). "Montco plans to convert more of rail line for recreation". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
5. Weckselblatt, Gary. "Bryn Athyn train crash a 'Titantic' disaster". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
6. Staff, Fire Engineering (1982-05-01). "Volunteers Stop Major Gasoline Fire After Commuter Train Hits Tanker". Fire Engineering: Firefighter Training and Fire Service News, Rescue. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
7. Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
8. Vuchic & Kikuchi 1984, pp. 2–8
9. ^ "Fox Chase Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. January 7, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
10. Williams 1998, p. 97
11. Williams 1998, p. 98
12. Williams 1998, p. 49
13. King, Larry (May 17, 2006). "New vision for abandoned rail line Speedy bus line could revive the Newtown-Fox Chase route. Old rail line may be revived for bus system". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 28, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
14. Schwieterman 2001, p. 266
15. Woodland 2003, p. 26
16. Woodland 1998
17. Pennypack Trail (Map). Montgomery County Division of Parks, Trails, & Historic Sites. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
18. Monaco, Vic (January 28, 2016). "Advocates push for bike trail on abandoned rails in Bucks". Philly Voice. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
19. "Streets Department Announces Construction to Begin on the Fox Chase Lorimer Trail Project | Department of Streets". City of Philadelphia. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
20. "TARIFF NO. 154 SUPPLEMENT NO. 39" (PDF). SEPTA Regional Rail Division. March 12, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
21. Bowden, Mark (December 23, 1988). "A SEPTA Ride to a Sealed Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
22. "Notice: Station Abandonment". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 6, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "City: A Hearing Will Be Held on the Closing of a Railroad Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 23, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
24. ^ Kennedy, Sara (October 21, 1983). "SEPTA to Boost Rail Service 13%". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1–2. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

References

• Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2001). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Eastern United States. Kirksville, Missouri: Truman State University Press. ISBN 978-0-943549-97-2.
• Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA.
• Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1.
• Woodland, Dale W. (1998). Reading in the Conrail Era. Vol. 2. Telford, PA: Silver Brook Junction. ISBN 978-0-9640425-9-9.
• Woodland, Dale W. (December 2003). "SEPTA's Diesels". Railpace Newsmagazine.

External links

• SEPTA – Fox Chase Line schedule
• Reading Company Routes and Mileages
• Newtown Branch restoration website Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine

v t e  SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
Metro	Lines Current  Market–Frankford Line  Broad Street Line  Subway–Surface Trolleys  Route 10  Route 34  Route 13  Route 11  Route 36  Route 15 Trolley  Media–Sharon Hill Line  Norristown High Speed Line Former Trolley routes 6 23 50 53 56 60 Proposed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Stations Proposed List of stations Major stations 69th Street T.C. Darby T.C. Drexel Station at 30th Street Fern Rock T.C. Frankford T.C. Norristown T.C. Olney T.C. Equipment Proposed Kawasaki Type K LRV SEPTA PCC III B-4 M-4 N-5
Regional Rail	Lines Current      Airport Line      Chestnut Hill East Line      Chestnut Hill West Line      Cynwyd Line      Fox Chase Line      Glenside Combined      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line      Manayunk/​Norristown Line      Media/Wawa Line      Paoli/​Thorndale Line      Trenton Line      Warminster Line      West Trenton Line      Wilmington/​Newark Line Former Bethlehem Line Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge service Elwyn-West Chester service Fox Chase-Newtown service Pottsville Line Thorndale-Parkesburg service Proposed Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Stations Proposed List of current stations List of former stations Major stations 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University Equipment Current Siemens ACS-64 Comet Silverliner Silverliner IV Silverliner V  Former ABB ALP-44 EMD AEM-7 Silverliner Silverliner I Silverliner II Silverliner III
Buses and trolleybuses	Current Trackless trolley routes 59 66 75 City bus routes 6 23 29 35 37 38 53 56 60 79 Suburban bus routes 103 104 Former Trackless trolley routes 29 79
Miscellaneous	1983 Regional Rail strike 25 Hz traction power system Callowhill Depot Center City Commuter Connection SEPTA Key

v t e Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Founded 1682
Communities	Arcadia University Ashmead Village Cedarbrook Cheltenham Edge Hill Elkins Park Glenside La Mott Laverock McKinley (part) Melrose Park Wyncote
Education	Ancillae Assumpta Academy Arcadia University Bishop McDevitt High School Cheltenham Township School District Cheltenham High School Delaware Valley Minority Student Achievement Consortium Gratz College Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Salus University Tyler School of Art Westminster Theological Seminary
National Historic Sites	Beth Sholom Synagogue Camp William Penn Camptown Historic District Curtis Hall Arboretum Elkins Park station George K. Heller School Glenside Memorial Hall Grey Towers Castle Henry West Breyer Sr. House Milmoral Rowland House St. Paul's Episcopal Church Richard Wall house Wyncote Historic District
People	Reggie Jackson Lucretia Mott Benjamin Netanyahu Yonatan Netanyahu Ezra Pound Wallace Triplett
See also	Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district Elkins Estate Lynnewood Hall Greenleaf at Cheltenham Newgrounds Tookany Creek Holy Sepulchre Cemetery Cheltenham, England Curtis Publishing Company Einstein Medical Center Oak Lane Day School
Historical railroads	SEPTA Route 6 North Pennsylvania Railroad Reading Railroad Pennsylvania Railroad
Regional rail lines	Main Line Airport Line Fox Chase Lansdale/Doylestown Warminster West Trenton
Regional rail stations	Jenkintown–Wyncote Glenside Elkins Park Melrose Park Cheltenham
SEPTA bus routes	6 16 18 22 24 28 55 57 70 77 80 H XH Former: C
Infrastructure	Cheltenham Township Police Department
Philadelphia Delaware Valley Pennsylvania

• SEPTA Regional Rail