SEPTA to open new rail station near campus

Relief for harried University City commuters is expected to rumble into campus this November when the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority opens a new rail station. The "University City Station," currently being constructed between Spruce and Convention Center Avenue behind the Penn Tower Hotel, will allow riders direct access to the R-1 airport line, as well as the R-2 to Elwyn and West Chester and the R-3 to Wilmington, Delaware. The $9 million project is designed "to provide access for the Civic Center, Drexel University, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Veterans' Administration Medical Center" as well as the University, SEPTA spokesperson Terry Sawishin said. Reuben David, chief civil engineer for the City, which is overseeing the station's construction, said the project is on schedule, with SEPTA and the City aiming to begin service to the station before Thanksgiving. No opening date has yet been set, he added. Robert Furniss, director of University Transportation and Parking, and Ed Dornheim, SEPTA's operations manager, said they want to see the facility working in November, but acknowledged the station's opening might be delayed until January or February because some of the equipment needed for its completion has not arrived. The University is also negotiating with SEPTA officials to create a "circulator bus" that would travel a loop between 30th Street Station and the new regional rail stop, ferrying commuters to points around University City, Furniss said. He said the plan is to have buses running every 20 to 25 minutes, with 10 minute intervals during rush hour. A circulator bus ride from 30th Street Station to the University would cost about 50 cents, Furniss said. He added that the University is hoping SEPTA will begin the bus service in November whether or not the University City rail stop is ready, but both Furniss and SEPTA officials emphasized that negotiations are not yet final. "We'll take it as soon as we can get it," Furniss said. Georgina Habtemicael, vice president of Lady Liberty Transportation, the main private airport shuttle serving University City, said the new rail station will probably have some negative impact on her business. But she added that the convenience of door-to-door service and the ability to transport large amounts of luggage will continue to make her service -- which costs $8 compared to $6 for the airport rail and $20 for a taxi -- appealing to most University community travellers. Plans for the University City train stop have been in the works since 1981 when the R-1 high speed airport rail was first envisioned, according to Denise Goran, deputy mayor for transportation. Although the rail line was completed in 1984, no additional stations were built along it because of the enormous expense and changes in the outlook of the city, Goran said. "The University has been pushing for [the station] for a long time," Furniss said. "SEPTA finally realized it would be a positive to their system." Dornheim said SEPTA expects the University City Station will boost ridership and accessibility along the three regional rail lines, particularly invigorating the sluggish airport line, which currently has only about 1,600 riders. Despite hopes for increased ridership, SEPTA will probably not be able to increase the number of trains running along the lines because they are already tightly scheduled with one train arriving every half hour, Dornheim said. Goran said the new stop is now "the number one priority" on the R-1 line. "University City became the market with the greatest growth potential," she explained. Goran said designs for the University City station were submitted in 1991 and construction began more than a year ago. University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said the University's Crime Prevention Task Force has already begun coordinating with Philadelphia and SEPTA police to make sure that new station is safe and does not attract more crime to the area. Kuprevich said he has personally walked the site, checked all access points to the station and talked to SEPTA about installing lighting and emergency phones. He said he expects the station to be "a very positive" addition to the community. Furniss said he thinks some areas around the station may need to be made "more user friendly" or sealed off to keep the area safe.