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Media/Wawa Line
SEPTA Regional Rail train at49th Street station on what was then the Media/Elwyn Line in 2011
Overview
Service type	SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail service
Current operator(s)	SEPTA
Former operator(s)	Conrail Pennsylvania Railroad
Ridership	3,244 (FY 2022 daily)[1]
Route
Termini	Temple University Wawa
Stops	20
Line(s) used	SEPTA Main Line West Chester Branch
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric multiple units,push-pull trains
Electrification	Overhead line,12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map Show interactive map Legend 18.1 mi 29.1 km West Chester RR to Frazer 18.1 mi 29.1 km West Chester RR to Frazer West Chester West Chester University Oakbourne Westtown Cheyney Locksley Glen Mills Darlington 18.1 mi 29.1 km Wawa Station Lenni Glen Riddle Williamson School 15.1 mi 24.3 km Elwyn 14.0 mi 22.5 km Media 13.3 mi 21.4 km Moylan–Rose Valley 12.4 mi 20 km Wallingford 11.4 mi 18.3 km Swarthmore Zone  3  2 10.0 mi 16.1 km Morton 8.9 mi 14.3 km Secane 8.2 mi 13.2 km Primos 7.6 mi 12.2 km Clifton–Aldan 7.0 mi 11.3 km Gladstone 6.3 mi 10.1 km Lansdowne 5.5 mi 8.9 km Fernwood–Yeadon Zone  2  1 4.5 mi 7.2 km Angora 3.3 mi 5.3 km 49th Street Zone  1  C Northeast Corridor toWashington Arsenal Interlocking 1.8 mi 2.9 km Penn Medicine Station Main Line toZoo Junction Northeast Corridor toBoston 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street Station ACL Schuylkill River 0 mi 0 km Suburban Station 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson Station 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University Main Line toGlenside This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

TheMedia/Wawa Line is aSEPTA Regional Rail service that runs fromCenter City Philadelphia west toWawa inDelaware County. It uses theWest Chester Branch, which connects with theSEPTA Main Line at30th Street Station. Under thePennsylvania Railroad, service continued toWest Chester, Pennsylvania. On September 19, 1986, however, service was truncated toElwyn.^[2]

On August 21, 2022, service was restored to Wawa Station, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the Elwyn station.^[3] As of 2022^[update], most inbound Media/Wawa Line trains continue onto theManayunk/Norristown andFox Chase lines.^[4]

Media/Wawa Line trains use theWest Chester Branch, a formerPennsylvania Railroad line, which diverges from theSEPTA Main Line at30th Street Station. At Arsenal Interlocking, just south ofPenn Medicine Station, there is a junction with Amtrak'sNortheast Corridor whereAirport andWilmington/Newark trains diverge. The West Chester branch turns west, curves around theWoodlands Cemetery, and heads west towards Elwyn. From University City toFernwood–Yeadon, the line isgrade-separated;^[5] immediately west of Fernwood/Yeadon station, the abandonedNewtown Square Branch diverges north.^[6]

The line has four high steeltrestle river valley crossings, built between 1891 and 1896 to replace earlier structures. From west to east, the first of these is overRidley Creek between Elwyn and Media, and is 641 feet (195 m) long and 103 feet (31 m) high. The second, overCrum Creek between Wallingford and Swarthmore, is the longest of the four, and measures 915 feet (279 m) long and 97 feet (30 m) tall. The third, 274 feet (84 m) long, crossesDarby Creek immediately west of Gladstone. The last, 377 feet (115 m) long, crossesCobbs Creek between Fernwood–Yeadon and Angora at a height of 56 feet (17 m).^[7] The Crum Creek Viaduct, which required extensive rebuilding and complete repainting (with a lengthy shutdown of service beyondSwarthmore) by SEPTA in 1983 after decades of deferred maintenance, was completely replaced in 2016.^[8] The other three trestles, received attention similar to Crum Creek in the 1980s, have undergone comprehensive structural and substructural renewal.^[9]

The line is double-tracked from Arsenal Interlocking to Elwyn andsingle-tracked beyond,^[5] withpassing sidings at or near Glen Riddle, Lenni, Glen Mills, Cheyney, Westtown and West Chester. The sidings once allowed multiple commuter trains to operate on the single-track section.^{[citation needed]} Passing sidings were marked by the PRR's trademark bowtiecatenary poles,^{[clarification needed]} while single-track areas used single-pole catenary supports.^{[citation needed]} After regular service ended beyond Elwyn in 1986, vandals graduallystole the copper catenary wire, prompting SEPTA to remove the rest in summer 2005.^{[citation needed]} SEPTA has been aggressively replacing itsolder catenary equipment; it replaced the remaining 1928 catenary from University City to Lenni between 2014 and 2017.^[10]

The line was originally built by theWest Chester and Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P), which opened the Philadelphia-to-Burmont section on November 15, 1853. The WC&P extended service toMedia on October 19, 1854, and toWest Chester on November 11, 1858.^{[11]: 513 [12]}

In the early 1880s, thePennsylvania Railroad gained control of the line, which it renamed itsWest Chester Branch. One early station, Pennellton, located along a passing siding between the stations of Darlington and Wawa, was removed from service by 1911.^{[citation needed]} Electrified service along the line began on December 2, 1928.

The line passed toPenn Central in 1968 and was later absorbed intoConrail in 1976.

On October 16, 1979, at 8:19 a.m., an inbound commuter train collided with two others plus cars from a fourth train between Angora and 49th Street stations. The accident killed one person and injured 525 others.^[13]

Earlier, Train #712, a nine-car train of formerPRR MP54E6 cars, had left behind the rear two cars (acoupler between the seventh and eighth car had broken), then continued on to Suburban Station. Train #716, consisting of nine ex-Reading "Blueliner" heavyweight cars, was detailed to push the empty defective cars out of the way, and slowed to a stop in order to couple with them. Train #0714, twoSilverliner IVs, then stopped short of #716, in accordance with signal rules.^[13]

The next train, #1718, a four-car consist of threeSilverliner IIs and oneSilverliner III, neither stopped at the nearest signal nor slowed adequately at the previous signal, nor did the engineer apply the air brake correctly once the rear of #0714 was seen around a curve. Traveling at an estimated 28 mph, #1718 rear-ended #0714, shoving it forward to collide in succession with all the other stopped equipment. Both cars of #0714 derailed, as did some of the other cars.^[13]

A total of 525 passengers were injured, including a conductor who died a few days later from his injuries. Many cars were damaged, including the lead car of #1718 (Silverliner II #265) which was later written off and scrapped.In addition to speed and signal rules violations, other causative factors in the accident cited by theNational Transportation Safety Board included: inoperative onboardradios in the Silverliners, and no radios at all in the heavyweight MUs; an inoperative speedometer on Train 1718; improper operation of theair brake (a full-service brake application rather than an emergency "dumping the air" application) by #1718's engineer once he realized a collision was imminent; and the possible distraction caused by the presence of three other employees in #1718's operating cab. Also, the branch's 50-year-oldautomatic block signal system was criticized as being inadequate in such a situation; although it worked correctly, the system was not equipped to displaycab signal indications orstop the train in event of a speed violation, nor could it allow trains tooperate against the current of traffic on either track.^[13]

SEPTA subsequently resignaled the line to all of these standards using color light wayside signals, first between Arsenal and Secane interlockings in the late 1980s, and then from Secane to Elwyn in the mid-1990s during restoration of double track between Media and Elwyn.^{[citation needed]}

SEPTA took over operations in 1983, runningcommuter service on the line to West Chester. Beginning in 1984 the route was designatedR3 West Chester andR3 Elwyn as part of SEPTA'sdiametrical reorganization of its lines. Shuttles operated between West Chester and Elwyn; Elwyn trains operated through the city center toNorth Broad station but did not continue on to the ex-Reading side of the system. Plans had called for the line to be paired with theChestnut Hill West Line but this depended on a never-built connection from the Chestnut Hill West Line to the ex-Reading nearWayne Junction.^[14] In later years the line was paired with theWest Trenton Line.^[15] The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010, and the service became known as theMedia/Elwyn Line.^[16] As of 2022^[update], most weekday trains terminate at Temple University or continue to Elm Street in Norristown on theManayunk/Norristown Line, while most weekend trains continue to Fox Chase on theFox Chase Line.^[4]

On September 19, 1986, SEPTA ended service west of Elwyn. Ridership on that segment had dwindled, a process accelerated bybustitution used while the deteriorating tracks were closed for repair. In addition, Chester County officials preferred to expandExton Station on SEPTA'sPaoli/Thorndale Line. SEPTA only had funds for one of the two projects, so service to West Chester was terminated.^{[citation needed]} SEPTA did not officially place the line out of service until late 1991. At the time, Delaware County officials were pushing to restore service at least as far as Wawa, but Chester County officials were unenthusiastic and SEPTA General ManagerLouis Gambaccini said service restoration betweenWawa and West Chester was "not cost-effective."^[17] Nonetheless, SEPTA studied the possibility of restoring service on the 3 miles from Elwyn to Wawa later in the decade.^{[citation needed]}

SEPTA activatedpositive train control on the Media/Elwyn Line on September 26, 2016.^[18]

SEPTA is undertaking the Southwest Connection Improvement Program to rebuild the section of the Media/Elwyn Line between 30th Street Station and Arsenal Interlocking; this section also carries trains from theAirport Line andWilmington/Newark Line. The Southwest Connection Improvement Program involves replacing Arsenal Interlocking, removing Walnut Interlocking and realigning rail, constructing a new interlocking and turn back track near Penn Medicine Station, replacing the catenary system, repairing and upgrading the Walnut Street Tunnel, and repairing drainage structures. During construction periods, service has been modified along the Airport, Media/Elwyn, and Wilmington/Newark lines.^[19]

In June 2005, SEPTA hiredURS Corporation for design and engineering services for a project to restore rail service betweenElwyn station and Wawa Station. The engineering design phase began the following month, and includes preliminary engineering, environmental impact analysis, and final engineering.^[20] Shortfalls in funding delayed completion of the phase to 2010,^[21][22] and construction was expected to take 24 to 36 months to complete.^{[citation needed]} As of November 2016^[update], the project's completion date slipped to the Summer of 2020. As of August 2018^[update], the completion date was further delayed to the end of 2021.^[23] As of January 2022^[update], service to Wawa was expected to resume in July 2022.^[24] On May 23, 2022, it was announced that the start of passenger service to Wawa would be delayed until August 21, 2022.^[25]

The project included new track, catenary,signals, and communications equipment; and new structures, including a new station at Wawa with a largepark and ride facility.^[26] SEPTA initially estimated that the cost would be $51.327 million,^{[citation needed]} but in SEPTA's 2014 Capital Budget, the estimate had risen to $91.387 million.^[10] The extension of service to Wawa was expected to reduce traffic congestion through Middletown Township.^[26] A new train storage yard at Lenni was also constructed.[1]

Wawa Station isADA-compliant with high platforms, a ticket office, ticket vending machines, and a waiting room, as well as a 600-carparking garage.^[26] The station is expected to see 500 commuters on a typical weekday, as it will sit next toUS Route 1 and serve the nearby corporate headquarters of convenience store chainWawa.^[27] Bus service will connect the station to Painters Crossing andConcordville, Pennsylvania.

On July 27, 2022, SEPTA announced that Wawa had acquired naming rights to Wawa Station for $5.4 million in a 10-year deal. Once Wawa Station opened, the Media/Elwyn Line was renamed to the Media/Wawa Line.^[28]

The Delaware County Planning Department is working with SEPTA and Friends of the Chester Creek Branch to build a hiking trail within SEPTA'sright-of-way from the new Wawa Station to Lenni Road. This will be the northern end of theChester Creek Trail.^[26]

In July 2022, SEPTA began restoration of track between the formerDarlington andGlen Mills stations, in anticipation of future freight rail service to the nearby quarry and the possibility of the West Chester Railroad running future excursions past Glen Mills Station.

Wawa Station opened for service on August 21, 2022.^[29]

West Chester and Chester County officials have been pushing SEPTA to restore service to West Chester since 2011. The request would give commuters an alternative to driving to the Paoli/Thorndale Line stations in Exton or Paoli, and reduce congestion onU.S. Route 202 betweenU.S. Route 1 and West Chester.

Since 1997, theheritage railwayWest Chester Railroad has operated on the tracks betweenGlen Mills and West Chester, where SEPTA no longer runs trains; this is the only such operation on a SEPTA-owned line.^[30]Amtrak maintenance trains formerly collectedtrack ballast from aquarry near Glen Mills station.^[31]

In 2014, the borough council of West Chester voted to establish a group known as the Committee to Reestablish Rail Service to West Chester.^[32] Shortly thereafter, SEPTA official Byron Comati argued that West Chester lacks ridership demand needed to support expansion of the Media/Elwyn Line, in part due to competition from thePaoli/Thorndale Line.^[32] Additionally, according to Comati, the "circuitous alignment" of the Media/Elwyn Line would mean that a trip from West Chester intoPhiladelphia would take two hours, whereas the Paoli line offers a 45-minute trip from theExtonstation.^[32] SEPTA timetables from 1986 show local trains making all stops from West Chester to 30th Street Station with scheduled travel times ranging between 59 minutes and 69 minutes,^[31] far less time than the two hours suggested by current SEPTA officials.

In March 2018, SEPTA completed the West Chester Line Restoration Feasibility Study, which showed that a restoration of train service to West Chester would improve connectivity, provide a commuter alternative, increase transit ridership, encourage economic development, and not have negative environmental effects.^[33]

In 2022, the borough council of West Chester voted to seek funding for a plan called the Metro Concept that would establish train service using battery-operated cars between West Chester and Wawa, where riders would transfer to regular SEPTA trains to Philadelphia. The proposed extension would have two stops in West Chester, a stop inWesttown Township, and a stop nearCheyney University. The extension would cost $16.4 million and is planned as a two-year pilot project to show the service can attract riders.^[34]

Unused or demolished stations are in gray.^[4]

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Connections / notes
C	University City, Philadelphia	Penn Medicine Station	1.8 (2.9)	SEPTA Regional Rail: SEPTA City Bus:40,LUCY
1	Kingsessing, Philadelphia	49th Street	3.3 (5.3)	SEPTA Metro: SEPTA City Bus:64
	Angora, Philadelphia	Angora	4.5 (7.2)	SEPTA Metro: SEPTA City Bus:46,63
2	Yeadon	Fernwood–Yeadon	5.5 (8.9)	SEPTA City Bus:68 SEPTA Suburban Bus:108
	Lansdowne	Lansdowne	6.3 (10.1)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:109,113,115
		Gladstone	7.0 (11.3)
	Clifton Heights	Clifton–Aldan	7.6 (12.2)	SEPTA Metro:
	Primos	Primos	8.2 (13.2)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:107
	Secane	Secane	8.9 (14.3)
	Morton	Morton	10.0 (16.1)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:107
3[note 1]	Swarthmore	Swarthmore	11.4 (18.3)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:109
	Wallingford	Wallingford	12.4 (20.0)
	Nether Providence Twp.	Moylan–Rose Valley	13.3 (21.4)
	Media	Media	14.0 (22.5)
		Elwyn	15.1 (24.3)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:117
		Williamson School	15.9 (25.6)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
		Glen Riddle	16.7 (26.9)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
	Middletown Twp.	Lenni	17.4 (28.0)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
	Chester Heights	Wawa Station	18.1 (29.1)	SEPTA Suburban Bus:111,114 Closed September 19, 1986,[31] reopened August 21, 2022.
4		Darlington	18.7 (30.1)	Closed October 4, 1981[35]
	Glen Mills	Glen Mills	20.3 (32.7)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
	Thornbury Twp.	Locksley	21.6 (34.8)	Closed October 4, 1981[31]
		Cheyney	22.2 (35.7)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
5		Westtown	23.9 (38.5)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
	Westtown Twp.	Oakbourne	25.5 (41.0)	Closed 1961
	West Chester	West Chester University	27.1 (43.6)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]
		West Chester	27.5 (44.3)	Closed September 19, 1986[31]

Between FY 2013–FY 2019 yearly ridership on the Media/Wawa Line ranged from 2.9 to 3.1 million before collapsing during theCOVID-19 pandemic.^{[note 2]}

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