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Chestnut Hill West Line
Shelter at the terminal station in Chestnut Hill
Ridership	2,768 (FY 2023)[1]
Route
Termini	Chestnut Hill West Temple University
Stops	14
Line(s) used	Northeast Corridor Chestnut Hill West Branch SEPTA Main Line
Technical
Rolling stock	Silverliner IV Silverliner V
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Track owner(s)	Amtrak SEPTA
Route map Show interactive map Legend 11.3 mi 18.2 km Chestnut Hill West 10.7 mi 17.2 km Highland 10.2 mi 16.4 km St. Martins Fort Washington Branch to Fort Hill 9.4 mi 15.1 km Richard Allen Lane 9.8 mi 15.8 km Carpenter 9.1 mi 14.6 km Upsal 7.9 mi 12.7 km Tulpehocken Zone  2  1 7.4 mi 11.9 km Chelten Avenue 6.8 mi 10.9 km Queen Lane Westmoreland (closed) Zone  1  C 4.5 mi 7.2 km North Philadelphia NEC & toTrenton &Boston 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street 0 mi 0 km Suburban Station 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson Station 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

TheChestnut Hill West Line is a route of theSEPTARegional Rail network. It connectsNorthwest Philadelphia, including the eponymous neighborhood ofChestnut Hill,West Mount Airy, andGermantown, toCenter City.

Chestnut Hill West Line trains originate atTemple University on theSEPTA Main Line. They use theCenter City Commuter Connection to reach30th Street Station. From there, they use theNortheast Corridor to reachNorth Philadelphia, where theChestnut Hill West Branch diverges from the Northeast Corridor.^[2] Its terminal is namedChestnut Hill West to distinguish it from the end of theChestnut Hill East Line (a competing line of theReading Company until 1976, when Conrail assumed operations, SEPTA took over in 1983). Some stations are less than half a mile apart, a characteristic more commonly seen in an urbanrapid transit system rather than acommuter rail line. The line runs roughly parallel to the Chestnut Hill East, and the two terminals are rather close. The line is fullygrade-separated.

The line was originally opened June 11, 1884 by thePhiladelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad, and was operated by thePennsylvania Railroad until 1968.^{[citation needed]} Electrified service began on March 30, 1918.^[3] ThePenn Central operated it until 1976, turning operations over toConrail until 1983, when SEPTA took over.^{[citation needed]}

Between 1984–2010 the route was designatedR8 Chestnut Hill West as part of SEPTA'sdiametrical reorganization of its lines. Chestnut Hill West trains operated through the city center to theFox Chase Line.^[4] Plans had called for the line to be paired withWest Chester/Elwyn Line and designatedR3, but this depended on a never-builtSwampoodle Connection from the Chestnut Hill West Line to theNorristown Line; this would have connected it to the former Reading Company side of theCenter City Commuter Connection.^[5] As of 2022^[update], most weekday Chestnut Hill West Line trains pass through Center City and terminate at Temple University while most weekend trains continue through Center City to theWest Trenton Line.^[6] While the line runs generally northbound between 30th Street and Chestnut Hill West, it is considered to run timetable south. This anomaly exists because SEPTA considers ex-Reading lines (including the Fox Chase Line) to run timetable north and ex-Pennsylvania lines to run timetable south.

Between June 26, 1987 – December 17, 1989 service terminated at Allen Lane with shuttle buses serving St. Martin's, Highland and Chestnut Hill West because of unsafe conditions on the Cresheim Valley bridge. The original iron bridge dated to 1884 and was replaced with a $7.6 million steel structure financed by theUrban Mass Transportation Administration.^[7]

SEPTA activatedpositive train control on the Chestnut Hill West Line on August 22, 2016.^[8]

On April 9, 2020, the line was suspended indefinitely due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,^[9] thoughNorth Philadelphia station was still being served by other rail services.^[10] In addition to reduced ridership from the COVID-19 pandemic, service on the Chestnut Hill West Line was also suspended due toAmtrak construction along theNortheast Corridor that the line uses for part of its route. Service on the Chestnut Hill West Line resumed on March 8, 2021 on a limited schedule, with service running Monday through Friday.^[9][11] Weekend service was restored on December 19, 2021.^[12]

As of 2024, SEPTA has made considerations to discontinue service on the line due to low ridership and systemwide budget cuts.^[13]

The Chestnut Hill West makes the following station stops after leaving30th Street Station; stations indicated with gray background are closed.^[6] The entirety of the route is located within Philadelphia city limits.

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Date opened	Connections / notes
C	Mantua	Zoological Garden	1.9 (3.1)	1874	Closed November 24, 1901[14]
	Brewerytown	Engleside	2.8 (4.5)		Closed April 5, 1903[15]
	Strawberry Mansion	Ridge Avenue	3.2 (5.1)		Closed April 5, 1903.[15]
		22nd Street	3.9 (6.3)
1	Glenwood	North Philadelphia	4.5 (7.2)		Amtrak:Keystone Service SEPTA Regional Rail: SEPTA Metro: SEPTA City Bus:4,16
	Nicetown–Tioga	Westmoreland	5.5 (8.9)		Closed October 29, 1994[16]
	Germantown	Queen Lane	6.8 (10.9)		SEPTA City Bus:K
		Chelten Avenue	7.4 (11.9)	June 11, 1884[17]	SEPTA City Bus:26,41
2		Tulpehocken	7.9 (12.7)	June 11, 1884[17]	SEPTA City Bus:53,65
	Mount Airy	Upsal	8.4 (13.5)		SEPTA City Bus:71
		Carpenter	9.0 (14.5)	June 11, 1884[17]
		Richard Allen Lane	9.4 (15.1)
	Chestnut Hill	St. Martins	10.2 (16.4)
		Highland	10.7 (17.2)	June 11, 1884[17]
		Chestnut Hill West	11.3 (18.2)	June 11, 1884[17]	SEPTA Regional Rail:(atChestnut Hill East) SEPTA City Bus:23,51,77 SEPTA Suburban Bus:94,97

Yearly ridership on the Chestnut Hill West Line between FY 2013–FY 2019 remained steady around 1.3–1.6 million before collapsing during theCOVID-19 pandemic.^{[note 1]}

• SEPTA – Chestnut Hill West Line schedule

• Chestnut Hill West Line
• SEPTA Regional Rail
• Pennsylvania Railroad lines
• Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
• Germantown, Philadelphia
• Mount Airy, Philadelphia
• Railway lines opened in 1884

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