The R8 is a regional project
The extension of R8 service between the current terminus in Fox Chase to Newtown Borough is the best application of scarce capital dollars for the purpose of expanding capacity on SEPTA's commuter rail system in Philadelphia, lower Bucks County and Eastern Montgomery County. Reactivating service north of Fox Chase is guaranteed to take cars off of local roads, reduce vehicle miles travelled, and local greenhouse gas emissions. No parking expansion project will accomplish that.Reopening the existing 11 stations on the Fox Chase-Newtown line will make transit more accessible to pedestrians and automobile drivers alike. Overall, 38.6% of all SEPTA regional rail commuters walk to, or are dropped off at a train station.
Reinstating the Fox Chase-Newtown line will recall "alienated R8 riders" who are forced to use the neighboring R2 Warminster, R3 West Trenton or R7 Trenton lines. This recall will create additional capacity in terms of seating and parking at R2 and R3 stations where facilities are currently being used at 100% capacity. Thus, the reopening of the Newtown line will create new riders on the R2 and R3, as well as on the R8.
Reverse commuters: current reverse commuters that utilize SEPTA's Route 24 bus between Frankford Transportation Center and Southampton benefit from a faster, more reliable means of transportation. The Route 24 is subject to frequent delays from excessive traffic on Huntingdon Pike between Philmont Avenue and Street Road. The greater reliability of the train will make the Upper Southampton labor market more attractive for commuters, and make Upper Southampton businesses more competitive with a larger, higher quality labor pool.
Alternative to the Woodhaven Expressway Extension / County Line Road widening project
Reopening the R8 corridor gives local residents in Woodmont (Heaton & Byberry Roads), Huntingdon Valley and Southampton a new option for commuting to the city
and avoiding the ongoing traffic problems on Byberry Road, which is the main artery (2 lane road) for accessing Interstate 95.
With a decreased liklihood that PennDOT will complete the Woodhaven expressway, traffic congestion along Byberry and County Line Road will remain unmanageable
for the indefinite future.
Direct Benefits
R8 reactivation is the best application of capital dollars
Parking expansion misses the mark
SEPTA's proposed parking garages are an acknowledgement that there are gaps in the current regional rail system in both capacity and coverage: Train service does not extend far enough, it does not have enough stations, or it does not have lines or stations in the right places. In the ideal situation, nearly all passengers would be walk-ups and parking would be minimal. Adding parking takes us FURTHER away from the ideal situation. Adding or extending lines and opening stations on existing lines brings us CLOSER to the ideal situation.
Montgomery County and SEPTA's solution for the sharp increase in demand for commuter rail service in Bucks County has been the construction of parking garages. While parking expansion marginally expands capacity at a low cost, the per passenger cost is high and this form of expansion increases our dependency on cars to access transit.
As of the 30% design of the proposed Jenkintown-Wyncote garage project, the net increase in parking is 280 spaces for the $25 million dollar parking garage. That's $89,000 per parking spot (way above industry standards). Further, these 280 spots will likely be used by existing redistributed riders, and not new riders.
The R8 Newtown line will accomodate up to 8,000 riders, and is projected to draw 4,000 new riders. New riders will also be created on the R2 and R3. Each new rider on the R8 will cost $61,000.
Regional Growth
Population in Newtown Township has risen 230% since 1990. Ridership on the neighboring R2 Warminster and R3 West Trenton lines has increased 400% and 300% respectively.
System Capacity & Local Road conditions
In 1991, SEPTA's own report stated that the R2 and R3 were inadequate and unable to meet the transit needs of the then growing region without the R8 in service. Local roads are already operating beyond designed capacity. If the R8 is reactivated north of Fox Chase, riders could use stations closer to their homes and not be forced to drive long distances to use SEPTA's commuter rail system.Newtown corridor facts
1. The Newtown line is a 150 year old corridor. It was a significant route for freight and passenger service until the 1950's when highways and automobiles became the preferred choice of travel. Freight traffic dried up as industries closed. Passenger service dwindled as service was cut when the Reading Railroad started hemorrhaging money.
2. SEPTA is the owner of the right-of-way between Fox Chase and Newtown Stations. There are no deed restrictions on SEPTA’s ownership that would prevent electrification or resumption of train service. SEPTA retains the right to resume train service on this corridor at any time. SEPTA does not share this right of way with any other rail carriers.
3. SEPTA maintains ownership of the right-of-way in Abington, where a 2.5 mile section has been temporarily converted to the Pennpack trail. This was done through a 30 year leave agreement with Montgomery County. The county scrapped SEPTA's rails for $202,000.00 and used that money to finance their trail. SEPTA maintains the legal right to terminate the trail lease with 12 months notice, at any time.
4. Train service was suspended when the last set of functional diesel powered rail cars (Budd Company RDCs) suffered a catastrophic failure on its braking system on January 14, 1983. Poor maintenance and inexperience with diesel equipment had already rendered 15 other diesel rail cars in Newtown inoperative in 15 months (that's one car per month burned out by SEPTA's inexperienced employees).
5. Low ridership in 1983 was caused by unreliable service and poor service frequency.
6. Newtown Township, Upper Southampton and Cheltenham townships have passed resolutions calling for immediate restoration of commuter rail service.7. Reactivating rail service north of Fox Chase will bolster the service and frequency of trains at existing R8 Fox Chase stations, thus improving their service, and reducing the liklihood of service reductions in the future.
8. There are no FRA regulations that prohibit the reinstallation and operation of the diamond crossing at Bethayers (NK diamonds).
9. The original Fox Chase-Newtown alignment is the most straightforward and shortest route to Center City from the Bethayers Junction.
10. The original Fox Chase-Newtown alignment does not generate additional traffic through the already congested Jenkintown-Fern Rock corridor, and would alleviate congestion on the R2/R3 routes.
11. Ridership on adjacent SEPTA rail lines (R2 Warminster and R3 West Trenton) has increased 400% since 1990.
12. Rail stations adjacent to the Newtown corridor are using parking facilities at a rate close to 100%.
13. Reinstating the R8 will grow the existing reverse commute market to Southampton and Newtown.
14. New and existing high density developments are within walking distance to R8 Newtown stations: Huntingdon Place, Woodmont, Belmont Station, Steamboat Station, Belmont Crossing, Village Shires, Toll Brothers' Newtown Station.
15. The outermost station, Newtown Borough, is a 57 minute commute to 16th & JFK Boulevard at Suburban Station. 1 block from One Liberty Place, the Comcast Center and the proposed American Commerce Center.
Beneficiaries of R8 Newtown Commuter Rail Service
For a station-by-station list of local beneficiaries, please visit the history and stations tab, and then the link to each station.
Newtown Borough/Township
- State Street Merchants
- Toll Brothers Newtown Station Townhouse development
- Bucks County Community College - currently runs shuttle bus service
- LaSalle University Newtown Campus
- Lockheed Martin, Newtown PA Facility
- George School
- Newtown Grant Housing Development
- Proposed Aria Health Bucks County Campus Hospital
- St. Mary's Hospital - 1.5 miles from Newtown Bypass station
Northampton/Richboro/Holland/Churchville
- Village Shires Community (Former Reading Company St. Leonard Station)
- Richboro/Churchville/Holland residents: Currently no SEPTA service, reduce road congestion on local roads which are all (2) lanes.
Upper Southampton/County Line
- Steamboat Station Condominium development
- Belmont Station Condominium development
- Southampton Industrial Park (Jaymore Rd)
- Other housing developments (many built since mid 1990's
- Second Street Pike Businesses
- Bostik (County Line Road & New Road)
- County Line Road Industrial Park
- Justa Farm Condominiums (County Line Road)
Woodmont - Upper Moreland Township & Lower Moreland Township
- Woodmont Homes : opened 2008, a potential transit oriented development
- Heaton Road residential developments
- Mason's Mill I and II Business Parks
- Upper Moreland residents along Davisville Road/Byberry Road: With Hatboro and Willow Grove stations utilizing all of their current parking, Upper Moreland residents will have access to another transit option at Woodmont Station. Lower Moreland residents, who would normally drive to Forrest Hills or Bethayers (if parking is available) now also have access to another station.
Bryn Athyn Borough
Bryn Athyn wins with increased tourism and local spending, but maintains its quiet and tranquil setting without the cars,traffic and pollution.
Huntingdon Valley
- Current SEPTA commuters who utilize the constrained Bethayers station. Parking is fully utilized forcing commuters to park illegally or drive to another station. Reopening Huntingdon Valley removes the threat of land aquisition or parking garage construction at this site
- Gloria Dei Community (next to Huntingdon Valley Station)
- Huntingdon Place Luxury Condominiums (1 block from Huntingdon Valley Station): While this community is less than 1 mile from the R3 Bethayers station, it is not walkable and the constrained parking likely has residents at this community driving to Philmont or Jenkintown. A Huntindon Valley station will transform commuters from this development into walkers.
- Welsh Road Professional Center: Employees, clients and patients can walk to this facility which is adjacent to Huntingdon Place
Fox Chase / Rockledge
- Upgraded service on the current R8. With the addition of stations north of Fox Chase, Rockledge and Fox Chase riders on the existing R8 will enjoy more frequent service.
- Access to Bucks County: Rockledge and Fox Chase residents can now travel to jobs, restaurants and entertainment in Upper Southampton and Newtown Borough.
- Education at Bucks County Community College: For residents who might want to take classes at Bucks County Community College, and education will be 30 minutes from Fox Chase station to the school, via a shuttle van from the college at the Newtown Bypass Rail station.
- More shoppers at local stores: Reiker's Meats and the Blue Ox Bistro, along with other fine Rockledge establishments can now attract patrons from communities along the northern segment of the R8
- Reduced traffic: While Huntingdon Pike sees over 20,000 cars per day, some traffic will be reduced as commuters from up north use reopened R8 stations in Huntingdon Valley, or Bethayers as parking demand is reduced from the R8.
R2 Warminster/R3 West Trenton Riders
- Less congestion on trains
- Opportunity for new riders to use the R2/R3 because Southampton/Richboro/Newtown residents now use the R8
- Increased parking availability created by the vacuum left by R8 Newtown commuters
Glenside/Jenkintown/Melrose/Elkins Park/Fern Rock passengers
- Increased availability of seating for passengers between Jenkintown and Fern Rock
- Increased train and track capacity for eventual reactivation of R5 Bethlehem/Quakertown trains which run through Jenkintown
Restoring commuter rail on the R8 Newtown Line will help grow our region by alleviating congestion on the neighboring Warminster and West Trenton branches which are now operating close to peak capacity. Try to find parking at Hatboro or Forrest Hills station at 9AM on any weekday and you'll see the need for restoring service on the Newtown line.
Restoring train service frees up parking for NEW commuters on the West Trenton, Warminster and Newtown Branches, reduces commuting trip miles by opening new rail stations in the communities of Richboro, Southampton, Holland, Newtown and Bethayers. A restored Walnut Hill Station frees up parking in Fox Chase and Bethayers for those close to Lorimar Park. This is a Win-Win situation for everyone, including the environment.
Look at SEPTA's parallel Chestnut Hill East and West lines. Built by the PRR and Reading Company in fierce competition, both of those lines enjoy healthy ridership today.
Restoring train service on the Newtown branch will also attract many who can walk to the train station and leave their cars at home. Much development has occured along the line since service was temporarily suspended in 1983.
Benefits of Commuter Rail Service to Center City
- The Convention Center at 12th & Market
- Connecting train service to the Philadelphia International Airport
- Employment Opportunities
- Avenue of the Arts: The Kimmel Center & Philadelphia Orchestra
- The Sports Complex: Sixers, Flyers, Eagles and the WORLD CHAMPION PHILLIES
- University of Pennsylvania & Drexel University at 34th & Market
- Fox Chase's German restaurants & butchers including Reiker's & The Blue Ox Bistro
- Access to the region's best health care centers: Jefferson University Hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Access SEPTA's rail system, Amtrak Boston/New York/Washington/Harrisburg Service, NJT Atlantic City Service, PATCO and NJT's Riverline.
By having access to this system, the townships along the line can continue to be stable bedroom communities with access to strong jobs and entertainment throughout the Delaware Valley. Restoring rail service also helps preserve these bedroom communities as having easy access to high paying jobs in places like the Cira Centre, Comcast Center and One Liberty Place, and the soon to be built American Commerce Center at 19th and Arch.