R8 (SEPTA)

The R8 is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system. The Pennsylvania Railroad end of the route terminates in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, while the Reading Company end terminates in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia. The R8 number was applied after the original plan was cancelled due to problems including the Swampoodle Connection never being built.

As of 2005, the majority of R8 trains run through the Center City Commuter Tunnel, although some trains from either direction terminate in Center City.

R8 Chestnut Hill West

The Chestnut Hill West Line branches off from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor at North Philadelphia station and runs entirely within the City of Philadelphia. Its terminal is named Chestnut Hill West to distinguish it from the end of the R7 Chestnut Hill East (a competing line of the Reading Company until 1976). Some stations are less than half a mile apart, a characteristic more commonly seen in an urban rapid transit system rather than a commuter rail line. The line runs roughly parallel to the R7 Chestnut Hill East, and the two terminals are rather close.

The line was originally opened June 11, 1884 by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad, and was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1968. Penn Central operated it until 1976, turning operations over to Conrail until 1983, when SEPTA took over. The Chestnut Hill West Line was originally to be numbered the R3 due to the proposed Swampoodle Connection bringing it into the Reading Company side of the Center City Commuter Connection.

Electrified service was opened on March 30, 1918.

The R8 Chestnut Hill West makes the following station stops, after leaving 30th Street Station:Boardings are for fiscal year 2004.

Ridership on the Fox Chase line increased 13% from 1995 to 2005. From SEPTA Annual Service Plans:

External links

* [http://www.septa.org/service/sched/pdfs/R8.pdf SEPTA - R8 Fox Chase and Chestnut Hill West] schedule (PDF)

References

* [http://www.earlpleasants.com/search_1.asp Railroad History Database]
* [http://www.readingrailroad.org/reading/rdg_routes.html Reading Company Routes & Mileages]