This way, we get hourly (weekend) service using the same number of trains. Eventually, we want to see the same thing for our weekday trains – so that people can leave Center City for Chestnut Hill every half hour, rather than every hour.”

Robert Previdi, spokesperson for Northwest Philadelphia's Save the Train coalition

In the face of a $240 million budget deficit, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) announced Monday that it plans to add trains to its regional rail service starting Sept. 8.

The service increase, which will add 99 weekend trains and 24 weekday trains across the network and restore rail service to 80% of what it was before COVID, brings a new train for both the Chestnut Hill West and Chestnut Hill East rail lines. 

On weekends, a reconfigured schedule will alternate two-hour departures from the East and West lines so that, in effect, trains will leave Center City for Chestnut Hill every hour, rather than every two hours. 

"It made no sense, the way the weekend service was, to have both lines leaving in the same hour," said Robert Previdi, spokesperson for Northwest Philadelphia's Save the Train coalition, a group of 79 member organizations fighting to preserve public transit. "This way, we get hourly service using the same number of trains. Eventually, we want to see the same thing for our weekday trains – so that people can leave Center City for Chestnut Hill every half hour, rather than every hour."

Weekday changes for Chestnut Hill include a new post-morning rush hour train that leaves Chestnut Hill West at 9:08 a.m. and arrives at Suburban Station at 9:45 a.m. Then a new "reverse peak" train will leave Suburban Station at 8:09 a.m. and arrive at Chestnut Hill West at 8:48 a.m. The Chestnut Hill East line is also getting a new weekday train, which will depart Suburban Station at 3:45 p.m. and arrive at Chestnut Hill East at 4:26 p.m.

On weekends, Chestnut Hill West will also get a new later train. It will leave Suburban Station at 10:20 p.m. and get to Chestnut Hill West at 10:55 p.m. In the other direction, it departs for Center City at 11:15 p.m. and gets to Suburban Station at 11:50 p.m.

Previdi, who said SEPTA made the schedule changes in response to requests by the coalition, said alternating trains on weekdays is harder because SEPTA's service must be coordinated with Amtrak, which uses the same line.

"But we are hopeful we can improve these schedules too in the long run," he said.

The coalition, which is working to increase ridership as well as advocate for more funding, has already seen some success – and is reporting a 10% increase on routes serving Northwest Philadelphia.

Previdi said the service expansion comes at a critical time for Philadelphia, which is preparing to host major events in 2026, including the nation's 250th birthday celebrations, the MLB All-Star game, and FIFA World Cup matches.

"It's no time to be rolling back service when we are less than 20 months from thousands of visitors coming to the city for our nation's 250th birthday celebrations," Previdi said. "It's worth noting that FIFA plans require a fence erected around the parking lots to prevent people from driving to the World Cup. This requirement gives us a golden opportunity to not only get tourists to use public transit - but also reintroduce public transit to those who have not used it."

State Rep. Tarik Khan, part of the Democratic leadership that has been working with the Save the Train coalition to increase funding for SEPTA in state budget negotiations, said he feels optimistic that the money can be found. 

"There is a commitment from the Democratic leadership in the statehouse and in the governor's office to moving this forward," Khan said. "In terms of what can be arranged to make that happen, there is a lot of room for deal-making."

Khan also commented on the potential for increased revenue through improved service. "I think the move could help bring in more revenue by increasing ridership," he said. "I was just in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, where they have a really robust transit system, and you can see how these lines are so critical."

In a prepared statement, SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards acknowledged the financial challenges.

"As we continue to rebuild ridership, SEPTA is still facing a $240 million annual budget deficit, and the need for a permanent solution grows more urgent by the day," Richards said. "Despite this funding crisis, we cannot put critical investments in our system on hold. We must move forward with efforts to make our service more reliable for our riders who depend on us to get where they need to go."

The agency recently moved toward one small source of new revenue when it announced that starting Sept. 23, it will once again charge parking fees – which it had suspended during COVID-19. Daily rates at SEPTA-owned surface lots will increase to $2 from $1, and to $4 from $2 at three garages.

According to their announcement, SEPTA's recent recruitment efforts have made increased service possible.

"Thanks to a robust recruitment and training effort, the Authority will be able to add additional crews to address personnel shortages and provide more consistent service," Richards said. "With 189 engineers, SEPTA is on track to meet its budgeted headcount of 213 by next spring."