If we don't get the money, this is no joke. We're in danger of losing what helped to create Chestnut Hill.”

-- Bob Previdi, policy director, Save the Train coalition

If there was ever a time for bipartisan solutions, that time is now.”

-- Mark Umansky, Philadelphia Republican Ninth Ward leader

SEPTA officials announced a budget proposal that would see fare increases and drastic cuts, ending service to several Regional Rail lines, including Chestnut Hill West if the state legislature cannot pass a budget resolution. 

The announcement came during a press conference Thursday morning, April 10, describing a 45% service cut and a 21.5% fare increase to be implemented at different times between now and Jan. 1. A 20% service cut starts Aug. 24, with 32 bus routes eliminated, 16 shortened and service cuts to Metro and Regional Rail lines. 

The 21.5% fare increase goes into effect Sept. 1, with the base fare increased to $2.90, along with a hiring freeze for SEPTA. On Jan. 1, SEPTA will eliminate five Regional Rail lines, including Chestnut Hill West, Paoli/Thorndale, Cynwyd, Wilmington/Newark and Trenton. A 9 p.m. curfew will go into effect for all remaining Metro and Regional Rail services. 

The Save the Train coalition warned of these long-feared cuts, with their policy director, Bob Previdi, calling the situation “dire.” 

“If we don't get the money, this is no joke. We're in danger of losing what helped to create Chestnut Hill,” Previdi said. “[The cuts] are very necessary to continue operating. I don't think people realize SEPTA doesn't make money. Half of the money comes through the fare box, and when ridership is down, and they are 200,000 riders short of where they were before COVID, that's a lot of fares to be losing on a daily basis.” 

Governor Josh Shapiro described these cuts as avoidable with the passage of the Transit Funding Plan. SEPTA’s budget deficit is a forecasted $213 million for fiscal year 2026, and previous attempts to provide that funding have stalled in the state Senate. 

“These cuts to SEPTA’s service – which would hurt our economy and make it harder for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians to get to work, school and wherever else they need to go – are completely avoidable,” said Shapiro. “For two years in a row, I have proposed a commonsense plan to support mass transit all across the Commonwealth and last December, I flexed funding to give the legislature more time to come to the table. The state House has passed my proposal three times and plans to do so again next month – it is now squarely on the state Senate to come to the table and pass more funding for mass transit that their own constituents rely on.”

SEPTA has the capability and plans to increase ridership and revenue, says Previdi, but they need the funding to do so. 

“These changes require investment dollars and commitment, and the public desperately needs to get involved at this point and let their local officials know,” he said. “We're encouraging people to please ride, take a picture and tag your social media and your elected officials to let them know you care.” 

“Public transit funding — particularly for SEPTA — is deeply political because it’s the Republican-controlled state Senate that’s content with holding appropriations hostage in order to get something in return irrespective of how such horse-trading imperils the passengers and employers who rely on safe, affordable and reliable public transportation to live, work and recreate,” Pennsylvania State Representative Chris Rabb told the Local. Rabb represents parts of Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. 

"Funding public transport is not, and should not, be a partisan issue. I have high hopes that our newly elected Philadelphia Republicans in the General Assembly will work with our more rural counterparts in explaining the urgent necessity to get additional funding passed while underscoring the need for an efficient, and effective, use of taxpayer funds,” Mark Umansky, Philadelphia Republican Ninth Ward leader, told the Local. “If there was ever a time for bipartisan solutions, that time is now."

The closure, along with the reduced service to Chestnut Hill East and local bus routes, will affect workers living in the Northwest who use SEPTA to commute to Center City. 

“The proposed stop of all Regional Rail lines at 9 p.m. is terrible, especially for second shift and third shift workers who are looking to commute to and from Germantown and the city,” Leo Dillinger, executive director of Germantown United CDC, told the Local. “It's definitely a major concern of ours and we're actively listening to the concerns of our residential and business community to see what we can do to help and advocate on behalf of SEPTA.”

State Representative Andre Carroll, who represents Germantown, says he expects his district to be hit hard. 

“A hike in fare for a district which has the third-highest unemployment rate in the state is not something I take lightly,” Carroll told the Local. “When the cost of groceries is already a challenge, adding an additional burden to get to work is not the answer.”

“My district office remained on Germantown Avenue to remain accessible by bus,” he added. “My neighbors and members of staff utilize SEPTA to get to and from my office. Many of the Save the Train organizers are from my district. The folks here understand public transit is a necessity, and not a luxury.”

State Rep. Tarik Khan, whose district includes Manayunk, Roxborough, East Falls and parts of Chestnut Hill, said that for people already struggling with high prices, “SEPTA cuts and fare increases would be devastating to our community. It is not right to ask people to pay more and then give them less, including cutting the Chestnut Hill West.”

“This morning," he added, "I spoke to a group of folks with disabilities, and for some, the cutting of an estimated 40,000 paratransit rides would essentially cut them off from society.”

Khan said SEPTA’s budget shortfall was “a fixable problem” and called for the passage of Shapiro’s proposal, “which will fully fund SEPTA and completely help us to avoid these atrocious cuts and fare increases.”

The August cuts would see the elimination of the 32 bus routes, with 24 more in January. Lines such as the 18, 23, 51(L), 53, 71(H) and 81(XH) in the Northwest will see reduced service starting in August. 

SEPTA will hold four public hearings about the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budget at SEPTA headquarters on May 19 (11 a.m. and 5 p.m.) and May 20 (10 a.m. and 4 p.m.). The capital budget hearings will be held on May 21 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Previdi encouraged people to keep those dates available and “go down to SEPTA headquarters and make your case. We really want to pack the room down there with people concerned.” 

The legislature will resume its closed budget negotiations in June, with Democrats holding a one-member majority in the House and Republicans leading the Senate by five seats. 

“I am committed to fighting for public transit funding in Harrisburg. The House of Representatives, which is Democratically controlled, has passed a bill to fund SEPTA three times,” Carroll said. 

Carroll encouraged his Republican Senate colleagues “to understand the grave impact this will have on working-class families across the commonwealth. If we allow public transit organizations like SEPTA to fail, we make a policy choice to fail working families which in return will negatively impact the workforce and our economy. Now is not the time to add any more strain on our economy or additional cost for working families.”

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@ChesntutHillLocal.com