PATCO Speedline
The PATCO Speedline, also known colloquially as the PATCO High Speed Line, Lindenwold High Speed Line, or simply PATCO,[3][4][5] is a rapid transit system operated by the Port Authority Transit Corporation, which runs between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden County, New Jersey. The Speedline runs underground in Philadelphia, crosses the Delaware River on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, runs underground in Camden, then runs above ground in New Jersey until the east end of the line. The Port Authority Transit Corporation and the Speedline are owned and operated by the Delaware River Port Authority. Speedline operation began on February 15, 1969, with the first trip from Lindenwold, New Jersey, to Center City, Philadelphia. The line transports over 38,000 people daily and operates 24 hours a day, one of only five U.S. rapid transit systems (the others being the New York City Subway, Staten Island Railway, the Red and Blue Lines of the Chicago 'L', and PATH) to do so. In 2012, the system carried 10,612,897 passengers, the highest number for any of the previous ten years.[6]
History
The modern-day PATCO Speedline follows the route of several mainline railroad lines, some dating back to the 19th century. These railroads all terminated in Camden, where passengers could catch ferries across the Delaware River to Philadelphia. Early in the 20th century, the idea of a fixed Delaware River crossing connecting Camden and Philadelphia gained traction, and in 1919, the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey formed the Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission to build a bridge between the two cities.[7] The Delaware River Bridge (now Ben Franklin Bridge) was designed to accommodate rail as well as road traffic; when it opened on July 1, 1926, it had two outboard structures beside the main roadway for rail and space for two streetcar tracks (never installed) on the main road deck. Construction of the rail line did not actually begin until 1932, and the Bridge Line opened on June 7, 1936. Relatively short, it only had four stations: 8th Street and Franklin Square in Philadelphia (the latter currently closed) and City Hall and Broadway in Camden (connecting to the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines at Broadway).
In Philadelphia, the line used a tunnel built in 1931 to serve both Ben Franklin Bridge trains and a Broad Street Subway spur designed to serve 8th and Market and the southern part of the city center via Locust Street. The tunnel, which replaced an earlier proposal for a downtown subway loop, extended under 8th to Locust, then under Locust to 16th, but as tracks were not laid beyond 8th and Market, the first Bridge Line trains did not run beyond 8th Street into the Locust Street Subway until February 10, 1952. This section is owned by the City of Philadelphia and leased by PATCO.[8]
No sooner had the Bridge Line entered service than neighboring communities in Southern New Jersey began agitating for rapid transit extensions to serve them. To facilitate their construction, the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania expanded the powers of the Delaware River Joint Commission, which owned the Ben Franklin Bridge and the New Jersey portion of the Bridge Line, rechristening it as the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) in 1951. The agency commissioned Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Hall and MacDonald (now Parsons Brinckerhoff) to study possible rapid transit services for South Jersey; Parsons, Brinckerhoff's final report recommended building a new tunnel under the Delaware and three lines in New Jersey. Route A would run to Moorestown, Route B to Kirkwood (now Lindenwold), and Route C to Woodbury Heights. A later study by Louis T. Klauder & Associates recommended using the Bridge Line instead to reach Philadelphia and suggested building Route B first, as it had the highest potential ridership.[9]
The last Bridge Line and Broad-Ridge Spur trains ran through the subway on August 23, 1968, when work began to convert the Locust Street and Camden subways for use by the new PATCO Speedline, which would use the Bridge Line subway to enter Philadelphia.[10] The new Speedline from Camden to Lindenwold opened on February 15, 1969, along former Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines trackage. Woodcrest Station was added later, in 1980, between the existing Haddonfield and Ashland stations.
In 2005, PATCO officials began planning a new route in the corridor of the originally proposed Route C that would serve Gloucester County and end in Glassboro on the grounds of Rowan University (formerly Glassboro State College).[11] On May 12, 2009, Jon Corzine, the Governor of New Jersey, formally endorsed a diesel light rail along an existing Conrail right-of-way, which was selected because of its lower capital cost and operating cost. The proposed Glassboro-Camden Line would require riders to transfer to the Speedline at the Walter Rand Transportation Center for trips to Philadelphia.[12] The PATCO study also recommended a multimodal, regional initiative to introduce a Camden-Philadelphia BRT, a bus rapid transit system along Routes 42 and 55, as well as upgrading New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Line to improve its usability.[13]
In 2009, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA, parent agency of PATCO) announced that it was commissioning a design plan for renovating, modernizing and reopening the Franklin Square station.[14] As a result of ongoing capital projects scheduled to continue through 2016, PATCO stated in 2014: "We do not presently have the capacity or capital resources to evaluate the feasibility of reopening the Franklin Square Station."[15] As of March 2015, DRPA estimated that reopening the station would cost more than $18 million, and that it would serve about 1,300 daily passengers, nearly all of whom now use the 8th Street station.[16]
Trains and cars
Rolling stock
PATCO operates 121 67-foot (20.42 m) cars which were acquired in two separate orders, labeled PATCO I and PATCO II. The original PATCO I cars were designed and manufactured by Budd of Philadelphia, PA in 1968. Cars numbered 101-125 are single units, and cars numbered 201-250 are in permanently coupled married pairs.[17] The PATCO II cars were delivered in 1980 (in parallel with the opening of the Woodcrest Park and ride facility) and consisted of married pairs numbered 251-296. The PATCO II cars were manufactured by Vickers Canada under a license from Budd, but are nearly indistinguishable from the PATCO I's, the only differences being that the PATCO II cars have a fixed partition behind the operator's booth and lack a stainless steel shroud below the door line to ease access to traction components.[11]
The single units differ from the married pairs by having an extra single leaf door located behind each operators booth. This was installed before the fare collection system was finalized and there was a possibility of operators collecting fares on board during the late night hours.[17]
The PATCO I cars were originally fitted with WABCO Model N-2 MU couplers. Because of reliability issues these were replaced by Tomlinson type couplers manufactured by Ohio Brass Company. The original electrical system in the PATCO I cars was found to have certain reliability issues and was completely rebuilt after the PATCO II cars arrived to the PATCO II standard.[17]
PATCO cars use camshaft resistance type motor controllers common to DC powered rapid transit vehicles up through the 1980s. The unique whine of the motors and gear assemblies can lead many to mistake the cars for using thyristor drive or even a variable-frequency drive, but this is not the case. Bogies are of the Budd designed Pioneer III variety and while lightweight, provide for a very bouncy ride. The married pair cars share a single motor control unit and automatic operation box. Many PATCO Car design features also appeared in the M1/M3 class of MU railcars for the Long Island Rail Road which provides for a similar riding experience.[17]
Operation
PATCO was one of the first transit systems to incorporate Automatic train operation for regular service. The PATCO ATO is an analogue system that makes use of pulse code cab signaling supplied by Union Switch and Signal. The cab signals supply one of five different speeds (20 mph or 32 km/h, 30 mph or 48 km/h, 40 mph or 64 km/h, 65 mph or 105 km/h and 0 mph or 0 km/h) and the on-board ATO gear will supply maximum acceleration or maximum braking force to reach that target speed. The frequent use of such high acceleration and deceleration rates makes for a quick ride, yet one that can occasionally be perilous for non-seated passengers. Automatic station stops are handled by track mounted transponders and can be overridden by the operator for non-stopping trains.[17]
The system suffers from problems handling slippery track conditions and human operators are required to take control in any sort of precipitation. Because of the ATO limitations, drivers must make one trip per day under manual operation to stay in practice and are not penalized for running their trains manually at any time of their choosing. In practice, most operators prefer automatic operation as not only is it less effort, but it also tends to result in faster trips. [17]
The system was designed for one person train operation by exclusively utilizing island platforms and right-handed operation with operators sitting on the left side of the vehicle where they can open their window and monitor the boarding process. Where trains have to use the "wrong" side, mirrors are provided to give the operator a proper view. The operator's booth is not isolated from the passenger cabin, instead being surrounded by a low partition. Operators wishing privacy can pull a curtain closed during operation, but are still on call to answer inquiries from passengers. When not in use, a lockable cover sits over the console controls. Operators are responsible for making station announcements, opening and closing the doors, sounding the horn, starting the train from station stops and full manual operation of the train (when necessary).
Trains operate at a maximum of 65 mph (105 km/h) on the surface portion of the system and 40 mph (64 km/h) in the subway portion and over the bridge. Trains used to have a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h) on the surface portion, but this caused excessive wear on the traction motors and was cut back to 65 mph (105 km/h) in the 1970s.[17]
PATCO runs the majority of its trains in 2-, 4- or 6-car configurations. Single-unit trains are occasionally seen late at night, while 3- or 5-car trains are encountered only when not enough cars are available to meet the load line.[17] All stations are capable of handling 7- or 8-car trains, but these lengths have never been run except for brief testing and for the annual holiday "Santa Train" special for children. In an effort to contain costs, PATCO actively manages its consist length as opposed to running trains in fixed sets. Train length is matched to the demand level for that particular time of day. In peak periods trains are 6 cars long, on "shoulder" periods they are 4 cars long, off peak they are 2 cars long, and overnight sometimes single units are run alone.[17] Due to recent capital improvements, weekend and mid-day headways have grown, prompting PATCO to run 4-car trains all day, albeit less frequently than the 2-car trains.
Cabin
The interior of a PATCO car can best be described as retro, not due to any intentional choice by PATCO, but simply because the interior styling has not been updated since its introduction in 1968. The color combination is a base of cream with a Moss green fill. Seating is a 2+2 arrangement, with half of the seats in each car facing the direction of travel, and half facing the opposite direction. Seats run the full length of the car, with the front seats next to the operator's booth having the benefit of a large picture window. The newly refurbished cars have full-width operator's cabs, resulting in the loss of four passenger seats. [17]
Each PATCO car has a pair of doors on each side with a foyer area inside the doors for standing passengers. There are also hand-holds on all seat backs for standing passengers the entire length of the aisles. A few PATCO cars have been modified in accordance with the ADA to have one standard 2-person seat replaced with a single side-mounted seat to provide a space for a wheelchair.
Car end-doors are unlocked, but inter-car movement is discouraged because of the extreme motions between cars. Train end-doors are also left unlocked, but are also secured with additional non-locking latches.
Refurbishment
PATCO has announced plans for the complete refurbishment of the entire fleet, with work expected to begin in 2009.[18] The contract for rebuilding the rolling stock was awarded to Alstom, at a cost of $194.2 million, beating Bombardier's bid by $35 million, though Bombardier claimed the contract was incorrectly awarded.[19] PATCO began to ship the railcars with their trucks removed via flatbed truck to the Alstom facility in Hornell, New York, in March 2011.[20]
The refurbishment will consist of a completely new interior with more modern colors, wheelchair access and more reliable HVAC systems. Also to be replaced are the propulsion and automatic train operation systems, which currently use technology last updated in the early 1980s. The camshaft resistance type motor controller will be replaced by a new solid state unit using IGBTs and the relay based ATO unit will be replaced by a computerized system. The General Electric DC type motors, Pioneer III trucks and gearboxes will not be replaced, but will also be rebuilt instead so that the PATCO cars will retain their distinctive sound.
The first rebuilt cars were redelivered to PATCO's Lindenwold, New Jersey Shops on November 12, 2013, and will be tested accordingly before going into service. Rebuilt cars are being renumbered into the 1000 series instead of their former numbers. The formerly single unit cars are being converted into married-pair type cars instead of their former singles status, with the former single-leaf door behind the train operators position removed and sealed-off. The rebuilding is expected to extend the lives of these cars by 20 years, similar to the rebuilds received by many of New York City Transit's rebuilt subway cars from R26's thru the R46's. On May 28, 2015, after over a year and a half of exhaustive testing, and after a brief ceremony, along with a public unveiling for the rebuilt cars was held at the Woodcrest Station for all interested parties, passengers or persons alike, the first four (4) of the rebuilt cars (1095-6 & 1101-2, formerly or ex-295-6 and ex-101 and 102 the former single units respectively) were finally placed back into service, as Alstom has worked to iron-out most of the teething bugs and problems with the communications, automatic train control, propulsion, braking systems, and other bugs out of the sixteen redelivered cars during their 500 hours of extensive mandatory acceptance testing period, which these cars passed on December 16, 2014.[20] The recorded announcements on the refurbished cars are provided by Bernie Wagenblast.
In rebuilding these cars, PATCO and Alstom had struggled to incorporate new computer technology into the operational systems of these 46-year-old train cars, causing computer interface problems between PATCO's old 1969 DC technology, and Alstom's new 2014 AC technologies. Alstom will now proceed with the rebuilding of the remaining fleet of cars at a production and delivery rate of 4 to 6 cars per month until all cars have gone through this overhaul and rebuilding process. As of March 24, 2016, 36 cars have been overhauled, and accepted for service.
Route identification
One of the six possible routes is displayed on a fluorescent lit piece of glass in the car. There are six routes, cut through a dark tinted piece of glass. The light behind the correct one identifies the train route. There are also rolling signs on the car ends and sides displaying this same route.[17] The routes are as follows, with the current three service designations in bold:
| Local routes | Express routes |
|---|---|
| Lindenwold Local | Lindenwold Express |
| Philadelphia Local | Philadelphia Express |
| Woodcrest Local | |
| Ferry Avenue Local |
An additional sign is displayed (Special) when the train is accepting no passengers. The only currently operating express service is westbound from Lindenwold towards Philadelphia, which operates six times daily between 7:30 am – 8:45 am, skipping only Haddonfield, Westmont, and Collingswood stations. (Unfortunately signage inside the cars indicates that express trains stop at Haddonfield.) There is currently no eastbound express service, and all eastbound trains terminate at Lindenwold, as opposed to terminating early at Ferry Avenue or Woodcrest.
The newly rehabilitated cars had all of their existing front and side signage removed and replaced with Luminator amber colored LED electronic signs.
Signaling
PATCO trains are governed by a Pulse code cab signaling system which transmits signal codes to the trains via the running rails. Wayside signals are located only at interlockings and consist of two lamps on a single signal head, one lunar white, the other red. There are three typical signal indications, Red for "Stop", Lunar for "proceed under cab signals on main route" and flashing lunar for "proceed under cab signals on diverging route". [17]
There are 5 cab signals, each corresponding to a speed. The cab signals are displayed to the operator via a series of 5 lamps above the speedometer, red for Stop, yellow/red for 20 mph, yellow for 30 mph, yellow/green for 40 mph and green for 65 mph. These lamps correspond to the same cab signals in use by various northeastern railroads. Even when the Automatic Train Operation System is not in use, the cab signal speed control function is still enabled and if an operator goes above the permitted speed, the power is cut and the brakes are applied until the speed is back within the limit.[17]
The entire PATCO system is run from Center Tower, centrally located above a substation near the Broadway station in Camden, NJ. Center Tower is staffed by two operators at peak periods and a single operator otherwise. Wayside signals are marked with their corresponding lever in the old US&S fashion with R signals indicating a "right" lever motion and L signals indicating "left".[17] Signals and switches are numbered in ascending order from west to east with 15th/16th Locust using levers 1-4 and Lindenwold using levers 73-76. The interlocking at Woodcrest, which was added in 1980, uses levers 87-98.[17]
The following fixed signs are also present on PATCO:
- H - Sound Horn
- T - Trigger Sign - Station stop outer transponder, trains not stopping must cancel automatic stop.
- AB - Approach block, trains operating without cab signals prepare to stop.
- Speed X mph - Speed limit sign in tunnel section for sharp curves.
- Clear # - Train of # car lengths has cleared sharp curve.
In case of a cab signal failure or the need to disregard them, the cab signal may be cut out by the operator with permission from Center Tower.
Power
All PATCO trains are electrically powered. Power comes from a top contact covered third rail at 750 V DC. There are two feeds from the commercial power grid, one located in Philadelphia from PECO Energy for the old Bridge Line tunnel segments and the other in New Jersey from PSE&G for the new mainline segments. In New Jersey power is distributed via wayside AC transmission lines in the 26.4 kV range and a series of 7 substations, located approximately every 2 miles (3.2 km), transform and rectify the current to the 750 V DC used in the third rail.[17]
Fare collection
Magnetic system
From its beginning in 1969, PATCO used a magnetic ticket as the sole means of collecting fares. The plastic tickets may still be bought for single rides through vending machines in the stations. These machines once required coins, so bill changers were placed in stations. Each vending machine was capable of selling two types of tickets, which the rider chose by pushing a button after inserting the correct fare. Several machines were needed in each station, since different types of one-way and two-way tickets needed to be sold. After the ticket was purchased, it was inserted through a turnstile gate. To exit the station, it was inserted again, and if it had rides remaining, returned to the rider. A ticket with no rides was re- encoded by the system and returned to use in the vending machine. Tickets could also be purchased in ten-trip passes, but these were obtained through mail or in office.[17]
At its inception, this system was state-of-the-art, but became more problematic as the years went on. Tickets were vulnerable to damage from magnetic sources such as cell phones and PDAs that did not exist when the system was put in place, and the equipment to read and code the farecards began to suffer from extreme reliability problems as well as replacement part availability.
Freedom system
In July 2006, PATCO announced that it would start the transition from a magnetic ticket fare system to an electronic smart card system. Magnetic tickets are still sold, for the occasional riders, however they are now in a paper form and can only be purchased with cash. The new computer vending machines allow more advanced purchasing options for Freedom Cards (the term used for the smart cards). Payment can now be in the form of coins, bills, credit cards, or debit cards; however, credit and debit cards can only be used to load fare onto a Freedom Card or purchase a new card. PATCO has a system that allows balances to be reloaded on the Internet.
Each fare machine in the unpaid areas (i.e. outside the gates) performs all transactions (except for SEPTA transfers in PA stations, as the transfers are only sold on the unpaid side of NJ stations). Also, to augment the call-for-aid phones, there are now exit fare machines located inside of the fare gates, so that if a rider has purchased the wrong fare, they may pay the remaining fare to exit.
The system has been in use by the general public at all PATCO stations since its launch in 2007.
The system was put into effect in an attempt to gain ridership, which had fallen sharply since its peak in 1990.[18] The system was designed, built and integrated by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.[21]
Because of the system's flexibility, it could one day operate seamlessly with SEPTA and RiverLine rail networks, allowing an integration of the systems.[18]
Because the smart cards store value (instead of "rides") and the paper tickets expire after three days, it is no longer possible to hoard "rides" in advance of a fare increase. Also, the combination of the contactless card payment and the new swinging fare gates have decreased turnstile throughput, resulting in long exit queues after a train discharges a load of passengers at a station.
Open Payment
In September 2011 PATCO started Phase One of a pilot program for a new form of open payment called PATCO Wave And Pay Anywhere. Phase One allowed for a PATCO-branded prepaid Visa card. The card was also put in by CUBIC Transportation Systems. It required a $6.00 balance to travel on PATCO. The card works the same as the Freedom Card except it could be used at any location that accepts Visa.
In April 2012, Phase Two of this open payment system was initiated. This phase allowed for station gates and parking terminals to accept other forms of contactless payment systems in use by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover. In addition to credit cards with the technology built in, the system also accepted Near field communication virtual wallet payment methods such as Google Wallet.[22] This pilot program ended in October 2012. Processing costs were deemed too high to continue the program, which was otherwise considered successful by PATCO management.[23]
Connections to other transit systems
New Jersey Transit connections
New Jersey Transit buses connect to most PATCO stations in New Jersey. The New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line also stops at Lindenwold Station, and the River Line connects at Broadway Station (Walter Rand Transportation Center).
SEPTA connections
The SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Market–Frankford Line connects to PATCO at the 8th & Market Station, which is two blocks away from SEPTA's Jefferson Station, where all but one of SEPTA's regional trains stop.
SEPTA's Broad Street Line connects to PATCO at the Walnut–Locust station via a short underground walkway to PATCO's 12th-13th & Locust, and 15-16th & Locust stations. The Broad-Ridge Spur connects to PATCO at the 8th & Market Station via a pedestrian walkway.
A special "SEPTA Transfer" ticket may be purchased from the unpaid side of any New Jersey station. These tickets are sold for $2.60 ($1.30 per ride, a savings compared to a single $2 cash fare or a token for $1.55) and dispense two paper receipts, one good for a ride within one hour of the time of purchase and another good for a ride within 24 hours of the time of purchase. Originally, both transfers were going to be valid for 24 hours, however, PATCO changed the time limit to prevent the unauthorized sale of PATCO transfers at Pennsylvania stations.
Union representation
PATCO train operators are represented by Teamsters Local 676.
Station list
| State | Municipality | Station | Notes | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA | Philadelphia | 15–16th & Locust | end of the line; transfer by short walk by tunnel to SEPTA Broad Street Line Walnut–Locust station | All trains |
| 12–13th & Locust | transfer by short walk by tunnel to SEPTA Broad Street Line Walnut–Locust station | All trains | ||
| 9–10th & Locust | open from 4:45 AM to 12:07 AM | All trains | ||
| 8th & Market | transfer to SEPTA Market–Frankford Line and Broad-Ridge Spur; access to SEPTA Regional Rail at Jefferson Station via The Gallery at Market East. | All trains | ||
| Franklin Square | closed since 1979; possibly reopening in the future.[24] | N/A | ||
| NJ | Camden | City Hall | All trains | |
| Broadway (Walter Rand Transportation Center) | transfer to New Jersey Transit River Line | All trains | ||
| Ferry Avenue | All trains | |||
| Collingswood | Collingswood | Local trains only | ||
| Haddon Township | Westmont | Local trains only | ||
| Haddonfield | Haddonfield | The only station east of Camden to be located below street level (in an open cut). | Local trains only | |
| Cherry Hill | Woodcrest | parking lot very close to interchange (Exit 31) with I-295 | All trains | |
| Voorhees Township | Ashland | All trains | ||
| Lindenwold | Lindenwold | transfer to New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line | All trains |
See also
References
- ↑ Pennsylvania Map
- ↑ New Jersey Map
- ↑ Graham, Troy (January 7, 2011). "Man attacked, robbed in Mellon Center concourse". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved January 27, 2011. The concourse connects to the Market-Frankford Line, the Ridge Avenue spur line, and the PATCO High Speed Line.
- ↑ Stillwell, Eileen (January 20, 2011). "Google Transit features PATCO schedule". Courier-Post. Retrieved January 27, 2011. "If you're not a regular user of the PATCO Hi-Speedline"
- ↑ Barna, John (January 6, 2011). "DRPA to look at sale of PATCO". Gloucester County Times. Retrieved January 27, 2011. "Exploring the sale or privatization of the PATCO High Speed Line"
- ↑ "Delaware River Port Authority & Port Authority Transit Corp. February 20, 2013 Board Meeting". Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ↑ "DRPA :: Delaware River Port Authority". drpa.org.
- ↑ DRPA.org
- ↑ PATCO: A History of Commitment
- ↑ SEPTA Broad Street Subway. Retrieved July 9, 2006.
- 1 2 DRPA.org
- ↑ PATCO Expansion Alternatives Analysis
- ↑ Light Rail Extension Moves Forward, DRPA, May 12, 2009.
- ↑ "DRPA Board Takes First Step Toward Reopening Franklin Square Station" (Press release). PATCO. July 15, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ↑ "Ben Franklin Bridge Track Rehabilitation Project: Frequently Asked Questions". PATCO. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ↑ "Study: Reopening PATCO 'ghost station' would cost $18.5M". Philadelphia Inquirer. March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Vigrass, J. William (1990). The Lindenwold Hi-Speed Line: The First Twenty Years of the Port Authority Transit Corporation. West Jersey Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. ASIN B0006EV7AW.
- 1 2 3 SJ Magazine Articles your South Jersey source
- ↑ "Bombardier objects to Alstom-PATCO contract". Trains Magazine. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- 1 2 Comegno, Carol (May 28, 2015). "New PATCO cars make first runs". Courier-Post. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ↑ "Card makes change for PATCO riders" by Eileen Stilwell, Courier-Post, July 11, 2006. Retrieved July 11, 2006.
- ↑ ContactlessNews (3 Apr 2012). "PATCO rolls into new phase of open payment system". ContactlessNews. Retrieved 2012-07-17.
- ↑ Progressive Railroading (8 Oct 2012). "PATCO to end contactless bank-card pilot program". Progressive Railroading. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
- ↑ "Patco Will Apply For Federal Funds To Get Dormant Franklin Square PATCO Station Reopened". CBS Philly. CBS Local Media. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to PATCO Speedline. |
- PATCO Official Website
- DRPA Official Website
- Speedliner Newspaper Website
- NYCSubway.org Page on PATCO
- Philadelphia Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society - PATCO
- PATCO Light Rail - website with details about system expansion
- PATCO - Southern New Jersey Transit Expansion Study
- PATCO - Philadelphia Waterfront Expansion
- PATCO Visa Card
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