SEPTA to Celebrate America's Birthday With Enhanced Service to July 4th Weekend Events

SEPTA to Celebrate America's Birthday With Enhanced Service to July 4th Weekend Events

Service Set for Live 8, Welcome America Celebrations, Phillies Baseball

PHILADELPHIA, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will operate enhanced transit service to many of the area's events, including the Live 8 concert and Sunoco Welcome America! festivities, as thousands of spectators descend on the Greater Philadelphia region during July 4th weekend celebrations.

SEPTA is also offering special All-Day passes valid on July 2nd & 4th for unlimited to travel to events aboard its vast fleet of buses, trolleys, subway-elevated lines, and regional rail trains as many streets and parking lots in Center City Philadelphia will have limited access.

*Friday, July 1

SEPTA Broad Street Line "Sports Express" trains will help sports fans revel in America's favorite pastime with convenient service to Citizens Bank Park. Sports Express trains, which make limited stops en route to Pattison Station near the ballpark, will depart Fern Rock Transportation Center at 6 p.m., 6:08 p.m., 6:18 p.m., and 6:28 p.m. for the scheduled 7:05 p.m. Phillies game with fireworks following the game.

*Saturday, July 2

For fans traveling to the Live 8 extravaganza (noon-6 p.m.), SEPTA will operate trains every six minutes until 11 p.m. on the Broad Street and Market- Frankford subway-elevated lines. SEPTA will also have additional service standing by on the Market-Frankford Line later that evening for the conclusion of the Sunoco Welcome America! Rhythm & Blues Concert (6:30-9:30 p.m.) featuring recording artists Ruben Studdard & Stephanie Mills at Penn's Landing.

In addition, SEPTA will provide extra cars for its regional rail trains and operate hourly service on all regional rail Routes with the exception of R1 Airport and R5 Paoli, which will operate service every 30 minutes.

SEPTA will also increase the frequency of service on subway-surface trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 by operating trolleys every 10 minutes, as well as operate regular service on trolley Routes 100, 101 and 102. Special shuttles will operate between the 40th Street Portal (40th Street & Baltimore Avenue) and Juniper Station in Center City on subway-surface trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36.

The City of Philadelphia has arranged for free Live 8 parking at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. SEPTA will provide bus service from the Mann Center parking lot to the Market-Frankford Line at 52nd Street Station, where riders will transfer to the El to Center City. Mann Center bus riders will be able to purchase a special SEPTA round trip pass at the Mann Center Box Office for $4.00.

*Sunday, July 3

SEPTA will add four additional trains (at 1:05 p.m., 1:10 p.m., 1:15 p.m., and 1:20 p.m.) to regular Market-Frankford Line service for the Salsa on the Parkway event at 2 p.m. Also, Sports Express trains will leave Fern Rock Transportation Center later that evening at 6:58 p.m., 7:08 p.m., 7:18 p.m., and 7:28 p.m. for an 8:05 p.m. Phillies game.

*Monday, July 4

All SEPTA services will operate on a holiday (Sunday) schedule. For riders traveling to the Sunoco Philadelphia Freedom Concert featuring Elton John at 8:30 p.m. and then the late-night fireworks display at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines will continue operating until they have serviced passenger demand instead of ending train service at midnight as usual.

Additionally, SEPTA's regional rail lines will operate late-night service from Center City for spectators traveling home. All SEPTA regional rail lines, with the exception of R6 Cynwyd, will have trains in operation from Suburban Station after 11:30 p.m.

SEPTA's special Live 8 Day Pass and Sunoco Welcome America! Day Pass offer riders unlimited travel on all SEPTA bus, trolleys, subway-elevated lines, and regional rail trains and are valid only on the day of the event. The Live 8 Pass cannot be used for travel to and from Trenton.

Live 8 Day Passes (July 2nd) and Sunoco Welcome America! (July 4th) Day Passes are individual and are not interchangeable. Passengers should purchase these passes in advance as they will not be sold aboard any SEPTA vehicle.

These special All-Day passes are available for purchase now at all regional rail ticket offices and major SEPTA Sales Offices. Regular SEPTA weekly and monthly passes are also valid on weekends and holidays, subsequently, the July monthly pass is valid for both events.

The Welcome America events on the Parkway will cause SEPTA to operate a number of bus routes, including Routes 2, 7, 17, 31, 32, 33, 38, 43, 44, 48, 124, and 125, on local detours intermittently.

For information about service to events, fares, detour information or specific time schedules, call the SEPTA Customer Service Department at (215) 580-7800 or visit the SEPTA web site at http://www.septa.org/.

Source: SEPTA

CONTACT: Felipe Suarez of SEPTA Public Relations, +1-215-580-7842

Web site: http://www.septa.org/

------- Profile: Ent