SEPTA Regional Rail is the commuter rail system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its metropolitan region, the Delaware Valley. The system is operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and serves five counties in Pennsylvania—Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, and Philadelphia—in addition to Mercer County, New Jersey and New Castle County, Delaware.[1] The system covers a total route length of 280miles, with 13 service lines and 155 stations.[2] The stations' distances from Center City Philadelphia can be determined by their fare zones. Stations in Center City are part of the CC zone, with outlying zones numbered 1 through 4, plus a zone for stations in New Jersey (NJ zone).[3] In the 2023 fiscal year, SEPTA Regional Rail had an average weekday ridership of 58,713.
The current Regional Rail system was originally two separate commuter rail networks, owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Reading Company, respectively. PRR services to Philadelphia terminated at Broad Street Station (opened in 1881; replaced by Suburban Station in 1930), and Reading services terminated at the Reading Terminal (opened in 1893). After SEPTA was formed in 1964, the transport agency began overseeing commuter rail services, however, the railroad companies continued operating their own trains. After operations were taken over by Conrail in 1976, SEPTA began acquiring ownership of the railroads through 1979. The SEPTA Regional Rail Division was created on January 1, 1983, giving SEPTA complete operational control of its railroads.[4]
To merge the two railroad networks, the Center City Commuter Connection opened in 1984, which included a tunnel between Suburban Station and the new Market East Station (later renamed Jefferson Station), which replaced the Reading Terminal. The tunnel allowed for trains to traveling into Center City to continue as through servicees into adjacent suburbs. Rail services were combined into seven routes, designated as R1 through R8.[5] The "R" designations were later dropped in 2010, and the network was reconfigured with 13 routes renamed for their outbound terminal stations.[6]
| Weekday ridership (2023)[7] | scope=col | Route length[8] | scope=col | Inbound terminus | scope=col | Outbound terminus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | 5,268 | 12.1miles | Temple University | Airport Terminals E & F | ||
| scope=row | 2,318 | 12.2miles | 30th Street Station | Chestnut Hill East | ||
| scope=row | 2,768 | 14.59miles | Temple University | Chestnut Hill West | ||
| scope=row | 112 | 6.93miles | Suburban Station | Cynwyd | ||
| scope=row | 2,425 | 12.69miles | 30th Street Station | Fox Chase | ||
| scope=row | 7,674 | 35.81miles | 30th Street Station | Doylestown | ||
| scope=row | 4,724 | 20.48miles | Penn Medicine | Elm Street | ||
| scope=row | 3,548 | 20.77miles | Temple University | Wawa | ||
| scope=row | 7,425 | 37.92miles | Temple University | Thorndale | ||
| scope=row | 7,316 | 35.95miles | Temple University | Trenton Transit Center | ||
| scope=row | 5,227 | 22.37miles | Penn Medicine | Warminster | ||
| scope=row | 5,736 | 34.79miles | Penn Medicine | West Trenton | ||
| scope=row | 4,172 | 41.37miles | Temple University | Newark |
All stations are located in Pennsylvania, unless otherwise noted. Stations located within the City of Philadelphia are additionally distinguished by neighborhood or area as noted on the official SEPTA map. Accessible stations are noted with the icon.