PHILADELPHIA — Preventive maintenance will keep SEPTA on track during winter snowstorms. Plans are in place to keep buses, trolleys, subway-elevated trains, and regional rail service in operation through the storm.
Plans include:
* Work crews will arrive early with plows poised and tons of salt on-hand. They will be prepared to remove snow from SEPTA stations, platforms, parking lots, bus loops and sidewalks.
* If appropriate, trains and trolleys are operated throughout the night to keep overhead power lines and track switches clear of ice and snow. Track maintainers keep a close watch on switches and tracks after nightfall.
* Overnight in transportation depots buses will continue to be revved up every four hours when the mercury dips below 32 degrees.
* Regional rail trains are also heated throughout the night, with no threat of polluting the air.
* The subway-elevated system is always the best bet during winter storms. The new Market-Frankford Line cars are built to withstand cold weather. An innovative computer-controlled heating system keeps El riders comfortable. On the Broad Street Line cars may be stored overnight in the Fern Rock Car House and the tunnel leading to Fern Rock Station. On both lines, the cars are powered when not in service.
* A special Storm Center will be opened in the SEPTA Operations Control Center in Center City Philadelphia to manage transportation services and update riders.
* The SEPTA Travel Information Center, 215-580-7800, is scheduled to open for regular hours (6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends) or extended hours when winter storms are predicted.