(The following appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on November 3.)
PHILADELPHIA — The parade honoring the world-champion Phillies on Friday brought SEPTA 2 1/2 times its usual number of commuters.
On a normal weekday, the system’s regional rail lines carry about 130,000 riders, spokesman Richard Maloney said yesterday. Friday’s total was 300,000.
The Broad Street subway typically carries 150,000 riders on a weekday, Maloney said. On Friday, it carried 400,000.
While the mayor’s office declined to give a crowd estimate – unofficial estimates were two million – Maloney said the parade had resulted in historically high ridership, surpassing past events that reportedly drew crowds of than one million to the city.
Many frustrated commuters criticized SEPTA Friday after waiting hours to get into and out of the city. Maloney maintained that the system had done its best to handle the unprecedented number of riders.