SOUTH JERSEY — PATCO plans to slow down operations this summer in order to return to schedule by fall. The public-transit service will reduce train frequency at its stations for the next eight weeks, beginning Saturday, for a rail-replacement project that was originally spread out over a longer period of time.
Here’s how the schedule will change starting Saturday:
View the new schedule.
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The $6 million project involves replacing nearly 3 miles of rail and other track material between the Ferry Avenue and Broadway Stations. During the first phase, a 7,234-foot section of the eastbound track will be reconstructed. Once that phase is completed within an estimated four weeks, PATCO will release a new schedule during work on the westbound track.
PATCO originally planned to complete the work over 27 weeks with weekend track outages. But upon further evaluation of the current number of passengers and future projections, the agency opted instead to complete the work in a consecutive eight-week period before more riders return to work in the fall.
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“During the summertime, PATCO typically has fewer riders between July 4th and Labor Day,” PATCO General Manager John D. Rink said in a statmement. “To minimize the impact on our customers, we have explored different options and the revised timeframe seems to be the best choice for completing this important infrastructure project.”
The rail and track material getting replaced has been in use since 1968 and is reaching the end of its useful life, PATCO says. The new schedule will allow trains to traverse the work area using a single track. PATCO will also utilize the ongoing track outage to perform additional maintenance work.
PATCO connects South Jersey and Philadelphia, including three stops in Camden and six others in Camden County.
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