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Chestnut Hill East Line
The Chestnut Hill East station as seen in October 2012. The station depot, constructed by the Reading Company, is visible on the left.
Overview
Service type	SEPTA Regional Rail commuter service
Current operator(s)	SEPTA
Ridership	2,318 (FY 2023 daily)
Route
Termini	Chestnut Hill East Temple University
Stops	14
Distance travelled	18.1 mi (29.1 km)
Line(s) used	Chestnut Hill East Branch SEPTA Main Line
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric multiple units
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV 25 Hz AC
Route map Show interactive map Legend 10.8 mi 17.4 km Chestnut Hill East 10.3 mi 16.6 km Gravers 10.0 mi 16.1 km Wyndmoor Mermaid closed 9.3 mi 15 km Mount Airy 8.9 mi 14.3 km Sedgwick Gorgas closed 8.6 mi 13.8 km Stenton 7.8 mi 12.6 km Washington Lane Walnut Lane closed Zone  2  1 6.8 mi 10.9 km Germantown Church closed Wingohocking closed 6.1 mi 9.8 km Wister Fishers closed SEPTA Main Line to Glenside 5.1 mi 8.2 km Wayne Junction NOR to Norristown–Elm Street Zone  1  C 2.1 mi 3.4 km Temple University Reading Viaduct Spring Garden Street closed Reading Terminal closed 0.5 mi 0.8 km Jefferson 0 mi 0 km Suburban 0.9 mi 1.4 km 30th Street This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

The Chestnut Hill East Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail (commuter rail) system. The route serves the northwestern section of Philadelphia with service to Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. It is one of two lines that serve Chestnut Hill, the other one being the Chestnut Hill West Line. The line is fully grade-separated.

History

The Chestnut Hill East Line is a continuation of the Reading Company's suburban services on the Chestnut Hill East Branch from Philadelphia to Germantown and Chestnut Hill. The oldest part of the line that became the Chestnut Hill East Branch was opened in 1832 by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, and later became part of the Reading system. Electrified service began on February 5, 1933.

Until 1984 Chestnut Hill East trains used the Reading Viaduct to reach Spring Garden Street and the Reading Terminal; this ended with the opening of the Center City Commuter Connection which routed the trains through the city center and on the ex-Pennsylvania Railroad part of the system. From this point the route was designated R7 Chestnut Hill East as part of SEPTA's diametrical reorganization of its lines; trains continued on to the Trenton Line. The R-number naming system was dropped on July 25, 2010. As of 2022, most Chestnut Hill East Line trains continue through Center City to the Trenton Line.

SEPTA activated positive train control on the Chestnut Hill East Line on July 25, 2016.

On April 9, 2020, service on the line was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though Temple University and Wayne Junction stations were still being served by other rail services. Service resumed on June 28, 2020.

Stations

The Chestnut Hill East line makes the following station stops after leaving the Center City Commuter Connection; stations indicated with a gray background are closed. All stations are located within the city of Philadelphia.

Zone	Location	Station	Miles (km) from Center City	Connections / notes
C	Temple University	Temple University	2.1 (3.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines SEPTA City Bus: 3, 23, 47
	Nicetown–Tioga
		Tioga		Closed 1989
		Nicetown		Closed November 14, 1988 due to fire damage
1		Wayne Junction	5.1 (8.2)	SEPTA Regional Rail:  Fox Chase   Lansdale/Doylestown   Warminster   West Trenton  SEPTA City Bus: 2, 23, 53, 75
	Wister
		Fishers	5.7 (9.2)	Closed October 4, 1992
		Wister	6.1 (9.8)	SEPTA City Bus: J
	East Germantown
		Wingohocking	6.5 (10.5)
		Germantown	6.8 (10.9)	SEPTA City Bus: 26, J, K
2		Walnut Lane	7.7 (12.4)
		Washington Lane	7.8 (12.6)	SEPTA City Bus: XH
	East Mount Airy	Stenton	8.6 (13.8)	SEPTA City Bus: 18
		Gorgas	8.7 (14.0)
		Sedgwick	8.9 (14.3)	SEPTA City Bus: H
		Mount Airy	9.3 (15.0)
	Chestnut Hill
		Mermaid	9.8 (15.8)
		Wyndmoor	10.0 (16.1)	SEPTA City Bus: 77
		Gravers	10.3 (16.6)	SEPTA City Bus: L
		Chestnut Hill East	10.8 (17.4)	SEPTA Regional Rail:  Chestnut Hill West  (at Chestnut Hill West) SEPTA City Bus: L SEPTA Suburban Bus: 94

Ridership

Yearly ridership on the Chestnut Hill East Line between FY 2013–FY 2018 was steady around 1.4–1.6 million. Ridership declined in FY 2019 and then collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes

1. Data for individual lines is not available for FY 2020.

References

1. ^ SEPTA Data Group. "Route Operating Statistics". Retrieved March 22, 2024.
2. Coates, Wes (1990). Electric trains to Reading Terminal. Flanders, NJ: Railroad Avenue Enterprises. pp. 74–75. OCLC 24431024.
3. Williams, Gerry (1998). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Piscataway, New Jersey: Railpace Company. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-9621541-7-1.
4. Vuchic, Vukan; Kikuchi, Shinya (1984). General Operations Plan for the SEPTA Regional High Speed System. Philadelphia: SEPTA. pp. 2–8.
5. Lustig, David (November 2010). "SEPTA makeover". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 26.
6. ^ "Chestnut Hill East Line schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. January 7, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
7. "Positive Train Control Update". SEPTA. May 1, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
8. "Service Information". SEPTA. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
9. "SEPTA Regional Rail & Rail Transit Lifeline Service" (PDF). SEPTA. 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
10. Bowden, Mark (December 23, 1988). "A SEPTA Ride to a Sealed Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15. Retrieved October 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Dougherty, Frank (October 25, 1996). "Septa Board Cuts Service But Opposition Is Spirited". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2017.

External links

• SEPTA – Chestnut Hill East Line schedule
• Reading Company Routes and Mileages

v t e  SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
Metro	Lines Current  Market–Frankford Line  Broad Street Line  Subway–Surface Trolleys  Route 10  Route 34  Route 13  Route 11  Route 36  Route 15 Trolley  Media–Sharon Hill Line  Norristown High Speed Line Former Trolley routes 6 23 50 53 56 60 Proposed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Stations List of stations Major stations 69th Street T.C. Darby T.C. Drexel Station at 30th Street Fern Rock T.C. Frankford T.C. Norristown T.C. Olney T.C. Equipment Kawasaki Type K LRV SEPTA PCC III B-4 M-4 N-5
Regional Rail	Lines Current      Airport Line      Chestnut Hill East Line      Chestnut Hill West Line      Cynwyd Line      Fox Chase Line      Glenside Combined      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line      Manayunk/​Norristown Line      Media/Wawa Line      Paoli/​Thorndale Line      Trenton Line      Warminster Line      West Trenton Line      Wilmington/​Newark Line Former Bethlehem Line Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge service Elwyn-West Chester service Fox Chase-Newtown service Pottsville Line Thorndale-Parkesburg service Proposed Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Stations List of current stations List of former stations Major stations 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University Equipment Current Siemens ACS-64 Comet Silverliner Silverliner IV Silverliner V Former ABB ALP-44 EMD AEM-7 Silverliner Silverliner I Silverliner II Silverliner III
Buses and trolleybuses	Current Trackless trolley routes 59 66 75 City bus routes 6 23 29 35 37 38 53 56 60 79 Suburban bus routes 103 104 Former Trackless trolley routes 29 79
Miscellaneous	1983 Regional Rail strike 25 Hz traction power system Callowhill Depot Center City Commuter Connection SEPTA Key

• SEPTA Regional Rail
• Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
• Germantown, Philadelphia
• Mount Airy, Philadelphia