Why is there no trolley service to West Philly? Because of two weeks of repairs

SEPTA
Metro file

Why can’t you ride a trolley into Center City for the next two weeks? Because the 2.5-mile long tunnel is being shut for renovations, cleaning and repair.

For the third summer running, SEPTA will close the tunnel for 16 days to hold a Trolley Tunnel Blitz. More than 7,500 feet of track will be replaced.

Service between 22nd Street and the 40th Street portal will be suspended from Friday, July 31 at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17.

The blitz is scheduled for the summer when trolley ridership is at its lowestannually, SEPTA said.

“The Center City tunnel is a five-mile, single loop track operation that is used 24-hours aday, making it difficult for our crews to get productive work windows. Without the 16-day closure, we’d have months of nighttime and weekend shutdowns to complete all ofthe projects,”SEPTA Deputy General Manager Jeff Knueppelsaid in a statement.

The Route 10, 11, 13, 34, and 36 trolleys will still be running West Philly, but all service will terminate at the 40th Street Market-Frankford Line station, where free transfers to the el will be availble for trolley passengers.

Visit septa.org for more information.