Philadelphia – Trackwork Detour

Rail Transit Online, November 2007

A track improvement project on Chester Avenue between 40th and 42nd Streets in southwest Philadelphia is causing subway-surface trolley Route 13 to be detoured between Oct. 8 and Dec. 22.  Streetcars are operating via the trolley tunnel to Woodland Avenue and 49th Street, then back to Chester Avenue.   More than 4,000 ft. (1,219 meters) of rail, some dating back to the 1940s, is being replaced.  The street structure supporting the tracks has deteriorated due to water leaks, traffic and the overall age of the existing pavement, posing safety and reliability problems for streetcar service.