SEPTA's Subway-Surface Trolley Route 11 (a.k.a.; the
Woodland Avenue-Subway Line) is a
trolleyA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) that connects the
13th Street13th Street is a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Market Street between 13th and Juniper Streets in Center City. The station serves the Market–Frankford Line and as the terminus for all five routes of the Subway–Surface Trolley Lines...
in downtown
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, to
Darby Transportation CenterDarby Transportation Center is a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority outdoor bus and trolley terminal in Darby, Pennsylvania. The SEPTA Subway-Surface trolleys 11 and 13 travel between the terminal and Center City Philadelphia. SEPTA suburban buses serve the terminal connecting it...
in
Darby, PennsylvaniaDarby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, along Darby Creek southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It has a public library founded in 1743 and a cemetery more than 300 years old. The Quakers lived there early in the colonial era. Darby was settled about 1660 and was...
. It is one of five lines that are part of the Subway-Surface Trolley system.
Route description
Starting from its eastern end at the
13th Street13th Street is a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and Subway-Surface Lines station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under Market Street between 13th and Juniper Streets in Center City. The station serves the Market–Frankford Line and as the terminus for all five routes of the Subway–Surface Trolley Lines...
, Route 11 runs in a tunnel under
Market StreetMarket Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the majority of its length, it serves as Pennsylvania Route 3....
. It stops at underground stations at
15th Street15th Street is a rapid transit station on the SEPTA Market–Frankford Line and all routes of the Subway–Surface trolley lines in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A free interchange is available between all of the rapid transit lines here, including the Broad Street Line at City Hall, which is connected...
,
19th Street19th Street is a subway station of all routes of the SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines in Center City Philadelphia. It is located underneath Market Street.Touches of the original 1907 station, such as columns and railings, still remain...
,
22nd Street22nd Street is an underground tram station for the SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines, in Center City, Philadelphia. Similar to 19th Street Station, the station has two side platforms with a total of four tracks. Only the two outer tracks serve the station; the two inner tracks are used for the...
,
30th Street30th Street is a rapid transit and trolley station on SEPTA's Market–Frankford and Subway–Surface lines in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is located on Market Street between 30th and 31st Streets in the University City neighborhood near Drexel University, and is the first station located...
, and
33rd Street33rd Street is a tram stop on all routes of the SEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is the last station of the Subway-Surface Lines with all lines before the Route 10 splits away and exits the tunnel at 36th Street. The stop is located on the campus of...
. From 15th to 30th Streets, it runs on the outer tracks in the same tunnel as SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line.
Passengers may transfer free of charge to the Market–Frankford Line at 13th, 15th, and 30th Streets and to the
Broad Street LineThe Broad Street Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that runs from Fern Rock Transportation Center in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia...
at 15th Street. Connections to the
SEPTA Regional RailThe SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
are also available. Underground passageways connect the 13th and 15th Street Stations to Market East Station and Suburban Station.
Route 11 surfaces at the
40th Street Portal40th Street is a SEPTA Subway-Surface Lines trolley station. At this station, known as the 40th Street Portal, four of the five Subway-Surface Lines enter the Woodland Avenue subway tunnel after running on the street in Southwest Philadelphia and nearby suburbs...
near 40th Street and
Baltimore Avenuethumb|[[SEPTA]]'s [[SEPTA Route 34|Route 34]] streetcar line runs through the 4500 block of Baltimore Avenue in [[West Philadelphia]]The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail in the United States, connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(
US 13U.S. Route 13 passes through the Philadelphia metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route enters the state from Delaware in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. It continues in a northeasterly direction through Delaware County, passes through Philadelphia, and continues into Bucks...
), and then runs southwest along Woodland Avenue, along with
Route 36SEPTA's Subway-Surface Trolley Route 36 is a trolley line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that connects the 13th Street in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Eastwick Loop station in Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia, although limited service...
trolleys, and then turn down 49th Street where the Route 10 diversion line ends. Route 11 continues its run along Woodland Avenue, and is the most consistent of the five Subway-Surface Lines when it comes to taking a straight route. The line runs parallel to the north side of the Wilmington/Newark Line and crosses a bridge over CSX's
Philadelphia Subdivision freight line, at 60th Street.
At the intersection of Island Road and the Cobbs Creek Parkway, an unnamed line runs southward toward the
Elmwood CarhouseThe Elmwood Carhouse, also known as Elmwood Loop and Elmwood Avenue Loop, is a storage facility and alternate terminus for the SEPTA Route 36 Subway-Surface Trolley Line, in the Elmwood Park section of West Philadelphia...
on the corner of Elmwood Avenue, which is a major turning point for the
Route 36SEPTA's Subway-Surface Trolley Route 36 is a trolley line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that connects the 13th Street in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Eastwick Loop station in Eastwick section of Southwest Philadelphia, although limited service...
line. The northwest corner is also the home of the historic Blue Bell Inn Route 11 moves northwest from Woodland Avenue to Main Street as it crosses the
Cobbs CreekCobbs Creek is an tributary of Darby Creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It forms an approximate border between Montgomery County and Delaware County. After Cobbs Creek passes underneath Township Line Road , it forms the border between Philadelphia County and Delaware County...
and enters
DarbyDarby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, along Darby Creek southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It has a public library founded in 1743 and a cemetery more than 300 years old. The Quakers lived there early in the colonial era. Darby was settled about 1660 and was...
. Here, Route 11 crosses the Philadelphia Subdivision again, but at an at-grade crossing along with 6th Street.
The road and line move to the west shortly, only to turn back northwest and finally north to 9th Street at the
Darby Transportation CenterDarby Transportation Center is a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority outdoor bus and trolley terminal in Darby, Pennsylvania. The SEPTA Subway-Surface trolleys 11 and 13 travel between the terminal and Center City Philadelphia. SEPTA suburban buses serve the terminal connecting it...
. Some
Route 13SEPTA's Subway-Surface Trolley Route 13 is a trolley line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority that connects the 13th Street in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Yeadon Loop station in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, although limited service is available to the Darby...
trolleys also terminate at the station, but the other public transportation consists of
SEPTA Suburban Transit DivisionThe Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority operates or contracts operation of these routes serving points in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, with a few routes operating into the city of Philadelphia. The Suburban Transit Division is broken down into three divisions...
buses.
History
Route 11 was established as the
West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company in Darby on December 24, 1858, and ran as
horsecarsA horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
from 9th and Main Streets in Darby to 49th Street and Woodland Avenue in West Philadelphia. It was originally a segregated street car that required African-Americans to ride on platforms along with the driver, until abolitionist
William StillWilliam Still was an African-American abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, writer, historian and civil rights activist....
challenged that rule between 1859 and 1867. In 1896, the line was extended as far east as Front Street via Chestnut and Walnut Streets, and was integrated into the Subway-Surface Trolley system in 1906.
External links