By Jack Tomczuk
SEPTA’s Center City trolley tunnel will remain closed at least through the end of the month, officials said.
That means riders of the T routes, formerly the 10, 34, 13, 11 and 36, will need to transfer onto and off of the Market-Frankford Line at 40th Street to access Center City. The tunnel briefly reopened Nov. 13 but has otherwise been shut down since Nov. 7.
Crews are repairing five miles of overhead infrastructure along the stretch following a pair of incidents in mid-October that resulted in the evacuation of about 450 passengers. No injuries were reported.
“It is not yet clear when the issues will be resolved and the tunnel will be able to safely reopen,” SEPTA posted on its website Friday.
Authority officials said 3-inch sliders that connect the vehicles to overhead wires were replaced with 4-inch pieces earlier this fall in an attempt to reduce wear and tear and maintenance costs. SEPTA believes the new parts caused the damage.
On Oct. 31, the Federal Transit Administration, in response to the two evacuations and a pair of unrelated incidents involving trolleys in Delaware County, ordered SEPTA to inspect its entire overhead catenary system.