PATCO plans to roll back its weekday overnight service this summer — before temporarily suspending it completely in September — in an effort to improve cleanliness, maintenance and safety efforts.
Beginning Monday, July 14, overnight trains will run every two hours instead of hourly from midnight to 4:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. Stations will be closed overnight on a rotating basis, too. Beginning Sept. 1, all weekday overnight service will halt for six months as part of a test program to allow for deep cleaning, line maintenance and public safety operations.
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Weekend service will remain in place, with trains running on their current schedules from 4:30 a.m. Friday until 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
Here is when certain stations will be closed overnight this summer:
• July 14-25 and Aug 11-22: Lindenwold and Eighth and Market Street stations will be closed from midnight to 4:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. During that time, 9/10th and Locust Street Station, which typically is closed, will remain open.
• July 28-Aug. 8 and Aug. 25-29: Broadway and 15/16th and Locust Street stations will be closed from midnight to 4:30 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. City Hall Station, which usually closes overnight, will remain open.
PATCO President John Hanson said the changes are being made in response to complaints from riders and employees, but he doesn’t expect them to affect many riders. Less than 25 people per hour ride PATCO during the times it will be closed.
However, PATCO wanted to implement the plan in two phases to allow commuters to adjust their travel plans.
“The idea is that by shutting it down, there will be a period of time where no additional trash or messes are being generated, and our cleaning staff is going to be able to get in and clean and our maintenance staff will be able to get in and do things along the line without worrying about trains running,” Hanson said.
The complete suspension of overnight service that begins in September is designed to see whether it results in a better overall experience for PATCO riders. PATCO will determine whether it makes sense to continue overnight service suspensions after the six-month test period.
“We’re going to see if it is as effective as we think it’s going to be, if we’re getting the results that we want, and if it seems like it would be a good thing to continue,” Hanson said. “So we’re really going to make our decision based on what we learned through this six-month period.”
Maintenance work, including repairs to train tracks and electrical and signal systems often require access to the track area, Hanson said. Closing stations will allow for a safe interval of time to secure tools and equipment and move freely without worrying about oncoming trains or other interruptions.
PATCO will be bringing in additional cleaning contractors during the closures. People sheltering in the stations overnight will be escorted out.
“We don’t anticipate having an issue with that,” Hanson said. “We’re asking them to leave, the station’s closing, we expect that they’ll comply.”
PATCO riders are advised to check schedules and station information before traveling overnight on PATCO’s website or social media pages.