SEPTA Route 34
Encyclopedia
SEPTA's Subway-Surface Trolley Route 34, also called the Baltimore Avenue-Subway Line, is a trolley
Tram
A 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 Street
13th Street (SEPTA station)
13th 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, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia 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 the Angora Loop station in the Angora neighborhood
Angora, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Angora is a neighborhood in the Southwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Although its boundaries are not precise, West Philadelphia is to its north, Kingsessing is to the south, Cedar Park is to the east, and Cobbs Creek is to the west...
of West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
.
At 10.1 miles (16.3 km), it is the shortest of SEPTA's five Subway–Surface Trolley Lines, which operate on street-level tracks
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
in West Philadelphia and Delaware County
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and in a shared subway with rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
trains in Center City
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
.
Route description
Starting from its eastern end at the 13th Street station, Route 34 runs in a tunnel under Market StreetMarket Street (Philadelphia)
Market 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 Street
15th Street (SEPTA station)
15th 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 Street
19th Street (SEPTA station)
19th 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 Street
22nd Street (SEPTA station)
22nd 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 Street
30th Street (SEPTA station)
30th 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 Street
33rd Street (SEPTA station)
33rd 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 Line
Broad Street Line
The 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 Rail
SEPTA Regional Rail
The 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 34 surfaces at the 40th Street Portal near 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue
Baltimore Pike
thumb|[[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 13
U.S. Route 13 in Pennsylvania
U.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...
), then heads west on Baltimore until it ends at a loop at 61st Street.
History
There were transit tracks for horsecarHorsecar
A 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...
s running along Baltimore Avenue as early as 1890, but it was the arrival of the electrified trolley two years later that allowed the extension of the line westward to the new community of Angora. The route was called the Angora Line until it was given the number 34 in 1911.