The two-year, $103 million Ben Franklin Bridge Track Rehabilitation project is proceeding on-time and on-budget, with electrical, signaling and communication upgrades continuing on the south track of the bridge and in the tunnels in Philadelphia and Camden.
The current PATCO schedule had been expected to change in the spring, but will now remain in effect through early July. The extension allows all south track work taking place on weekdays to be completed now instead of a later date as originally planned.
"We regret that the current schedule is challenging for our riders. Finishing this work now rather than coming back to it later will reduce the number of schedule changes," said John Rink, PATCO general manager.
PATCO will introduce a new schedule in early July when work resumes on the north track on the bridge. This upcoming schedule will be similar to the one in place during the second continuous outage in August and September 2014. Normal service will remain in place Monday through Thursday mornings, and a trackwork schedule will operate between Thursday mid-day and Sunday night. The improved operational flexibility and capacity available on the north track allow the service gaps to be reduced from 26 minutes to 15 minutes, which will allow PATCO to operate additional trains.
"We are sorry for any inconvenience to our customers," said Rink. "As stewards of our assets, we are determined to make the final outcome worth it. We thank our customers for their continued patience."
