SEPTA opens Wissahickon Transit Center in northwest Philadelphia

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has opened the new Wissahickon Transit Center in northwest Philadelphia.

“We are making bus service safer and more reliable at one of our busiest transportation facilities,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth Lawrence Jr. “This new hub provides better access to work, school and other opportunities, including reverse commute connections for Philadelphia residents to Montgomery and Delaware counties.”

Walking distance to the Wissahickon Regional Rail Station, the Wissahickon Transit Center is situated near some of the area’s most trafficked roadways and is considered a hub for Manayunk’s Main Street business corridor.

With an average of over 5,000 weekday riders, SEPTA says that the Wissahickon Transit Center has higher ridership than nearly all its outlying regional rail stations. Nearly three-quarters of the passengers who board at Wissahickon are transferring to or from other SEPTA routes.

“This is our largest customer-centric bus project to date,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer. “The new Wissahickon Transit Center is more than six times the size of the former facility, fully ADA accessible and boasts significant safety upgrades with improved lighting, signage and security cameras.”

Other passenger-focused amenities include weather-protected waiting areas, benches and bicycle racks; improved crosswalks for pedestrians; and new ADA-compliant boarding areas for each bus route.

To accommodate the renovations at the transit center, SEPTA widened the roadway to make way for a new left turn bus lane aimed at alleviating congestion and improving traffic flow – allowing buses, pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles to move through the area in a safer fashion.

Construction on the approximately $50 million project began in spring 2023.

The agency says the new Wissahickon Transit Center lays the groundwork for SEPTA’s new bus network, which the agency says will deliver easier to use, more convenient and more reliable bus service.