The Route 15 SEPTA Trolley is On Pace to Return Soon

The historic Route 15 SEPTA trolleys are likely to return to service by March 2024, writes Cory Sharber for WHYY.

SEPTA had originally announced plans for its return this past September. However, delays ensued.

Andrew Busch, spokesperson for SEPTA, attributed the delays to making sure there are enough operators trained to use them.

This is especially important considering the high turnover of employees SEPTA has seen since the trolleys were removed from circulation in 2020.

“We know people are really looking forward to them. … Bear with us for a little bit here as we get some more things lined up. We want to make sure that when they do roll out … the service is reliable and people can count on it,” said Busch. 

Buses have been occupying Route 15 since January 2020, due to the fact that 78% of the historic trolleys at the time failed inspections. 

Since then, SEPTA has launched a Trolley Modernization Program, which was awarded $700 million to replace its older trolleys.

“The way that we’re approaching Trolley Modernization, we expect Route 15 is going to be the last part of that Trolley Modernization process,” said Busch.

Read more about SEPTA’s effort to modernize its trolleys in WHYY.

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