SEPTA Route 66

Route 66
Frankford-Knights to Frankford Transportation Center
Route 66 trackless trolley on the 7300 block of Frankford Avenue
Route 66 trackless trolley on the 7300 block of Frankford Avenue
Overview
SystemFrankford District[1]
OperatorSEPTA City Transit Division
Began service1955 (1955) (trackless trolleys)
Route
LocalePhiladelphia
Communities servedNortheast Philadelphia
StartFrankford Transportation Center
ViaFrankford Avenue
EndFrankford Avenue & Knights Road (City Line Loop)
Length6.1 miles (9.8 km)
Service
Ridership8,950 (2019 weekday average)[1]
Annual patronage2,607,562 (FY2019)
TimetableRoute 66 schedule
Route map
Market–Frankford Line to 69th Street
3 to 33rd & Cecil B. Moore
R to Henry & Midvale or Wissahickon
 Frankford T.C.
58 to Somerton or Neshaminy Mall
Cottman Avenue
(70)
Leon Street
(short-turns)
Gregg Street
(short-turns)
Knights Road
(City Line Loop)
Legend
Bus/trolley services
Subway/rail services
Map only shows major stops and
high-frequency route connections.
This diagram:
← 65  City Transit Division  67 →

Route 66 is a trackless trolley route operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It connects the Market–Frankford Line at the Frankford Transportation Center to Wissinoming, Mayfair, Holmesburg, and Torresdale along Frankford Avenue, which is US 13 and includes the historic, colonial Frankford Avenue Bridge.

Route description

The route's eastern terminus is at City Line Loop, located at Frankford Avenue and Knights Road in Morrell Park. However, some weekday trips are truncated to Gregg Loop, located at Gregg Street and Frankford Avenue. Some weekday rush hour service begin/end at Frankford and Cottman Ave in the city's Mayfair neighborhood.[2]

The route is operated by trolleybuses, locally called trackless trolleys. Buses replaced streetcars (trolley cars) on July 30, 1955 and ran for one month then on September 1, 1955, the new Trackless Trolleys replace the buses.[3] The last day of streetcar operation was actually July 30, 1955, but diesel buses were temporarily used for six weeks.[3]

Diesel buses were substituted beginning June 2002 because of reconstruction of Frankford Depot (garage) and the adjacent Market-Frankford "El" viaduct and station,[3] but trackless service was restored in April 2008.[4][5]

All of the vehicles currently in use are ADA-compliant and equipped with bicycle racks. "Night Owl" service is also available, and rush hour service includes both local and express trips.

See also

  • An older trackless trolley loading on route 66 in 1978
    An older trackless trolley loading on route 66 in 1978

References

  1. ^ a b "SEPTA Route Statistics 2018" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "Route 66" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Springirth, Kenneth C. (2008). Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys, pp. 10 and 115–116. Charleston, SC (US): Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5692-5.
  4. ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 280 (July–August 2008), p. 95. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
  5. ^ "Route of the Week - 66". iseptaphilly.com. Retrieved 2017-07-16.