TWU Poised to Strike SEPTA

PHILADELPHIA -- If the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 234, goes on strike this week, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) passengers may flock to Regional Rail trains and suburban bus routes.

SEPTA's City Transit Division, which carries 875,000 one-way riders a day, would be shut down by a Local 234 strike. That is 84% of SEPTA's daily business.

Regional Rail trains, which carry 103,000 one-way passengers daily, would continue to run from the suburbs into Center City.

SEPTA has 35 to 40 Regional Rail stations in the city, according to Bernard Cohen, the agency's chief operations officer. The commuter rail service, which makes up about 10 percent of SEPTA's service, would probably pick up an additional 50,000 daily one-way trips because of a strike, he said.

SEPTA would increase service on the Regional Rail lines, with more trains and more cars.

Bus, subway and trolley routes that start in the city would stop service immediately if there's a strike.

That would include the Market-Frankford Subway/Elevated service, Broad Street Subway, Subway/Surface Routes, buses, and trackless trolleys.

Bus routes that start in the suburbs, which carry 66,000 one-way passengers each day, would still run. That is about 6 percent of SEPTA's daily service. None of the buses that normally enters the city will do so.

Some suburban bus routes that cross into the city would be re-routed to avoid Philadelphia. Those bus routes include: 121, 105, 106, 108, 305, 124 and 125.

ParaTransit, the Center City Phlash service, West Philadelphia's Lucy service, and suburban train-station shuttles would still operate.

SEPTA's City Division contract with TWU, Local 234, which has 4,700 members, expires at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Local 234 and the United Transportation Union, Local 1594, also represent 460 operators and mechanics in Delaware County's Victory Division. That contract expires April 2.

TWU Local 234 also represents 180 suburban operators and mechanics in the Frontier Division in Bucks, Chester and Montgomery counties. That contract expires April 7.