SEPTA's subway–surface trolley route 34, also called the Baltimore Avenue subway line, is a trolley line operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) that connects the 13th Street station in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Angora Loop station in the Angora neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Route 34 will be rebranded as the T2 as part of the transition to SEPTA Metro.[3]

Route 34 (T2)
SEPTA'S Route 34 trolley in the
4500 block of Baltimore Avenue
Overview
Termini
Stations8 underground stations, 1 surface level station, and 22 street-level stops
Service
SystemSEPTA Metro
Depot(s)Elmwood Carhouse
Daily ridership12,413 (2019)
Technical
Line length10.1 mi (16.3 km)[citation needed]
Track gauge5 ft 2+14 in (1,581 mm) Pennsylvania trolley gauge[1][2]
ElectrificationOverhead line600 V DC
Route map
Map
13th Street
15th Street
19th Street
22nd Street
30th Street
33rd Street
36th Street
37th Street
40th Street Portal
Chester/Woodland Avenue
Baltimore & 41st
Baltimore & 42nd
Diversion tracks to 40th and Market
Baltimore & 43rd
Baltimore & 44th
Baltimore & 45th
Baltimore & 46th
Baltimore & 47th
Baltimore & 48th
Baltimore & Florence
Baltimore & 49th
Non-Revenue Track
Baltimore & 50th
Baltimore & 51st
Baltimore & 52nd
former wye on 52nd St.
Baltimore & Broomall
Baltimore & 53rd
Baltimore & 54th
Baltimore & 55th
Baltimore & 56th
Baltimore & 57th
Baltimore & 58th
Baltimore & 59th
Baltimore & 60th
61st – Baltimore

At 10.1 miles (16.3 km), it is the shortest of SEPTA's five subway–surface trolley lines, which operate on street-level tracks in West Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and in a shared subway with rapid transit trains in Center City.[4]

Route description

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Starting from its eastern end at the 13th Street station, Route 34 runs in a tunnel under Market Street. It stops at underground stations at 15th Street, 19th Street, 22nd Street, 30th Street, and 33rd Street. From 15th to 30th Streets, it runs on the outer tracks in the same tunnel as SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line.

Passengers may transfer free of charge to the Market–Frankford Line at 13th, 15th, and 30th Streets and to the Broad Street Line at 15th Street. Connections to the SEPTA Regional Rail are also available. Underground passageways connect the 13th and 15th Street Stations to Jefferson Station and Suburban Station.

Route 34 surfaces at the 40th Street Portal near 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue (US 13), then heads west on Baltimore until it ends at a loop at 61st Street.

History

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A 1911 map showing the proposed streetcar Routes 113 and 187, whose tracks would decades later be used by SEPTA's Route 34.

The Delaware County and Philadelphia Electric Railway Company installed transit tracks for horsecars running along Baltimore Avenue as early as 1890, but it was the arrival of the electrified trolley two years later that allowed the extension of the line westward to the new community of Angora.[5]

The line was routed into the subway–surface tunnel on December 15, 1906. The route was called the Angora Line until it was given the number 34 in 1911.[4]

In April 2020, the line's operations were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Service resumed on May 17, 2020.[6][7]

In 2021, SEPTA proposed rebranding their rail transit service as "SEPTA Metro", in order to make the system easier to navigate. Under this proposal, the subway–surface lines will be rebranded as the "T" lines with a green color and numeric suffixes for each service, and Route 34 would be renamed "T2 Baltimore Avenue."[8][9] SEPTA described that "most comments were positive" in the public comment period for this rebranding project.[10]

Stations and stops

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All are in the City of Philadelphia.

Neighborhood /
location
Images Station or stop Connections Notes
Market East   13th Street   SEPTA Metro:   Market–Frankford Line,   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 27, 31, 32
Closed between 12:30–5:00am
Penn Center   15th Street   SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines (at Suburban)
  SEPTA Metro:   Broad Street Line (at City Hall),   Market–Frankford Line,   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus:4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48
  SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125
Late night terminus
  19th Street   SEPTA Metro:   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 17, 31, 38, 44, 48, 62, 78
  SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124
Center City West   22nd Street   SEPTA Metro:   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 7, 31, 44, 62
  SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125
Replaced 24th Street station
University City   Drexel Station at 30th Street   Amtrak (at 30th Street)
  NJ Transit: ACL Atlantic City Line (at 30th Street)
  SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines (at 30th Street)
  SEPTA Metro:   Market–Frankford Line,   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 31, 49, LUCY
No direct passage to 30th Street Station
  33rd Street   SEPTA Metro:   Route 10,   Route 34,   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 30, 31, 49, LUCY
Serves Drexel University
  36th Street   SEPTA Metro:   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 21
Serves University of Pennsylvania
  37th Street   SEPTA Metro:   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 40, 42, LUCY
Serves University of Pennsylvania, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Spruce Hill   40th Street Portal   SEPTA Metro:   Route 13,   Route 11,   Route 36
  SEPTA City Bus: 30, 40, 42, LUCY
End of Routes 11 and 13 concurrency
41st & Baltimore
  42nd & Baltimore   SEPTA City Bus: 30
43rd & Baltimore Serves Clark Park
44th & Baltimore Serves Clark Park
  45th & Baltimore
46th & Baltimore
Cedar Park 47th & Baltimore
  48th & Baltimore (WB)   SEPTA City Bus: 64
  Florence & Baltimore (EB)   SEPTA City Bus: 64
49th & Baltimore   SEPTA City Bus: 64
50th & Baltimore
51st & Baltimore
52nd & Baltimore (WB)   SEPTA City Bus: 52
Angora Broomall & Baltimore (EB)   SEPTA City Bus: 52
53rd & Baltimore
54th & Baltimore
55th & Baltimore
56th & Baltimore
57th & Baltimore
58th & Baltimore   SEPTA Regional Rail:      Media/Wawa Line (at Angora)
  SEPTA City Bus: 46, G
59th & Baltimore
60th & Baltimore   SEPTA City Bus: 46
  61st & Baltimore Also called Angora Loop

References

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  1. ^ "The history of trolley cars and routes in Philadelphia". SEPTA. June 1, 1974. p. 2. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014. An early city ordinance prescribed that all tracks were to have a gauge of 5' 214".
  2. ^ Hilton, George W.; Due, John Fitzgerald (January 1, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804740142. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  3. ^ "Letters, Colors, and Symbols | SEPTA". Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34". Studio 34. Studio 34: Yoga Healing Arts. 2008. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  5. ^ In 1894, the line was extended to Media. Springirth, Kenneth C. (2007). Suburban Philadelphia Trolleys. Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 9780738550435.
  6. ^ "Service Information". SEPTA. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "SEPTA Transit Network Lifeline Service Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. April 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  8. ^ Vitarelli, Alicia; Staff (September 7, 2021). "SEPTA Metro? Transit agency mulling big changes including new name, map, and signage". Philadelphia, PA: WPVI-TV. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  9. ^ "Wayfinding Recommendations". SEPTA. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "Design Concept Feedback". planning.septa.org. SEPTA. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
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