Alsacienne

Thanks for more helpful information ... counting the days now!

CDTraveler

No, that's completely correct information based on taking that train fairly regularly. You don't need to change trains to get to Glenside.

Correct, but irrelevant, information. The OP's destination is Glenside.

No, they don't become a new line, they continue on to their final destination. Read the bottom line on the schedule and it tells you the destination of each train that leaves the airport.

And exactly how are Center City or Temple University relevant to someone going to Glenside? Especially someone who isn't familiar with the different lines and all their stops?

It looks to me like you're obsessing over the way the schedules were reprinted last time and ignoring what the trains actually do. Yes, now there is a schedule labeled "Airport to Center City" instead of the old R2 but what you're ignoring is that if you get yourself and your luggage on a train with a final destination of "Warminster" you will pass right through Center City and continue on without a change of train - see again the bottom line on the schedule.

My brother pulled that stupid trick last summer: got the first train out of the airport and went into Center City thinking he could find a faster way to get to Glenside instead of waiting for a direct train. Once in Suburban Station he, wife, and luggage got off the first train, went up the escalators to the concourse and went to the information desk, thereby managing to miss the train they would have gotten from the airport if they had waited just a few minutes. Instead they spent nearly an hour at Suburban Station waiting for the next train that stopped at Glenside. Dumb.

To sum up: the easiest way to get to Glenside from the airport is to take a direct train. It is no faster at all to go to 30th St, Suburban Station or Market East and try to find an alternative route to Glenside.

However if you have a little flexibility in where you get picked up, the Noble or Jenkintown stations are only a couple miles from Glenside and trains to/thru those, especially Jenkintown, run a bit more frequently than to Glenside. All trains to Doylestown, Warminter and West Trenton go through Jenkintown, Noble is on the West Trenton line (WTR on the schedule).

hufftheweevil

My information is based on taking that train twice a day, 5 days a week, for quite some time now.

It's quite relevant if you understand and agree with the point I'm trying to get across.

Now we're just talking semantics here. "New line"/"Continue to final destination" really means the same thing. However, I don't think it's good to stress about where the train continues on to because of the fact that it changes all day long. Back a few years ago (when they were still using the R# scheme), all trains leaving the airport continued on to West Trenton after center city, and visa versa...this was called the R1 line. And, similarly, all trains leaving Norristown continued on to Ivy Ridge...this was called the R6 (just another example).

But when SEPTA got rid of the R# scheme, they split each branch into its own "line", labeled by its end destination. All lines serve center city (either going westbound or eastbound), and therefore overlap in the 4 (or 5) center city stations. But until the train hits one of the center city stations, it is still usually referred to as the inbound train of the branch it is on. For example, when I pick up the train in Manayunk to go into the city, I take the Norristown line inbound, and get off at one of the center city stations. Then I take the Airport line outbound. Coming home its just the opposite: Airport inbound, then Norristown outbound.

A bit of history: SEPTA got rid of the R# scheme so that the trains could be utilized better. So instead of having all Airport trains continue on to West Trenton, they can change where the train continues on to, depending on time of day, demand, and scheduling.

I'm not obsessing over anything. Understanding the center city stations is helpful information if you're going to be travelling through them in any manner.

I didn't ignore that at all. I, in fact, did say that if you happen to board at the time that the train is going on to the line/destination that you need, great!

This story just doesn't make any sense. You claim he took one train from the airport, got off at Suburban, then missed (by "a few minutes") another train that was coming from the airport and going to his destination. However, as I mentioned before, trains only run from the airport every 30 minutes.

On top of that, as evident in the Glenside Combined schedule, you should never wait more than 15 minutes for a train to Glenside. (Some gaps in the late evening are as much as 30 minutes, but that's the absolute maximum.)

Your brother attempted his "trick" without any understanding of the system, and without asking for assistance of the conductor on his train from the airport. If he had done either, I'm rather certain he would not have had to wait for such a long time.

I will agree that it may be easier to just sit and wait for a train that says Warminster or Glenside on it. But it may not be the fastest. If you sit at the airport and pass up a train that says West Trenton, you will be waiting an additional 30 minutes until the next train. Meanwhile, you could have already been in center city and connecting to an earlier train than if you waited the 30 minutes.

Think of it this way...let me put a hypothetical out there at everyone here can relate to: Let's say you live in Daytona Beach (and are a loyal Delta flyer) and want to get to PHL as soon as possible. Since your only option out of DAB is to go through ATL, you would want to take the first flight out of DAB, regardless of its through city destination. If the aircraft you fly out of DAB and into ATL just happens to be the next flight out of ATL to PHL, then you're in luck! But if not, then you would get off and find the next flight to PHL. But you would not wait in DAB until you find a flight that goes from DAB through to PHL, as you know you might pass up an earlier connection in ATL. SEPTA's train system is remarkably similar to an airline hub.

A few more notes to anyone travelling...PLAN AHEAD! Take a few minutes to read the schedules and understand them. Print them out (or use your smartphone). And as always: ASK FOR ASSISTANCE. I have gladly helped out many confused travelers while waiting for the train at the airport. Look for anyone with an airport badge. And if ever in doubt, just wait until the train comes and you can ask a conductor for help.

avenezia

This was a great way to visualize it for me. Nice.

For those who have smartphones, the Google Maps app will also do these calculations for you and see if it would make sense to change trains in Center City.