Southampton station (Pennsylvania): Difference between revisions
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Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown [[Bustitution|shuttle bus]], patronage remained light. The traveling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999. |
Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown [[Bustitution|shuttle bus]], patronage remained light. The traveling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999. |
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==Controversy== |
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The Upper Southampton Board of Supervisors as well as regional planners have repeatedly pushed for the resumption of regular commuter service to Newtown. As of 2009, SEPTA has no plans to reactivate the line, a point of contention with local residents.<ref>[http://www.r8newtown.com/documents/UST_Rail_Resolution.pdf Rail resolution]</ref> |
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==Fire== |
==Fire== |
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Revision as of 13:28, 12 August 2009
Southampton | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEPTA regional rail | |||||||||||
 Former Southampton Station. | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Second Street Pike and Knowles Avenue Upper Southampton, Pennsylvania. | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40°10′19″N 75°02′38″W / 40.1720°N 75.0438°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | SEPTA | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Lua error in Module:Adjacent_stations at line 430: "title" is missing from the data page. | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||
| Parking | 15 spaces | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1892 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 1983 | ||||||||||
| Electrified | No | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Reading Railroad | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Southampton is an abandoned train station located on Second Street Pike (PA-232) near Knowles Avenue in Upper Southampton, Pennsylvania.
History
Built in 1892, Southampton Station was a stop on the Reading Railroad's Newtown Line. It later became a part of SEPTA's R8 Newtown Line. The station, and all of those north of Fox Chase, was closed in February 1983, due to SEPTA’s desire for all-electric rail operations (electrification ends at the Fox Chase station). Service in the diesel-only territory north of Fox Chase was "temporarily suspended" at that time, and the Southampton station still appears in publicly posted tariffs.
Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light. The traveling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999.
Controversy
The Upper Southampton Board of Supervisors as well as regional planners have repeatedly pushed for the resumption of regular commuter service to Newtown. As of 2009, SEPTA has no plans to reactivate the line, a point of contention with local residents.[1]
Fire
On January 2 1982, the crossing at Second Street Pike just south of Southampton Station was the site of a fiery crash between a train, a gasoline truck, and a car.[2] Five people were injured and the accident caused flames to shoot fifty feet in the air and created a plume of black smoke visible for miles.[2] Witnesses to the accident said that the crossing signal equipment had not been working properly.[3] SEPTA general manager David L. Gunn ordered additional safety precautions, but service ceased just over a year after the accident.[4]
Restoration
The Southampton Railroad Station Society is currently trying to raise funds to restore the station.[5]
External links
- R8newtown.com - Official website for resumption of rail service
- Southampton Railroad Station Society website
- Picture of Southampton Station, pre-SEPTA era.
- Photos of fire
References
- ^ Rail resolution
- ^ a b Halsey, III, Ashley (January 3 1982). "5 Hurt in Fiery Rail Collision". Philadelphia Inquirer.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Stecklow, Steve (January 4 1982). "Clues Sought in Crash of Train, Truck". Philadelphia Inquirer.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Tulsky, Frederic N. (January 7 1982). "SEPTA Stiffens Rail Safety Rules". Philadelphia Inquirer.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Train station's restoration to cost $350,000". Bucks County Courier Times. October 4 2006.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)