WHEREAS, Public transportation is the backbone of the Philadelphia region. In the scope of this hearing public transportation shall constitute services and infrastructure used to support all SEPTA infrastructure and services, all CONRAIL infrastructure and services, all AMTRAK infrastructure and services, and any other entities as determined by the Special Committee on Kensington; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA is the regional transportation authority for Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. SEPTA owns and operates the Market-Frankford line, Broad Street line, 115 bus routes, 8 trolley routes, and 13 commuter rail lines with 155 stations. In May of 2024, average daily ridership across all modes was 717,630, and
WHEREAS, CONRAIL owns the Richmond Secondary freight rail right of way, Trenton Avenue Elevated, Frankford Street Industrial Track, and Delair Branch, all operated by Conrail, CSX, Norfolk Southern; and
WHEREAS, AMTRAK owns the Northeast Corridor operated by Conrail, CSX, Norfolk Southern, AMTRAK,
and SEPTA. According to the FY23 Pennsylvania Fact Sheet, produced by AMTRAK, all Philadelphia stations saw a ridership of 4,197,176; and
WHEREAS, The aforementioned modes of transportation are crucial to support the residents and businesses of Kensington and Philadelphia as a whole. Residents, business owners, and customers are limited in the ability to rely on safe and consistent public transportation options as those many who lack housing or suffer from substance use disorder have taken shelter at or near public transportation stations. Unfortunately, this has led to open drug use, unsafe and unsanitary conditions for all who use these forms of transportation, and damage to the stations and machinery, causing a decrease in reliability of these modes of transportation and a decrease in ridership; and
WHEREAS, SEPTA has stepped up and, despite not being a social service agency, their SCOPE outreach initiative, established in 2021, has been a success on many metrics. However, the financial burden placed on SEPTA by supporting this initiative, while still facing the negative financial impact of decreased ridership, raises the question of how and when various partners in the region step up to assist with this crisis; and
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Authorizes the City Council Special Committee on Kensington to hold public hearings to examine public transportation entities, the current operational challenges faced by public transportation entities, the responses taken by these entities, the effectiveness of their responses, and what collaboration can be expanded to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all residents and riders in the City of Philadelphia.
End