Norristown Transportation Center

Norristown
SEPTA multimodal transportation center
A Manayunk/Norristown Line train passes under the Norristown High Speed Line platforms
Location	DeKalb St & East Lafayette St Norristown, Pennsylvania United States
Coordinates	40°06′47″N 75°20′42″W / 40.113125°N 75.345054°WCoordinates: 40°06′47″N 75°20′42″W / 40.113125°N 75.345054°W
Owned by	SEPTA
Platforms	2 side platforms (regional rail) 1 island platform (NHSL)
Tracks	2 + 2
Connections	SEPTA Suburban Bus Bieber Tourways Greyhound Martz Trailways Schuylkill River Trail
Construction
Parking	520 space parking garage 136 Free surface parking 44 with Permits
Bicycle facilities	4 racks
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	3 (Regional Rail)
History
Opened	1989
Electrified	25 Hz (Regional Rail) Third rail (NHSL)
Services
Preceding station   SEPTA   Following station Bridgeport toward 69th Street Norristown High Speed Line Local Terminus Norristown High Speed Line Norristown Express Norristown High Speed Line Norristown Limited Conshohocken toward 30th Street Station Manayunk/Norristown Line Main Street via Stony Creek Branch toward Elm Street   Former services   Preceding station   SEPTA   Following station Conshohocken toward Reading Terminal Pottsville Line Valley Forge via Reading Main Line toward Pottsville Preceding station   Lehigh Valley Transit Company   Following station Bridgeport toward 69th Street Liberty Bell High Speed Line Liberty Bell Limited (service ended 1951) Main Street via Rink station toward Allentown Preceding station   Reading Railroad   Following station Terminus Main Line Abrams toward Pottsville Mogees toward North Broad Norristown Branch Main Street toward Elm Street

Norristown Transportation Center is a two-level multimodal public transportation regional hub located in Norristown, Pennsylvania and operated by SEPTA. It opened in 1989 to replace the older Norristown High Speed Line (Route 100) terminus one block away at Main and Swede Streets, and integrated the former Reading Company DeKalb Street Norristown railroad station (built 1933) into its structure. A plaque embedded in the sidewalk (between the bus lane and Lafayette Streets) commemorates the location of one of the columns of the dismantled segment of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W) trestle.

Services

Today, Norristown Transportation Center (NTC) is the final stop on the Norristown High Speed Line which runs from 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania to Norristown. It is also a stop on the Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail Line which offers service to Center City Philadelphia via Conshohocken and Manayunk. In FY 2013, the regional rail service at Norristown Transportation Center had a weekday average of 848 boardings and 799 alightings.^[1]

SEPTA Frontier Division buses at night

In addition to rail service, NTC serves as the center of SEPTA's Frontier Division, particularly the routes operating in Montgomery County. Bus routes serving NTC operate with a "timed transfer"; for the most part, buses leave at the same time, to maximize possible transfers between routes. These routes serve areas of Norristown and other areas in Montgomery County.

SEPTA Frontier routes that serve Norristown Transportation Center are:

• 90 - to Plymouth Meeting Mall via Penn Square
• 91 - to Graterford State Prison via Eagleville (Saturdays only)
• 93 - to Pottstown via Collegeville and Philadelphia Premium Outlets
• 96 - to Lansdale via Montgomery Mall and North Wales
• 97 - to Chestnut Hill via Barren Hill and Conshohocken
• 98 - to Plymouth Meeting Mall via Blue Bell
• 99 - to Phoenixville via King of Prussia, Audubon and Oaks
• 131 - to Audubon and Valley Forge Corporate Complex via Jeffersonville

Old Norristown station configuration. The Lehigh Valley Transit Company's Liberty Bell High Speed Line was a continuation of the existing Norristown High Speed Line along Swede Road and then E. Airy Street before turning onto Markley Street where it meets up with the existing Manayunk/Norristown Line. The current Manayunk/Norristown Line continued to Valley Forge instead of going to Main Street along Lafayette Street.

NTC is located at DeKalb & Lafayette Streets near the banks of the Schuylkill River and boasts a parking garage (built in 2008).^[2] Intercity bus service by Bieber Tourways, Greyhound, and Martz Trailways was recently introduced to Norristown.^[3][4]

Additionally, Norristown Transportation Center was formerly an important transfer point between electric and Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDCs) service to points north, such as Valley Forge, Phoenixville, Pottstown, Reading and Pottsville. RDC service was eliminated in 1981 due to budget cuts. Proposals for service restoration to Reading, dubbed the Schuylkill Valley Metro, have been floated around since the late 1990s, but nothing has gone past the discussion phase.

References

1. "SEPTA (May 2014). Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Service Plan. p. 61" (PDF). (539 KB)
2. "SEPTA unveils new Norristown parking garage". 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
3. Thanks to Bieber, buses rolling again in Norristown
4. New Norristown Transportation Center Bus Terminal Open For Business

External links

Media related to Norristown Transportation Center at Wikimedia Commons

• SEPTA - Norristown Transportation Center
  • Regional Rail
  • Route 100 (NHSL)
  • NTC Map
• Norristown Transportation Center (The Subway Nut)
• DeKalb Street entrance from Google Maps Street View