Wawa (SEPTA station)
Encyclopedia
Wawa is an abandoned train station adjacent to U.S. Route 1
in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania
. The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad
's West Chester Branch
(originally called the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad
). It later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester
line.
The station, and all of those west of Elwyn
, was closed in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions and Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton Station
on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line
. Service was "temporarily suspended" at that time, with substitute bus service
provided. Wawa Station still appears in publicly posted tariffs
.
Wawa Station was originally known as the Baltimore Central Junction Station, being the northern terminus of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
(P&BC), later called the Octoraro Branch. Wawa Station was demolished shortly after service ended. Some concrete
foundations remain, as do the concrete curb for the platform edge, and the pedestrian tunnel under the track.
was completed in 1858. The WC&P merged with the P&BC in 1881, and both were controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
, signals
, communications equipment, and structures; and a new station at Wawa with a large park-and-ride facility.
Wawa was chosen as the new terminal due to its proximity to the heavily travelled U.S. Route 1
. The new ADA-compliant Wawa Station will have high platforms, a sales office, ticket vending machines and passenger waiting room. SEPTA will also construct a new railcar storage facility at the Lenni Facility
in Delaware County.
Wawa Station is estimated to have 500 commuters on a typical weekday. The engineering phase of the terminal project began in July 2005. This included preliminary engineering, environmental impact analysis, and final engineering. Shortfalls in funding have delayed completion of this phase to 2010. Construction will follow and take 24 to 36 months to complete.
in Maryland
. From 1966 to 1970, the section between Wawa and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania was operated by the Wawa and Concordville Railroad
, a tourist railroad, although trains ran only during 1967 and 1968. Severe flood damage, caused by storms in 1971 and Hurricane Agnes
in 1972, led the bankrupt Penn Central (PC) to remove this section of the line from service. SEPTA acquired the Octoraro Branch after the PC bankruptcy
and the subsequent dissolution of ConRail. SEPTA leases the segment south of Chadds Ford to short-line railroads. The northern section remains washed out, but is still owned by SEPTA.
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania
Chester Heights, Pennsylvania
Chester Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,481 at the 2000 census. Most of the borough lies south of U.S...
. The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's West Chester Branch
West Chester Branch
The West Chester Branch was a local passenger and freight railroad line owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and later Penn Central. The line connected with the Philadelphia-Washington Main Line at Arsenal Junction near the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia-Chicago Main Line near...
(originally called the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad
West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad
The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad operated in the greater Philadelphia area in the 19th century. It later became the West Chester Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad , and is now called the Media/Elwyn Line on the SEPTA system....
). It later became a part of SEPTA's R3 West Chester
Media/Elwyn Line
The Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn...
line.
The station, and all of those west of Elwyn
Elwyn (SEPTA station)
Elwyn is the southern terminus of the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line. Until 1986, service continued west to West Chester. Services was suspended due to poor track conditions...
, was closed in September 1986, due to deteriorating track conditions and Chester County's desire to expand facilities at Exton Station
Exton (SEPTA station)
Exton Station is a commuter rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia atWalkertown Road, Exton, Pennsylvania. It is served by most Amtrak Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian , and Paoli/Thorndale Line trains....
on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale Line
Paoli/Thorndale Line
The Paoli/Thorndale Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to Thorndale in Chester County.-Route:This branch utilizes one of the oldest sections of what is now Amtrak's Keystone Corridor, an electrified 104-mile two to four-track high-speed route between Harrisburg...
. Service was "temporarily suspended" at that time, with substitute bus service
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
provided. Wawa Station still appears in publicly posted tariffs
Tariff (disambiguation)
A tariff is a tax on imported or exported goods.A tariff may also refer to:* Tariff, a schedule of prices for the sale or rental of a product or service* Tariff , in British criminal law, a minimum prison sentence...
.
Wawa Station was originally known as the Baltimore Central Junction Station, being the northern terminus of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad
The Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries...
(P&BC), later called the Octoraro Branch. Wawa Station was demolished shortly after service ended. Some concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
foundations remain, as do the concrete curb for the platform edge, and the pedestrian tunnel under the track.
History
The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad (WC&P) began constructing its rail line from Philadelphia in 1852 and reached Wawa in 1857. The remainder of the line to West ChesterWest Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
was completed in 1858. The WC&P merged with the P&BC in 1881, and both were controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Wawa Terminal project
Since the early 1990s, SEPTA discussed the prospect of restoring commuter train service from between Elwyn and Wawa. Little was done until June 2005, when engineering and design for the resumption of rail service finally began. SEPTA initially estimated that the cost for the 3-mile extension of service would be $51,327,000; the estimate cited in SEPTA's 2009 Capital Budget is $80 million. The construction project will include new track, catenaryOverhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
, signals
North American railroad signals
North American railroad signals generally fall into the category of multi-headed electrically lit units displaying speed-based or weak route signaling. Signals may be of the searchlight, color light, position light, or color position light types, each displaying a variety of aspects which inform...
, communications equipment, and structures; and a new station at Wawa with a large park-and-ride facility.
Wawa was chosen as the new terminal due to its proximity to the heavily travelled U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway, extending from the Florida Keys in the south to the Canadian border in the north. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, US 1 runs for from the Maryland state line near Oxford to the New Jersey state line near Trenton.-Maryland to Interstate...
. The new ADA-compliant Wawa Station will have high platforms, a sales office, ticket vending machines and passenger waiting room. SEPTA will also construct a new railcar storage facility at the Lenni Facility
Lenni (SEPTA station)
Lenni is a derelict train station located on the corner of Station Lane and Lenni Road in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania. The station was a stop on the Pennsylvania Railroad's West Chester Line...
in Delaware County.
Wawa Station is estimated to have 500 commuters on a typical weekday. The engineering phase of the terminal project began in July 2005. This included preliminary engineering, environmental impact analysis, and final engineering. Shortfalls in funding have delayed completion of this phase to 2010. Construction will follow and take 24 to 36 months to complete.
Octoraro Branch
The PRR's former Octoraro Branch heads south from Wawa. This line was built by the P&BC between 1855 and 1868, and originally connected with the Columbia and Port Deposit RailroadColumbia and Port Deposit Railroad
The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania and Maryland in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It operated a main line between Columbia, Pennsylvania and Port Deposit, Maryland, generally along the eastern shore of the Susquehanna River. It later acquired...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. From 1966 to 1970, the section between Wawa and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania was operated by the Wawa and Concordville Railroad
Wawa and Concordville Railroad
The Wawa and Concordville Railroad was a steam tourist and recreational railroad in the US state of Pennsylvania during the late 1960s. Although it has been defunct since 1968, it continues to have a lasting effect on the steam tourist industry....
, a tourist railroad, although trains ran only during 1967 and 1968. Severe flood damage, caused by storms in 1971 and Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
in 1972, led the bankrupt Penn Central (PC) to remove this section of the line from service. SEPTA acquired the Octoraro Branch after the PC bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and the subsequent dissolution of ConRail. SEPTA leases the segment south of Chadds Ford to short-line railroads. The northern section remains washed out, but is still owned by SEPTA.
See also
- East Penn RailroadEast Penn RailroadThe East Penn Railroad is a short-line railroad that operates a number of mostly-unconnected lines in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and Delaware...
(freight train operator on Octoraro Branch) - SEPTA Regional RailSEPTA Regional RailThe SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
