__NOTOC__ Route 50 is a former

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

line that was operated by

SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania. The route ran from the

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Great Northeast, and known colloquially as simply "the Northeast", is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of betw ...

neighborhood of Fox Chase on Oxford Avenue and then through Lawndale along Rising Sun Avenue, and for a brief period it also shared tracks with SEPTA Trolley Route 47, which was abandoned by the SEPTA Board on June 14, 1969. The Route 50 line then ran southbound down 6th Street in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

and then onto 4th and northbound 5th streets in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

to and from its southern terminus of 6th Street and Oregon Avenue. A grade-separated subway tunnel was constructed for Route 50 to use while running north under

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

. Vine Street Station was the only stop underground, and still exists today, albeit boarded up. The tunnel is still used today by vehicle traffic, and its

Philadelphia Transportation Company The Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was the main public transit operator in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1940 to 1968. A private company, PTC was the successor to the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT), in operation since ...

heritage is evident in its design. In 1976, this line saw and used the 1934 Blackpool England "Boat Car" trolley during the Bicentennial of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. SEPTA stopped running trolleys on October 11, 1980, claiming the closure was temporary, however the tracks & overhead wires remained in place. In 1983 despite denials by SEPTA management that the closure was intended to be permanent, SEPTA track crews tore up the Route 50 trolley tracks on 5th Street south of Girard Avenue. Route 50 cars were stored at the former Luzerne Carhouse, which was located on the southwest corner of 10th and Luzerne streets. Luzerne Carhouse was shared by the Route 53 and 56 trolleys, before it was converted into an all bus garage. Today it survives as a cardboard

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

plant.

Decline and revival in name only

Despite public criticism by community and transit advocates, SEPTA voted to close the Route 50 trolley line permanently on October 23, 1985. Additionally, the plan involved the closing of the

SEPTA Route 6 Route 6, also known as the Ogontz Avenue Line is a former streetcar line and current bus route, operated by SEPTA in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Route description Route 6 begins at the Olney Transportation Center, a core station of the Broad S ...

trolley line along Ogontz Avenue, which was not eliminated and replaced with a bus line until January 11, 1986. Earlier the same year, the Route 53 (Wayne Avenue) trolley was also closed, on May 16, 1985.Philadelphia Transit Routes (Chicago Transit & Railfan Web Site)
/ref>

Current service

SEPTA Route 50 is a

bus line in

, which runs from the

Frankford Transportation Center Frankford Transit Center is a transportation terminal in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was once known as the Bridge-Pratt station before a complete reconstruction in 2003. Frankford Transit Center is th ...

Parx Casino and Racing Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of Ph ...

in Bensalem. All buses along this route are

ADA Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

-compliant, and contain bicycle racks.

References

External links

SEPTA Route 50 Bus Schedule
{{Authority control Bus transportation in Pennsylvania 50 Tram routes in Philadelphia Transportation in Philadelphia