Ninth Street Branch
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The Ninth Street Branch was an elevated railway line in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. It was operated by the
Reading Company The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...
; ownership was split between the Reading and its subsidiary the
Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad The Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad (PG&N) was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1831 and opened its first line in 1832, making it one of the oldest railroads in North America. The Philadelphia and Rea ...
. It was a four-tracked main line beginning at the
Reading Terminal The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhou ...
, the Reading's terminus in Philadelphia, and extending north into the city to a junction with the
Bethlehem Branch The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852 and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, ...
. After the final bankruptcy of the Reading the line passed to
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
and later
SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
. The portion south of the
Temple University station Temple University station is an above-ground SEPTA Regional Rail station located at the eastern edge of the Temple University campus at 915 West Berks Street between 9th and 10th Streets, in the Cecil B. Moore section of Lower North Philadelphi ...
was abandoned in 1984 with the opening of the Center City Commuter Connection and is now known as the
Reading Viaduct The Reading Viaduct, also called The Rail Park, is a disused elevated rail line in the Callowhill district of Philadelphia that has been partly transformed into a rail trail. In 2010, the Center City District and a new community organization, F ...
; the portion north is now part of the
SEPTA Main Line The SEPTA Main Line is the section of the SEPTA Regional Rail system from the Zoo Interlocking in West Philadelphia to Lansdale Station in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The line is long, and serves all 13 SEPTA Regional Rail lines. Current service ...
.


Route

The line originated at the
Reading Terminal The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhou ...
, an elevated railway station which opened in 1893. The City Branch, a freight-only route, diverged almost immediately. Four tracks continued north to the North 16th Street Junction with the
Norristown Branch The Norristown Branch is a railway line in Pennsylvania. It runs from a junction with the SEPTA Main Line in North Philadelphia to Norristown, Pennsylvania. It was originally built by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad (PG&N) i ...
. At
Wayne Junction Wayne Junction station is a SEPTA Regional Rail junction station located at 4481 Wayne Avenue, extending along Windrim Avenue to Germantown Avenue. The station is located in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Wayne Junction serves as a m ...
the Chestnut Hill Branch diverged and the Ninth Street Branch narrowed to two tracks. At Newtown Junction, between Logan and Tabor, the
New York Short Line The New York Short Line was a railway line in Pennsylvania. It was operated by the Reading Company and built by the New York Short Line Railroad, a subsidiary. It was opened in 1906 to provide a more direct route between Philadelphia and New York ...
(originally the
Newtown Branch The Fox Chase Branch, formerly the Newtown Branch, is a railway line in the state of Pennsylvania. It runs from a junction with the SEPTA Main Line near to . At its fullest extent, it continued another fifteen miles north to . The oldest part of ...
) diverged. At Tabor Junction, just beyond Tabor, the branch joined the
Bethlehem Branch The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852 and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, ...
. Up until the final conveyance to Conrail in 1976 the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown owned the portion between North Broad Street and Tabor Junction, while the Reading Company owned the line south from North Broad Street to the Reading Terminal.


History

The first part of what came to be called the Ninth Street Branch was the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad's line between Philadelphia and
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ger ...
, which opened on June 6, 1832. The
Philadelphia and Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly called ...
, forerunner of the Reading Company, leased the PG&N on December 1, 1870. The P&R's primary Philadelphia depot was then at Broad and Callowhill, but it began routing some trains to the PG&N's depot at Ninth and Green as well. The Reading leased the
North Pennsylvania Railroad The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852 and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, ...
in 1879, adding the North Pennsylvania's substantial network of suburban Philadelphia lines and what became the
New York Branch The New York Branch or the Bound Brook Route was a railway line in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It was operated by the Reading Company and owned by two of its subsidiaries, the North Pennsylvania Railroad and the Delaware and Bound Brook Railroad. ...
–the North Penn's New York–Philadelphia line. Also in 1879 the Reading constructed the Tabor Branch from
Wayne Junction Wayne Junction station is a SEPTA Regional Rail junction station located at 4481 Wayne Avenue, extending along Windrim Avenue to Germantown Avenue. The station is located in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Wayne Junction serves as a m ...
, where the PG&N's original line continued toward Germantown, to the North Penn's
Bethlehem Branch The North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852 and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, ...
at Tabor Junction. This permitted the Reading to route New York-bound trains over the PG&N as well. Finally, at the urging of the City of Philadelphia, the Reading consolidated its passenger options on the PG&N route. The Reading constructed the
Reading Terminal The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhou ...
, a new elevated terminal at Twelfth and Market. An elevated line connected the terminal to the existing line at Ninth and Green. The extension opened on January 29, 1893. The line north of Ninth and Green remained at street level and its
grade crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel. The term also ...
s saw numerous accidents. Again at the urging of the city, and after the route acquired the derisive sobriquet "Death Alley", the Reading elevated the entire branch. Work began on October 3, 1907 and was completed on January 1, 1911. During the late 1920s the Reading implemented a 12 kV 25 Hz overhead electrification on its Philadelphia commuter lines which originated from the Reading Terminal. Electric service began on July 26, 1931.


Partial closure

The Reading Company and its subsidiaries were incorporated into
Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
; the Ninth Street Branch was designated to Conrail as part of the
United States Railway Association The United States Railway Association (USRA) was a government-owned corporation created by United States federal law that oversaw the creation of Conrail, a railroad corporation that would acquire and operate bankrupt and other failing freight rai ...
's "Final System Plan". Under Conrail the branch remained as it had been under the Reading, but change was coming. Discussed for decades, the Center City Commuter Connection opened November 12, 1984. This tunnel, which diverged from the Ninth Street Branch south of Temple University, permitted trains on the Reading commuter lines to access the former
Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
lines via
Suburban Station Suburban Station is an art deco office building and underground commuter rail station in Penn Center, Philadelphia. Its official SEPTA address is 16th Street and JFK Boulevard. The station is owned and operated by SEPTA and is one of the three ...
.
Reading Terminal The Reading Terminal ( ) is a complex of buildings that includes the former Reading Company main station located in the Market East section of Center City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the Reading Terminal Headhou ...
and Spring Garden Street were closed. The former Ninth Street Branch between Temple University and Tabor Junction is now part of the
SEPTA Main Line The SEPTA Main Line is the section of the SEPTA Regional Rail system from the Zoo Interlocking in West Philadelphia to Lansdale Station in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The line is long, and serves all 13 SEPTA Regional Rail lines. Current service ...
, while the abandoned elevated line is known as the
Reading Viaduct The Reading Viaduct, also called The Rail Park, is a disused elevated rail line in the Callowhill district of Philadelphia that has been partly transformed into a rail trail. In 2010, the Center City District and a new community organization, F ...
.


Notes


References

* * * * * {{Williams-Philadelphia Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania Railway lines opened in 1832 Reading Company lines