Cynwyd station is a
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and serving the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philade ...
station in
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route 1 (City Avenue). It was originally two separa ...
. Located at Conshohocken State Road (
PA 23) and Bala Avenue, it is the last station along the
Cynwyd Line
The Cynwyd Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line from Center City Philadelphia to Cynwyd in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Ivy Ridge Line, service was truncated on May 17, 1986, at its current terminus at Cynwyd.
Track ...
. The station includes a 41-space parking lot.
Service formerly continued farther northwest, crossing the
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It ...
via the massive Manayunk Bridge, and ultimately terminating at
Ivy Ridge station
Ivy Ridge station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at Umbria Street and Parker Avenue in Northwest Philadelphia, it serves the Manayunk/Norristown Line. The initial station was built in a minimalist design s ...
. This service ended in September 1986 when the integrity of the Manayunk Bridge was questioned. The massive span was shedding pieces of concrete due to
spall
Spall are fragments of a material that are broken off a larger solid body. It can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure (as in a ball ...
ing.
[ Further investigation by Urban Engineers determined that the bridge was safe and only needed surface work to end the spalling.][ In 1999, construction finished on a project to stabilize and refurbish the bridge, but train service did not resume as expected.]
SEPTA received criticism for refusing to reinstate service north of Cynwyd after the Manayunk Bridge was deemed safe. Plans to re-extend service floated around for approximately a decade until 2008 when SEPTA dismantled the line north of Cynwyd after leasing the line for the Cynwyd Heritage Trail
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail is a 1.8-mile rail trail in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, on Philadelphia's Main Line. The trail surface is partially asphalt and crushed stone.
It follows the former SEPTA Cynwyd Line railway line from Cynwyd station t ...
and Ivy Ridge Trail, respectively.
Station layout
References
External links
SEPTA – Cynwyd Station
Conshohocken State Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Lower Merion
SEPTA Regional Rail stations
Former Pennsylvania Railroad stations
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Railway stations in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1890