ELWYN TO WAWA REGIONAL RAIL SERVICE RESTORATION

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA

PLANNING & COMMUNICATIONS , COMMUNITY, INFRASTRUCTURE

THE CHALLENGE

SEPTA’s Media/Elwyn Regional Line once connected West Chester Borough to the City of Philadelphia. In 1986, conditions necessitated the discontinuation of Regional Rail service west of Elwyn Station in Media Borough. In 2010, SEPTA initiated the Elwyn to Wawa Regional Rail Service Restoration Project to restore more than 3.5 miles of regional rail service from Elwyn Station to a new terminus in Wawa, an unincorporated community in Delaware County where Wawa’s headquarters are located. The project involved the rehabilitation or replacement of existing track, construction of new retaining walls, and the rehabilitation or replacement of catenary, structures, and signals.

HOW WE HELPED

McCormick Taylor produced multiple high-resolution, CAD-based 3D models of the new bridges, track, train station, platform, parking structure, and signalized intersection. The renderings include a 3D bus, a “Silverliner V” train, and signage models with highly accurate SEPTA branding. These renderings were displayed at public meetings so the community could see what Wawa Station would look like and provide input on the project.

RESULTS

Service to Wawa Regional Rail Station began in the summer of 2022, after four years of construction. The new terminus at Wawa includes a fully accessible station building with restroom facilities, a high-level center-island platform, a 600-car parking deck, bike racks, and a pedestrian underpass with accessible ramps and stairways. SEPTA provides high-frequency service to and from Wawa Station, including early-morning inbound, late-night outbound, and express trips.