Chestnut Hill West Line

Chestnut Hill West Line
An old Penn Central Silverliner at Chestnut Hill West station in May 1974.
Overview
Type	Commuter rail
System	SEPTA Regional Rail
Status	Operating
Termini	Chestnut Hill West Temple University
Daily ridership	5,420
Website	septa.org
Operation
Operator(s)	SEPTA
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Catenary
Route map Chestnut Hill West Highland St. Martins Fort Washington Branch (abandoned) to Fort Hill Allen Lane Carpenter Upsal Tulpehocken Chelten Avenue Queen Lane Westmoreland closed 1996 North Philadelphia Trenton Line 30th Street Station Suburban Station Jefferson Station Temple University

The Chestnut Hill West Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail (commuter rail) system. The route serves the northwestern section of Philadelphia with service to Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. It is one of two commuter lines that serve these Northwest Philadelphia neighborhoods, the other being the Chestnut Hill East Line.

The Chestnut Hill West Line branches off from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor at North Philadelphia station and runs entirely within the City of Philadelphia. Its terminal is named Chestnut Hill West to distinguish it from the end of the Chestnut Hill East Line (a competing line of the Reading Company until 1976). Some stations are less than half a mile apart, a characteristic more commonly seen in an urban rapid transit system rather than a commuter rail line. The line runs roughly parallel to the Chestnut Hill East, and the two terminals are rather close.

The line was originally opened June 11, 1884 by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad, and was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1968. Electrified service began on March 30, 1918. The Penn Central operated it until 1976, turning operations over to Conrail until 1983, when SEPTA took over.