Cynwyd Line

Cynwyd Line
The Cynwyd Line at Wynnefield Avenue station in July 2005
Overview
Type	Commuter rail line
System	SEPTA
Status	Operating
Termini	Suburban Station Cynwyd
Stations	3
Services	1
Daily ridership	722
Website	septa.org
Operation
Owner	SEPTA
Operator(s)	SEPTA Regional Rail
Rolling stock	Electric Multiple Units
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Catenary
Route map Manayunk/Norristown Line to Elm Street Ivy Ridge Closed 1986 Manayunk West Closed 1986 Manayunk/Norristown Line to 30th Street Station Manayunk Bridge over Schuylkill River Barmouth Closed 1986 Cynwyd Bala Fare Zone 2 1 Wynnefield Avenue Paoli/Thorndale Line to Thorndale 52nd Street Closed 1980 Fare Zone 1 Center City 30th Street Station Suburban Station This diagram:

The Cynwyd Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia to Cynwyd in Montgomery County. Originally known as the Ivy Ridge Line, service was truncated on May 27, 1986, 1986 at its current terminus at Cynwyd. Track between Cynwyd and Ivy Ridge was dismantled between 2008 and 2010 for conversion as an interim rail trail, preventing service restoration for the foreseeable future.

The Cynwyd Line is the shortest and has the lowest ridership of all of the SEPTA Regional Rail lines. It diverges from Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and makes three station stops before stopping just short of the Schuylkill River.

The Cynwyd Line is the truncated remnant of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Schuylkill Branch, which ran from Philadelphia to Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Electrified service was opened between Philadelphia and Norristown (Haws Avenue) on June 20, 1930. Plans for electrification beyond Norristown, to Phoenixville, were not carried out. Passenger service ended between Manayunk and Norristown on October 29, 1960 and the line beyond Manayunk was de-electrified, although the pylons remain.

In 1980 SEPTA extended service from Manayunk to a new park-and-ride station at Ivy Ridge. Service beyond Cynwyd was suspended on May 27, 1986, because of poor track conditions and concerns about the Manayunk Bridge over the Schuylkill River.