From the General Manager
Message from General Manager
Report to our Customers and Commissioners - November, 2019
COMMUNITY
WTS Tour – WTS, Women in Transportation Seminar, sponsors a program called Transportation YOU. This hands-on mentoring program offers young women ages 13-18 an introduction to a wide variety of transportation careers. WTS chapters work to make a difference in the lives of young girls by offering programs and activities that will spark their interest in all modes of transportation and encourage them to take courses in math, science, and technology, which are the stepping stones to exciting careers that can change the face of the transportation industry. On Saturday, November 23, PATCO hosted a tour of our maintenance facility, and according to the coordinator, “The mentees absolutely loved the interactive and information tour! This was also the first time on PATCO for many mentees and mentors.”
Franklin Square Gets a Big Boost – The US Department of Transportation has committed a $12,580,000 of the $30 million needed to reopen Franklin Square Station. Construction will begin shortly with an opening date of summer, 2023. A new head house building will be constructed at the corner of 7th and Race Streets, and the station will be fully accessible to improve transit options and community connections.
SERVICE
Celebration of PATCO’s 50th Anniversary at Woodcrest Station – On November 19, PATCO celebrated its 50th anniversary at Woodcrest Station, which serves more customers than any New Jersey station other than Lindenwold. Customers enjoyed retro music, received a sewing kit and cookies or a soft pretzel, and spun the prize wheel for a pre-loaded $50 FREEDOM card, round-trip ticket, free ride, 50th anniversary T shirt and assorted promotional items. Spinning the blank spot on the wheel entitled many a delighted passenger to a choice of any of the gifts on the table.
The next and final 50th Anniversary station event will be held at Ashland Station on December 17.
Ridership – Ridership in November, 2019 was 894,524, an increase of 2,233 (+0.25%) when compared to November of 2018. The news is even more positive in that this November included one fewer weekday than November of 2018, and our average weekday ridership this month was 39,072 compared to 38,326 in November, 2018.
Year to date as of 11/30/2019, ridership is 10,211,563, an increase of 278,975 (+2.81%) compared to the same period in 2018.
FREEDOM Service Centers – In November, the Service Centers replaced 293 FREEDOM Cards that reached their 10 year expiration mark. In addition, 188 seniors (age 65 and above) and disabled customers signed up for the Reduced Fare Program, enabling them to take advantage of reduced fares during off-peak hours. Nine (9) students signed up for a FREEDOM card, saving the $5 cost of the FREEDOM card by showing their educational ID. Furthermore, 108 customers signed up for the FREEDOM Share card for use on both PATCO and SEPTA, and 33 “T” cards were issued to transit benefit customers.
On-Time Performance – In November, 2019, we had scheduled 5,593 trips, of which 49 trips were cancelled, 191 trains were late, and 31 stations were bypassed. Our on-time performance was 95.67% for the month and 96.83% for the year to date. Although this is not the level of service we want to provide our customers, it was higher than November of 2018 (94.66%), 2017 (94.04%), or 2016 (95.51%).
Ultrasonic testing, which we routinely perform in the spring and fall as a supplement to our regular frequent visual inspections, revealed some track defects, which necessitated repairs that affected our service. This testing is specifically scheduled at the times of year when significant changes in temperature most affect the rail and enables us to address problems before a rail breaks. In addition, rail spraying operations, to reduce leaf oils deposited during the autumn, resulted in several delays.
STEWARDSHIP
Elevators / Escalators
· Availability – Availability of all elevators was 99.34% for the month and 98.46% for the Year to Date. Availability of all escalators was 94.58% for the month and 96.67% for the Year to date, exceeding our goal of 96%. Thirty percent (30%) of the escalator outage was attributable to the need to replace the handrail at Broadway East, where customers could use the elevator at either Broadway East or Broadway West as an alternative while repairs were under way.
· Performance of Preventive Maintenance - Monthly preventive maintenance was performed on all elevators and escalators in November. Note that the new elevator at Collingswood is under warranty.
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