There are two ways to get to Philadelphia from New York City by train. One may race along the NorthEast Corridor in the quiet luxury of Amtrak, or for roughly ten dollars less and thirty minutes more, one may have the adventure of getting there via New Jersey Transit and transferring to SEPTA in Trenton. Suffering cabin fever several months ago, your roving rail reporter decided to go to Philadelphia for the day with Madame X who was visiting from India and wanted to see the Liberty Bell.

New Jersey Transit Rolls through the sylvan countryside

We boarded a morning NJ transit train in Pennsylvania Station in New York and took in all the sights along the way. From many of the modern-industrial-minimalist train stations, one can see the beautiful old abandoned stations with Roman-numeral clock towers and green cupolas. One is made aware of the faster alternative every time an Amtrak NorthEast Corridor train whooshes past, noticeably rocking the NJT train with displaced air.

Amtrak races past


Approaching Philadelphia

SEPTA seems intent on fun and grandeur with the cool rail patches its Regional Transit conductors wear on their shirts, and ultra modern, monumentalist stations festooned with colorful mosaic tiles. Using sleek GE Silverstream cars with oval windows and center vestibule seating, the Regional R7 line runs regularly from Trenton into the centre of Philadelphia stopping at many small simple rural stations, the dilapidated North Philadelphia station, rail yards, the grand old 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, and the sleek monumental modern Market East Station, then back out to other parts of the city and suburbs.

SEPTA APPROACHES

Approaching Philly

Market East Station

Several blocks away lies the magnificent City Hall within which is the old Broad Street Station exit.

Below, in the subways, are grumpy but informative station agents. Using my favorite ruse of posing as a German Tourist, I was granted permission to enter through the turnstiles for free to take a few photographs, danke. (Don’t try this in New York; you’ll get arrested). And in the dank depths of the station, I beheld the hissing behemoth of a Kawasaki ‘trolley’ car. Is this the future?

While in Philadelphia, don’t miss the historical past of America’s founding: Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and more in the Independence National Historical Park and surrounding area.

Liberty bell

Independance Hall Where John Hanson became the First President on July 2, 1776

LINKS:
SEPTA: http://www.septa.org/

SEPTA Transit Museum Store: http://www.septa.org/store/museum.html

New Jersey Transit: http://www.nj.com/njtransit/

Independence National Historical Park:
http://www.nps.gov/inde/exindex.htm