(rshsdepot) SEPTA stations targeted for work

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

SEPTA stations targeted for work

SEPTA is assessing the need for improvements at the Croydon and
Levittown-Tullytown train stations. It plans to spend about $5 million on
both stations.

By ELIZABETH FISHER
Courier Times

SEPTA has earmarked about $5 million to be used toward renovations at the
Croydon and Levittown-Tullytown train stations, according to SEPTA
officials. An $800,000 engineering study is under way to assess the needs.
SEPTA officials plan to expand parking in both stations and to improve the
shelters on the Levittown-Tullytown train platforms, according to SEPTA
spokesman Jim Whitaker.Specific details on the proposed improvements won't
be ready until engineering studies are completed, he said. State Sen. Tommy
Tomlinson said yesterday that his office has been working with SEPTA
chairman Pat T. Deon Sr. to find funding sources for the $5 million. The
$800,000 engineering cost comes from the Federal Transportation
Administration, he said.One sore point at the Levittown-Tullytown site is
the underground tunnel that connects the northbound and southbound
platforms. Commuters complain that they have to make their way around
puddles of water, and sometimes urine, to make it from one platform to the
other.Some commuters fear using the tunnel because of poor lighting and lack
of use.Tomlinson said he's uncertain about what to do to improve the tunnel.
A decision would have to wait until the engineering studies are
completed."We are committed to the $5 million, but it's a lot of money; it's
a serous project," Tomlinson said. "The tunnel could eat up a lot of the
money."In a letter to the Courier Times last week, Deon said SEPTA has
invested more than $30 million to expand and improve service in Bucks
County. He said those improvements have resulted in a 51 percent increase in
ridership on trains and buses.Congressman Jim Greenwood's office is also
involved in trying to raise federal funds for the pending improvement
projects, said Greenwood's spokesman, Peter Krauss."The Croydon plans are
further along because it's a pretty straightforward project," Krauss said.
"Levittown will need substantially more work because a state highway runs
through the middle of the parking lot, so engineering and transit issues
will have to be resolved."Greenwood's office has been working with state and
local officials to improve the Route 13 corridor from Bensalem to Tullytown.
Plans include improving traffic flow and train stations, and attracting
businesses to the area through the Enterprise Zone .The end result, Krauss
said, could be an increase in the tax base for the three target
communities - Bensalem, Bristol Township and Tullytown. The Enterprise Zone
is a program of tax breaks, low-cost loans and other financial incentives
designed to lure new industry or retain existing businesses within its
parameters. Tomlinson's district, R-6, includes Bensalem, Bristol Township,
Bristol Borough, Middletown, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton,
Penndel, Hulmeville, Northampton, Wrightstown and Warwick. Greenwood
represents the 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks
County, part of Montgomery County and a small section of Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Fisher can be reached at 215-949-4173 or lfisher_@_phillyBurbs.com.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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