Station to Station

Outbound train approaching Langhorne Station

Bellevue Avenue crossing the tracks, with the bus stop sign on the telephone pole.

An inbound train approaching Langhorne Station

The new station

 Today I decided to revisit the Langhorne train station to take these pictures.   The building here is new, about a year old, and definitely modernized.  The previous station was a small room with a wooden floor, and wooden benches along three of the walls.  The new building has a tile floor, restrooms, and an LED display of the next train to arrive.  I have ridden the West Trenton train thousands of times over the years, usually from Langhorne to Center City and back.  The commute was fairly normal, although I did occasionally see some bizarre things happen, usually later at night. 

  In the stretch of tracks that passes Langhorne, SEPTA trains share the line with CSX, the actual owner of the tracks where their freight trains run.  The SEPTA trains go north about ten more miles before terminating in West Trenton, New Jersey.  The freight trains continue past there and travel across the state to the terminal in Kearney, outside of Newark and Jersey City.  At one time, it was possible to change trains at West Trenton and ride a New Jersey Transit train from there to Newark and New York, but NJT discontinued service from the Manville Junction to West Trenton.  SEPTA passengers not familiar with the system will sometimes confuse the West Trenton line with the Trenton line, and expect to make a connection to New York at the last stop.  Then they find out they can’t go any further, although they can take a bus from West Trenton station to the Trenton Transportation Center, and go to New York from there.

  I seldom rode the train during my childhood, although I often saw them from our car while stopped at the crossing.  Later, while I was a student at Temple, I rode daily and became familiar with the line.  I continued that routine for about four years  while going to school and later working in Center City.  I rode the train at all times of day, with the well-dressed professionals going downtown in the morning, and when they returned in the early evening.   I rode with the reverse commuters who took the late afternoon and early evening trains into the city.  I rode late at night with students, and those who liked the city nightlife and different events, such as concerts and Phillies games.  Not to mention the rowdy Friday and Saturday night crowds coming from the nightclubs and parties downtown (and other stops along the line), and taking the celebration with them onto the train.

  I also spent a lot of time waiting for trains there at Langhorne and several other stations.  I have sat through the heat of summer, cold of winter, and in rain, sleet, and snow. Sometimes trains ran over an hour late, sometimes they were cancelled.  I spent a lot of layover time at different stations waiting to switch trains, mostly in Jenkintown, about 20 minutes down the line from Langhorne.  However, I was always glad that train and bus routes were accesible to me.  It is definitely quicker and more convenient to commute by car, but there is an advantage to not having a car if all my needs could be met without one.  And although it has gotten expensive, the train is still my preferred way to commute to Center City.