A Plea For Patience On Mass Transit During Papal Weekend
By David Madden
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Most of us planning to take in any part of the Papal weekend personally are, more than likely, turning to mass transit to get to Center City.
While officials stress that's the best way to go, the experts have a little advice.
Let's say you've got your pre-paid ticket in hand. You've checked the list of items you can't get through security. You've even pulled out your most comfortable walking shoes.
Great.
Now, just make sure you bring some patience along for the ride.
"Everybody cannot expect to run to their train station and get on that first train out," says SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams. "It's going to take us several hours to get them home."
That sentiment is echoed by Delaware River Port Authority CEO John Hanson when it comes to the thousands who will board the PATCO high speed line into South Jersey:
"The big issue is not so much getting people there, but getting back coming from only one station."
In the case of PATCO, that would be the station along Locust Street between 9th and 10th.
For both carriers, don't be surprised if you wait in one line on the street, and another one inside the station before you actually get on a train. That could take a few hours.
If you're looking for proof, just look back about seven years ago, after the Phillies World Series parade, when crowds crammed the lines to get home. And that was without the security limitations in place this weekend that have reduced the number of entry points into the transit system.
Both Williams and Hanson suggest some riders plan to kill a little time downtown before they try to head home.