Cuts at SEPTA: No more Trenton line or night service — plus fare increase

💲Service changes will begin July 1

💲The West Trenton, Trenton, Doylestown and Warminster lines are impacted

💲Gov. Josh Shapiro is negotiating a funding plan with the state Senate

SEPTA will cut its service nearly in half, end nighttime service and increase fares by 21.5% starting July 1 if its proposed budget becomes a reality.

Effective August, the West Trenton, Landsdale/Doylestown and Warminster lines would end daily service much earlier in the evenings, at 9 p.m.

By January, the Trenton line would be totally eliminated, according to SEPTA.

Effective in August, Doylestown, Trenton, West Trenton, Warminster

The budget was released Thursday as talks between Gov. Josh Shapiro and legislators continue on a statewide transit funding plan that would reduce the planned cuts.  Without a new funding plan, the budget would take effect on July 1 and phase in the changes.

"This is utilizing every resource we have at our disposal to close the budget on our own without a funding solution from Harrisburg," SEPTA interim general manager Scott Sauer told NBC Philadelphia. "It's a bad budget."

Shapiro transferred $153 million in federal highway capital funds to SEPTA in November to hold off the fare increase to help close a $213 million budget deficit. According to SEPTA, that was a one-time measure.

Common sense plan under discussion

Shapiro warned of additional congestion on roads and the impact on special events in 2026 including the World Cup, Major League Baseball All-Star Week and the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.

The Democrat said he has tried for the past two years to negotiate a "commonsense plan" to support all mass transit in Pennsylvania.

"The state House has passed my proposal three times and plans to do so again next month. It is now squarely on the state Senate to come to the table and pass more funding for mass transit that their own constituents rely on," Shapiro said in a statement.

In a post on his X account, Shapiro called the cuts "devastating" but "completely avoidable."

SEPTA has scheduled public hearings on May 19 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and May 20 at 10 a.m and 4 p.m. in the Board Room at SEPTA Headquarters located at 1234 Market Street, Mezzanine Level in Philadelphia. The hearing can also be viewed online via WebEx.

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