The region will commemorate Villanova University’s dramatic NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with a parade in Center City from 20th and Market Streets to Dilworth Park on Friday, April 8 beginning at 1:00 p.m. SEPTA has announced the following service adjustments for fans heading to the festivities and to accommodate the parade route.
Extra capacity will be added to SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL), MarketFrankford Line (MFL) and Broad Street Line (BSL). The NHSL provides service from the Villanova University area with stops at Radnor, Villanova and Stadium Stations. NHSL passengers can transfer to the MFL at 69th Street Transportation Center to continue the trip to Center City.
Regional Rail is also an option for fans traveling to the parade, as SEPTA’s Paoli/Thorndale Line serves stations in Radnor, Villanova and Rosemont. Paoli/Thorndale Line trains operate every 30 minutes. Schedule details are available at www.septa.org/schedules/rail/index.html.
Parade routing will impact SEPTA service through Center City. Bus Routes 2, 4, 7, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 62, 124 and 125 will be detoured around City Hall and Dilworth Park from 10:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Complete detour information will be posted in the System Status section of www.septa.org.
SEPTA’s 15th Street MFL stations and the City Hall BSL station are scheduled to remain open during the parade; however, if conditions become overcrowded, those stations will be bypassed. Passengers should use 13th Street MFL and Walnut-Locust BSL stations in the event 15th and City Hall Stations are closed. Train announcements will be made and SEPTA personnel will be on-hand to direct passengers to the parade route. Passengers for Trolley Routes 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 should look for service announcements regarding possible station closures.
SEPTA expects a regular morning commute on Friday, but reminds all regular passengers that the evening commute, especially on the Paoli/Thorndale Line and NHSL, could be extremely heavy as the parade will end just prior to the start of the evening rush hour. Paoli/Thorndale Line passengers at Suburban Station will be queued on the concourse level, not the platform, on Friday evening. Again, SEPTA personnel will be on hand to direct customers.
SEPTA urges those usings its trains, buses and trolleys for the parade to purchase their tickets, passes and tokens in advance.