The ride on the rails was lighter than expected into Philadelphia for events related to Pope Francis' visit. What can riders expect for the ride home on Saturday?

People gather along Benjamin Frankin Parkway as they await the arrival of Pope Francis
People gather along Benjamin Frankin Parkway as they await the arrival of Pope Francis (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Manny Smith, a spokesman for SEPTA, which brought riders into Jefferson Station on the West Trenton line from the Woodbourne Station and from three stations on the Trenton line to 30th Street Station, said "we don't want people to linger in Center City for too long" as SEPTA's last trains will leave Philadelphia at 12:30 a.m.

Riders also have to remember to get the train at the same stations they came into.

Smith said with three different events on Saturday afternoon and evening — the Pope's speech at Independence Mall, the World Meeting of Families concert and a fireworks display — "instead of having one big break period we anticipate we may get those people spread out in 3 waves."

10:23 UPDATE: SEPTA riders are reporting long waits on the platforms as athe faithful are ready to head home. "We're loading up the trains as fast as we can,” SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams
told Philly.com.. “We do not plan on leaving anyone behind. They should not have to wait more than an hour.

Amtrak, which is running special trains between Philadelphia and Metropark with limited stops for for the papal visit, suggests allowing extra time and to be patient.

"Bring your photo ID," says Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz, adding "if you see something(suspicious), say something."

"The ride went very smoothly today toward Philly for the Papal events and we anticipate the same following the WMF events this evening," wrote Jennifer Nelson, NJ Transit's director of media relations, in an email. "We are ready for tomorrow and anticipate meeting ridership needs with the plans we have in place."

NJ Transit's last LightRAIL train leaves the Rand Transportation Center in Camden at midnight. Papal Passes remain on sale for Sunday.

PATCO will depart 9/10th Street at Locust every 10 minutes and make all scheduled stops at Broadway, Ferry Ave, Woodcrest, and Lindenwold. The last train leaves at 3:40 a.m.

Customer service representatives positioned at most stations to direct riders.

All the rail agencies expect heavier volume on Sunday for the final day of the Pope's visit. NJ Transit warns that riders should expect long waits of several hours after Sunday's papal Mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway which is expected to draw over a million people.

Many people will also be walking home across the Ben Franklin Bridge to Camden, where authorities have promised a safe corridor for the journey.


Here’s how you can keep up with all the latest news from New Jersey 101.5 as it happens:

  • Keep an eye on our special Pope visit coverage page, which we’ll be updating all week with live video, traffic updates, reactions from local leaders and much more.
  • Listen to New Jersey 101.5 on your radio dial, or online at NJ1015.com. Mobile users: Download Radiopup to listen any time from your Android or iOS device.
  • Follow New Jersey 101.5 on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.
  • Text TRAFFIC or NEWS to 89000 for traffic and news alerts.

And you can contribute, too! Be extra eyes and ears in the crowd. Is the traffic overwhelming? Is the walk from Camden to Philadelphia going as planned? Let us know by:

Want to share lots and lots of news? Email us at newsjerz@nj1015.com before Friday with the words “pope visit” in the subject to make arrangements to get in touch throughout the visit.

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