Pope's visit to Philadelphia and Amtrak's 30th Street Station

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Cho Cho Charlie

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Has anyone heard or read about any plans for the 30th Street Station during the Pope's visit to Philly?

I have read lots about SEPTA, rail, and highways, streets, and bridges, but could not find a word about the Amtrak station.
 
Has anyone heard or read about any plans for the 30th Street Station during the Pope's visit to Philly?

I have read lots about SEPTA, rail, and highways, streets, and bridges, but could not find a word about the Amtrak station.
A couple of SEPTA rail lines will be terminating at 30th Street and Amtrak is selling tickets to and from 30th Street, so it appears the station will be open. Local travel to and from 30th Street will be challenging with no auto access and very limited SEPTA transit access.

This event has the stench of fiasco all over it. Interstates closed, major bridge closed, huge area of the city closed to cars (isolating multiple hospitals and all their workers). SEPTA limiting rail service to a very few outlying stations, each serving only one center city station, and all requiring advance-purchased special passes to ride (regular monthly passes invalid, regular tickets and tokens invalid). Those arriving by charter bus will be dropped in New Jersey(!) and will have to walk four miles to get to the events (including a nice hill-climb over the Ben Franklin Bridge). How are hotels, restaurants and the other services needed for the visiting throngs supposed to operate if their employees can't get to work and supplies can't be delivered? Several hospitals have already told employees from doctors to janitors to be prepared to sleep over at the hospital that weekend.

Even by Philly standards, this is totally nuts. My opinion is that Philadelphia will be a very good place to avoid that weekend. There are some who think that is always true. :)
 
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(1) Do not visit Philadelphia during this fiasco.

(2) If you live in, or even near, Philadelphia, this would be a great weekend to take a vacation.

(3) Anyone who can't get off of work is basically hosed. Their employers *should* let them off of work because they can't *get to* work.

(4) Employees of places like hospitals will undoubtedly be sleeping in the hospital for three nights minimum.

(5) As a result of all of this, I expect most of the restaurants and hotels to be closed, and the remainder to be horrendously short-staffed. It'll be a disaster!
 
Philadelphia seems to be "over planning" for this event. I don't think they will be getting the big crowds that are anticipated. People will say, "I'm not getting involved in this mess." There are way too may restrictions being put in place.

Chicago hosted Pope John Paul II during Jane Byrne's administration as mayor and the whole city didn't shut down.

Philadelphia is either headed for a disaster or will be a laughing stock when only a few thousand people show up.
 
There was a Papal visit to Columbia, S.C. in 1987. The media spent weeks alerting the populace of the crowds expected to be lining the routes and how everyone would be better off staying home and watching on TV.

So when the Popemobile rolled through everyone was watching at home, and there were very few people along the parade routes. It was very embarrassing. The Pope was met by an enthusiastic crowd of university students at the Horseshoe, so the media chose to focus on that instead of the parade fiasco.

There are a lot more Catholics around Philadelphia than there were in SC, but I can visualize the same scenario happening here.
 
(1) Do not visit Philadelphia during this fiasco.

(2) If you live in, or even near, Philadelphia, this would be a great weekend to take a vacation.

(3) Anyone who can't get off of work is basically hosed. Their employers *should* let them off of work because they can't *get to* work.

(4) Employees of places like hospitals will undoubtedly be sleeping in the hospital for three nights minimum.

(5) As a result of all of this, I expect most of the restaurants and hotels to be closed, and the remainder to be horrendously short-staffed. It'll be a disaster!
1-4 = You're preaching to the choir here....

5- Some restaurants will be closing..

Why would hotels close? People are coming from all over to see this happen. Where they going to sleep? The streets?
 
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(1) Do not visit Philadelphia during this fiasco.

(2) If you live in, or even near, Philadelphia, this would be a great weekend to take a vacation.

(3) Anyone who can't get off of work is basically hosed. Their employers *should* let them off of work because they can't *get to* work.

(4) Employees of places like hospitals will undoubtedly be sleeping in the hospital for three nights minimum.

(5) As a result of all of this, I expect most of the restaurants and hotels to be closed, and the remainder to be horrendously short-staffed. It'll be a disaster!
1-4 = ! You're preaching to the choir here....

5- Some restaurants will be closing..

Why would hotels close? People are coming from all over to see this happen. Where they going to sleep? The streets?
The proper question is how will the major center city hotels possibly be staffed? How does the housekeeping staff get there? How do the kitchen, front desk and maintenance staff get there? Hotels are very labor intensive operations, the properties will be full, and they have no idea how staff is going to get to work.

The Secret Service says details of the security plan will not be announced until three weeks prior to the event. That should be a very interesting announcement.
 
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The hotel I always stay at in Philly (a mid-range chain hotel in Center City) is booked solid that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Last time I was down there, I was talking to the man who works in the room where they keep your luggage. He said he will be setting up a cot in the luggage room! The staff will be setting up cots, and the hotel will feed the staff.
 
The proper question is how will the major center city hotels possibly be staffed? How does the housekeeping staff get there? How do the kitchen, front desk and maintenance staff get there? Hotels are very labor intensive operations, the properties will be full, and they have no idea how staff is going to get to work.
Good point.

For one example, I haven't seen SEPTA coming up with plans to reserving tickets, or even full trains, for workers to get in and out of their Philly jobs that day. I mean, workers not showing up for work that day, is going to be a major problem even for SEPTA itself.
 
Shutting down the regular rail service is frankly nuts, and is going to cripple the city far more than SEPTA realizes. Combine this with shutting down the roads (which they are also doing), and workers simply will not be able to get to work.

Bicyclists are the only people who can get through this, but I don't think enough people own bicycles.
 
Shutting down the regular rail service is frankly nuts, and is going to cripple the city far more than SEPTA realizes. Combine this with shutting down the roads (which they are also doing), and workers simply will not be able to get to work.

Bicyclists are the only people who can get through this, but I don't think enough people own bicycles.
Not to mention bikes likely won't be allowed through the Green Zone checkpoints either.
 
I can't speak definitively about how 30th St Station, but offer my prayers to anyone venturing into town. Luckily, I do not create as much fervor whenever I visit the city of Brotherly Love :mellow:
 
The proper question is how will the major center city hotels possibly be staffed? How does the housekeeping staff get there? How do the kitchen, front desk and maintenance staff get there? Hotels are very labor intensive operations, the properties will be full, and they have no idea how staff is going to get to work.
Good point.

For one example, I haven't seen SEPTA coming up with plans to reserving tickets, or even full trains, for workers to get in and out of their Philly jobs that day. I mean, workers not showing up for work that day, is going to be a major problem even for SEPTA itself.
You clearly haven't been looking at Septic.com... They tried to sell "papal passes" for Regional Rail trains but that went crazy bad and they shut it down quickly and ended up doing a lottery.

Shutting down the regular rail service is frankly nuts, and is going to cripple the city far more than SEPTA realizes. Combine this with shutting down the roads (which they are also doing), and workers simply will not be able to get to work.

Bicyclists are the only people who can get through this, but I don't think enough people own bicycles.
You clearly didn't see any of the 2008 Phillies World Series fiasco... On top of that plenty of people own a bike in Philly, it's a great city to use a bike to get around.

I can't speak definitively about how 30th St Station, but offer my prayers to anyone venturing into town. Luckily, I do not create as much fervor whenever I visit the city of Brotherly Love :mellow:
PD, Great to hear from you!!!
 
Steve, Bill meant reserved tickets or trains JUST for workers. The lottery was for anyone and probably aimed more at visitors than workers.

I'm sure Bill remembers the 2008 World Series, he is a local Phillies fan after all.
 
You clearly haven't been looking at Septic.com... They tried to sell "papal passes" for Regional Rail trains but that went crazy bad and they shut it down quickly and ended up doing a lottery.
I certainly have, but apparently, you're having some problems in understanding my point.

SEPTA has no "non-papal passes", or any ticket lottery, for those who simply need to ride SEPTA to get to work that day, and have no interest in Francis.

I started this thread, because I was wondering/worried/concerned that Amtrak might be trying something similar (ie, restricting 30th Street Station travel). Apparently not, from the replies above. Amtrak plans to attempt to run 30th Street as if it was any other typical day.

I have to wonder how many people bought Amtrak tickets that involve the 30th Street Station, long before Francis bothered to announce his travel plans to Philly, and now have to deal with this ciaos. I mean, I typically buy my tickets almost a year ahead, out of habit for getting the lowest sleeper bucket, and 30th Street would be my departing/destination station.
 
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From the newspaper (a few days ago--I just caught up with this, so you all may already have all this information, but here it is if you don't):

Timing on the bridge closure:

The nearly 2-mile-long Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River and handles about 100,000 cars on a normal workday, will be closed to vehicles from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, to about noon Monday, Sept. 28. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians and PATCO Speed Line rail service will continue to run across the span.

Plus road info.:

Interstate 76, known in Philadelphia as the Schuylkill Expressway, and the Vine Street Expressway through downtown Philadelphia, will also close Friday, Sept. 25, along with a 2-mile portion of U.S. Route 1 near the seminary where Francis is expected to stay.[They have not decided when to reopen them.]

Interstate 95 will remain open to traffic, but some ramps will be closed.

What I find most amazing about this is that, at the same time they are bringing Philadelphia to a halt for the Pope's safety, they have announced, for anyone interested, where he is staying. Unless, of course, that is a decoy and he is staying somewhere else, which would actually be a sensible thing to do. Also, they say he is visiting New York and Washington on the same trip, but there hasn't been a word about safety measures in those places. The whole situation is just plain weird.
 
From the newspaper (a few days ago--I just caught up with this, so you all may already have all this information, but here it is if you don't):

Timing on the bridge closure:

The nearly 2-mile-long Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River and handles about 100,000 cars on a normal workday, will be closed to vehicles from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, to about noon Monday, Sept. 28. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians and PATCO Speed Line rail service will continue to run across the span.

Plus road info.:

Interstate 76, known in Philadelphia as the Schuylkill Expressway, and the Vine Street Expressway through downtown Philadelphia, will also close Friday, Sept. 25, along with a 2-mile portion of U.S. Route 1 near the seminary where Francis is expected to stay.[They have not decided when to reopen them.]

Interstate 95 will remain open to traffic, but some ramps will be closed.

What I find most amazing about this is that, at the same time they are bringing Philadelphia to a halt for the Pope's safety, they have announced, for anyone interested, where he is staying. Unless, of course, that is a decoy and he is staying somewhere else, which would actually be a sensible thing to do. Also, they say he is visiting New York and Washington on the same trip, but there hasn't been a word about safety measures in those places. The whole situation is just plain weird.
I think his visits to NYC and Washington are "private" whereas the visit to Philly is public, including at least one Mass.
 
From the newspaper (a few days ago--I just caught up with this, so you all may already have all this information, but here it is if you don't):

Timing on the bridge closure:

The nearly 2-mile-long Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River and handles about 100,000 cars on a normal workday, will be closed to vehicles from 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, to about noon Monday, Sept. 28. The bridge will remain open to pedestrians and PATCO Speed Line rail service will continue to run across the span.

Plus road info.:

Interstate 76, known in Philadelphia as the Schuylkill Expressway, and the Vine Street Expressway through downtown Philadelphia, will also close Friday, Sept. 25, along with a 2-mile portion of U.S. Route 1 near the seminary where Francis is expected to stay.[They have not decided when to reopen them.]

Interstate 95 will remain open to traffic, but some ramps will be closed.

What I find most amazing about this is that, at the same time they are bringing Philadelphia to a halt for the Pope's safety, they have announced, for anyone interested, where he is staying. Unless, of course, that is a decoy and he is staying somewhere else, which would actually be a sensible thing to do. Also, they say he is visiting New York and Washington on the same trip, but there hasn't been a word about safety measures in those places. The whole situation is just plain weird.
I think his visits to NYC and Washington are "private" whereas the visit to Philly is public, including at least one Mass.
Oh, I see. That makes sense then--thanks.
 
The Pope is a head of State ,( Vatican City,) and will receive the same Security any visiting Head of State gets in the US, including our President!

I would think giving out where he is staying is a decoy unless he's staying with the Vaticans Rep to the US in WAS!

If he's going to WAS, unless it's an Official State Visit as was said, he probably won't be meeting with the President!

Of course New York has an official Cardinals/Archbishops Mansion which is probably where he'll stay if spending any time there!

He may even do an unannounced Mass in St.Patricks since Priests are required to say a daily Mass IINM ?
 
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Once again, these outlandish preparations seem nuts. As far as I remember, the pope's visit to Chicago (in 1979) didn't cause mass shutdowns of roads and transit - and his visit also included an outdoor mass. The only shut downs were when he traveled, such as closing the Kennedy Expressway for the trip from O'Hare to downtown, but this is something that is done when the president is in town. It's inconvenient, but it doesn't shut down everything for three days. I believe the pope stayed at the cardinal's mansion in the Lincoln Park area.

Maybe Chicago is able to handle bigger events, but Philly isn't some little town, it's one of the nation's biggest cities. This is taking cautious planning to the extreme.
 
I believe the pope stayed at the cardinal's mansion in the Lincoln Park area.
And while, I imagine, neighboring North Ave would have been closed to traffic between Clark and Lake Shore Drive, I'd doubt either of those thoroughfares or the transit which operates upon the roads was shut down, save for motorcades.
Shucks, so many people showed up standing around and chanting at the Archbishop's mansion that the pope had to come out onto the balcony and tell them to go to sleep!
 
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I hope there will be enough staff to man the food court for the extra crews that are stuck there.
 
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