Why SEPTA chose popular Regional Rail lines for potential elimination

If lawmakers in Harrisburg fail to adequately fund SEPTA, Paoli/Thorndale, Wilmington/Newark, Trenton, Chestnut Hill West, and Cynwyd are set to be eliminated in January 2026. It’s a puzzling decision, especially given how high ridership is on some of those Regional Rail lines. Paoli/Thorndale is the network’s second most used line. Trenton comes in third. There’s a theory going around that SEPTA chose the five Regional Rail lines for possible closure to pressure Gov. Josh Shapiro and state legislators for more state money for financially stressed transit systems. The real reason is more banal. SEPTA pays Amtrak —$65 million this year — to run the five marked Regional Rail trains on Northeast Corridor tracks owned by the national passenger railroad.