After two days of travel woes due to the Silverliner V crisis, some patterns have been established in terms of where the worst delays are, and how best to avoid them. This series will be a listing of the best strategies to avoid the worst.
These will all assume an origin or destination in or beyond Center City Philadelphia. Directions will be for inbound travel, and will be reversible unless noted. There will be some assumption made that money is available to exchange for time and/or comfort.
Generic inbound
If you are one of many standees on your train at Fern Rock, change there for the Broad Street Line. Silverliner IVs are not designed for more than one or two standees, and there will be major delays in offloading at Temple University (at least) if you remain on board. This will keep you safer, and will keep the system from melting down (further). This instruction does not work in reverse; outbound trains may skip Fern Rock unannounced.
Glenside
Take the 22 bus on Easton Road. It will be more crowded than usual since it’s one of the best alternatives for the beleaguered Warminster Line, but there hasn’t been a major reported increase in ridership yet, so you should ultimately be fine. Change at Olney TC for the Broad Street Line.
Jenkintown
Take the 55 bus on Old York Road. Change at Olney for the Broad Street Line.
Elkins Park, Melrose Park
Take the 55 to Olney, or the 28 or 70 bus to Fern Rock TC.
Fern Rock TC
Do not attempt to board an inbound RRD train here. If you drive here, please consider carpooling; parking is massively overstretched.
Wayne Junction
Do not attempt to board an inbound RRD train here. If you use Wayne Junction as a transfer point, consider using a bus route such as the 26 or the 77 to move circumferentially between branches at farther outlying stations. All of the surface transit routes that directly serve Wayne Junction (23, 53, 75) connect to the Broad Street Line.
Sic Transit Philadelphia 