Station Review #19: Trevose (SEPTA)

Trevose is a station on SEPTA's West Trenton Line. Trevose station is located in Trevose, PA, a small village located between Bensalem and Lower Southampton townships. Despite the station itself being located in Bensalem township on a technicality (the boundary between Bensalem and Lower Southampton Townships in this area is Brownsville road, which is a block away), Trevose is thought of by the locals as the main station for Lower Southampton, especially as most of Trevose is located in Lower Southampton Township. 

History

Trevose station in the early 1900s

The old station house for Trevose station was built somewhere between 1888 and 1893, by the Philadelphia and Reading Company, and remained in service for almost a century afterwards. 

A color photo of the Trevose station house from the late 1960s

In 1970, Trevose station was torn down and rebuilt, downsizing it. 

Station Tour


Train departing towards West Trenton at Trevose Station 

There is not a huge amount at Trevose station. On the Northbound end, there is nothing at all whatsoever. Just a parking lot, and an empty platform. In fact, I completely forgot about this platform because of this. The West Trenton platform's emptiness means that if you want to sit down or be sheltered from the elements, you need to go to the other side and wait there. And if the train is coming soon enough that you can't cross the tracks? Then you end up in an unfortunate situation where you can't take your train. 

Image of both platforms from the southbound mini-high

The Center City platform has much more to it, namely a shelter. This shelter has benches in it, but not much else. 

The shelter

Benches

Interestingly enough, the shelter has ads on it, like this one: 

Or this one as well: 

What an ad

Besides that though, there isn't much else at this station at all. It has a parking lot or two, and that's about it. 

Do you really need this much parking? 

The area outside this isn't much better either. Actually, "not much better either" is a total lie, as it is much worse. 

On Linconia and Street Road


Do you wonder what all three of these photos have in common? These are all of Street Road, an arterial road that goes between Eddington and Warrington, PA, linking Lower State Road and PA - 611 (formerly US - 611) to US - 13 and State Road. Street Road is also a monstrosity, a textbook example of hostile, car-centric architecture that only serves to punish pedestrians for existing without a car. 


South of this is Bucks County Technology Park, a business park that comes with a sea of parking for the pedestrian to navigate. Next to this is Trevose Road, a road without a sidewalk that links the Trevose area to Bustleton Pike, in Somerton. Walking south on this road, you eventually reach a road called Somerton Road, and thus the entrance to the small village of Linconia. Turn back, you do not want to be a pedestrian here. Linconia is the epitome of un-walkable postwar suburbia. 


I went here to get to the 14 bus and nearly died. A man in a dark blue Chevrolet Silverado that was almost two feet taller than me nearly ran me over and would have run me over if I wasn't fast enough at jumping out of the way. 

Otherwise, there's not much else notable about Linconia.  

Bus Connections


Special route 14 bus sign

There are very few transit connections near Trevose station. Septa runs a special version of route 14 that runs to the Bucks County Technology Park, though this variation has five round trips per day total. This is also the only bus service to Linconia. Bucks County Technology Park is also about 10 minutes away in walking distance going across infrastructure that is made more for cars than humans.

The 58 to Neshaminy Mall runs quarter to half hourly, but that is a large walk up a hill away, even though your chances of survival are more if you go to it versus if you went to the 14. 

In the past, there used to be a bus operated by RushBus that went up Street Road, from PARX Casino to Southampton, but considering how RushBus is, this bus probably only ran at peak times and deviated to every business park it could, leading to a lack of ridership and a cut of service half a decade later in 2005. 

What once was.


SEPTA should revive a service like this, but make it more frequent, owing to the numerous train stations and bus routes that either cross or are located near Street Road. A semi-frequent (once every 30 minutes, maybe?) route going from somewhere near Eddington station (a suitable terminus would need to be found, maybe Neshaminy State Park?) towards Warminster or even Warrington would be able to connect routes 1, 14, 20, 22, 24, 50, 55, 58, 128, 129, 130, 133, 150, the Boulevard Direct, the Trenton, Warminster, and West Trenton Lines, as well as the Warminster RushBus route. 

Also note that with the current form of the bus revolution, all connections to this station will be dissapearing, meaning that Trevose will soon have no connections whatsoever. 

Pros and Cons

Pros: 
  • Actually fully accessible for once
Cons: 
  • Literally everything else

Points Of Interest around Trevose Station

Nothing.

Amenity Checklist:


Accessible: ✓
Bathrooms: ×
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ~
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Accessible building: ×
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Adequate Parking: × (note that adequate does not include too much)
Seating: ~ (one side only)
Shelters: ~ (one side only)
Station In Good Condition: ✓
Ticket Kiosks (if applicable): ×
Ticket Offices: ×
TOD: × 
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): × 
Updated Signage:  ✓ 

Final Verdict: 3/10. 


Station Directory

--------Pennsylvania--------
--------Philadephia County--------
''''''''Center City Zone''''''''
Penn Medicine
30th Street
Suburban
Jefferson (Market Street)
''''''''Zone 1''''''''
--------Montgomery County--------
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
Melrose Park
Elkins Park
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
Jenkintown/Wyncote
Rydal
Bethayres
Philmont
--------Philadephia County--------
--------Bucks County--------
Trevose
''''''''Zone 4''''''''
Langhorne
Woodbourne
Yardley
--------New Jersey--------
--------Mercer County--------
''''''''NJ Zone''''''''
West Trenton

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