Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Middletown police have released their plans for the Woodbourne SEPTA Train Station during the papal visit to Philadelphia next weekend.
The SEPTA Regional Rail station is one of only a handful being used to transport passengers with pre-purchased passes to and from Philadelphia during the Pope’s historic visit. While the passes for the station did not sell out, officials are still planning for several thousands SEPTA travelers.
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In a Facebook post, police said they will be closing Woodbourne Road between Fourth Street (the Oxford Valley Mall entrance) and Wood Lane. Local residents, their guests and those associated with nearby businesses will be permitted to use one side of the road during the weekend. The portion of the road will be closed by 4 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and will reopen between noon and 5 p.m. before closing again for the evening.
Those walking to the train station will be directed to park at the lower-level parking lot of Fourth Street entrance to the mall. From there, a path will be designated so walkers can make less-than-a-mile trek to the train station. Limited parking for those vehicles with a disabled or handicapped license plate or placard will be available on a limited basis at the train station, police said.
Read the full plan from Middletown police:
Middletown Township is preparing for next weekend, September 26th & 27th, for large crowds at the Woodbourne train station. Passengers will be traveling SEPTA’s regional rail to center city on both days to attend papal events.
Although crowds at the regional rail stations are not anticipated to be as large as SEPTA originally predicted, there will still be several thousand commuters at the Woodbourne station both Saturday and Sunday, going into center city between 5:30am and noon, and returning at night between 5:30pm and 1:00am,
Because parking will be a bit more limited at the train station itself than on a normal day (due to SEPTA staging its resources and lining up passengers for the trains), the available parking spaces at the train station will be for those vehicles with a disabled or handicapped license plate or placard. These limited spaces will be available each day on a first come first serve basis. After filling these spaces the train lots will then be closed to vehicle traffic.
There will be no car/SUV/van/truck drop offs directly at the train station. The only vehicles that can drop off at the train station are charter or shuttle buses.
General parking and drop offs for the train station will be at the Oxford Valley Mall. Vehicles should enter the mall off of the Woodbourne Road entrance at 4th Street. Vehicles parking for the train will be directed to the lower level mall parking lot off of 4th Street. From there, a walking path will be designated from the mall to the train station along Woodbourne Road. The total walk is less than a mile.
All parking at the train station and mall is free of charge.
To accommodate the safety of train passengers walking from the mall to the train station, Woodbourne Road will close from 4th Street (mall entrance) to Wood Lane. Only local residents & their guests and local business owners/customers will be permitted through once Woodbourne Road is closed. Woodbourne Road will close both weekend days beginning about 4:00am but may close earlier or later depending on traffic/pedestrian conditions. It is currently planned for the road to fully reopen from about noon until 5:00pm each day. The road will then close again at 5:00pm as passengers return from Philadelphia. During closure times Woodbourne Road will be one way northbound only for local traffic permitted to use it.
Train passengers will then have to walk back to their vehicles from the train station upon returning. The township has secured several portable high powered street lights for the darker areas of Woodbourne Road to accommodate those walking after dark.
At this time, the only shuttles from the mall to the train station will be for wheelchair bound train ticket holders. There is a possibility that shuttle service for all passengers may become available but as of right now the only shuttles available will be for those in wheelchairs.
As of now, the only road scheduled to close that weekend due to the train station is that short stretch Woodbourne Road from 4th Street to Wood Lane.
If you are driving in the area, please be prepared for lots of extra traffic volume. If you can avoid the area, it is recommended to do so due to the heavy traffic expected. Also, remember that S. Flowers Mill Road has been closed and will still be closed that weekend due to ongoing construction. This will likely add to the traffic congestion in the area.
Parking is not permitted for the train station that weekend in any residential areas or private business lots (unless authorized by the business owner). The only designated parking will be at either the train station lot (disabled or handicapped only) or at the Oxford Valley Mall. All car drop offs and pickups will be at the mall.
There will be no soliciting allowed at the train station. Selling of food or drinks or any other items by private vendors or person(s) at the train station or along Woodbourne Road is not permitted. Scalping or selling train or papal event tickets is not permitted. No camping out of any kind to get in line early for the trains is permitted.
There will be a cooling station (if necessary due to hot weather) at the train station lot. Emergency medical services (EMS) will be stationed at the mall lot and at the train station and EMS personnel will be patrolling along Woodbourne Road. There will be several portable restrooms at the train station. Trash receptacles will be placed along Woodbourne Road. There will be police at the mall , along Woodbourne Road, and at the train station directing traffic and patrolling the area around the clock throughout the entire weekend. If you have any questions at the mall or along Woodbourne Road please ask one of the officers who will be happy to assist you.
There will be several SEPTA representatives at the train station, along with township emergency management personnel and police, to address any concerns and answer any questions train passengers may have.
Any changes to these plans will be announced within the next week. It is not anticipated that the plan will change much if at all but if it does it will be posted on MTPD’s Facebook page, the township’s web site, in the Bucks County Courier Times, and on LevittownNow.
To those going downtown either day to see the pope, and using the Woodbourne station to travel, we at Middletown Township want to give you a safe and enjoyable travel experience. To the residents/businesses near the train station, please be understanding and a bit more patient that weekend as we welcome thousands of train passengers to the township. For the rest of the township, be mindful of what is likely to be heavy traffic all weekend, especially in the mall area, all along Woodbourne Road, and on Route 213 and Wood Lane. The police department will be fully staffed outside the train station area to deal with the extra traffic and handle all the normal calls for service any busy weekend brings.
