New Benjamin Franklin Bridge track construction schedule begins Thursday, December 4

LINDENWOLD, N.J. - Beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 4, PATCO trains will be operating on a revised schedule as contractors begin work on the next phase of the Ben Franklin Bridge rehabilitation project. The new schedule will affect service between midday Thursday and early Monday morning, and will remain in effect until early February 2015. We encourage customers to consult updated timetables, which will be available at the stations next week, and to visit www.ridepatco.org for information on train schedules and the rehabilitation project.

In this next phase of the bridge rehabilitation project, construction crews will be working both in the subway tunnel in Camden and on the bridge to replace cables for PATCO's communication, power and signal systems. Trains will have to operate on a single track from 10 a.m. Thursday through early Monday morning for the duration of this phase. Passengers may face periodic 12- to 16-minute gaps in train service because of track outages, although some trains will continue to run every five minutes.

PATCO will run on a regular full-service schedule for most of the work week, starting Monday morning and lasting through Thursday morning's rush hour. In addition, trains will operate every 15 minutes in both directions during off-peak hours Monday through Friday, and every 30 minutes Saturday and Sunday.

"PATCO appreciates our customers' flexibility and patience as the refurbishment continues," said John Rink, PATCO general manager. "We're happy that we're able to provide

increased rush-hour service, including improved reverse-commute schedules, during this phase of the project."

While the majority of the track-structure rehabilitation was completed during the continuous outages this past summer and fall, the supporting signal, power and communication systems must be replaced in stages over the coming year.

The PATCO Rail Rehabilitation Project over the Ben Franklin Bridge is a two-year, $103 million project that involves replacing the entire PATCO track system across the bridge, as well as all the related signal, power and communications cables that are part of the system. Work on this project is expected to be completed in early 2016.

Port Authority Transit Corporation