REMINDER: 'Papal Passes' Go On Sale Monday
By Alexandria Hoff
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It will be nothing short of a pilgrimage, even for those arriving via SEPTA's Regional Rail Line, when Pope Francis comes to town in Sepetember.
Starting Monday at 9 a.m., special one-day Papal Passes will become available for purchase on SEPTA's website.
Here is what you need to know before placing an order:
- Regional Rail Passes for Saturday, Sept. 26th and Sunday the 27th *must* be purchased in advance.
- The cost is $10 for one day.
- A maximum of 10 passes can be ordered per transaction.
- No other passes or cash will be accepted.
Eighteen stations will be open to depart from during that time. Those are listed here.
Once a rider determines which station they will leave from, they must choose between two departure windows:
- 5:30am – 8:30am
- 8:30 am – Noon
Riders can return to their station of origin any time after 5:30pm.
"If we tell you that you need to be at a particular place at a particular time then we can tell you to a certain degree that you will be able to make it in," said SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams.
Williams adds that this pass is for everyone, even those who are not interested in seeing the Pope. If a person needs to get into Center City for something like work for example, then one of these special passes will be required. Standard Regional Rail Passes will not be valid the weekend of the World Meeting of Families.
With the Papal Passes, the Regional rail lines will drop riders off at either 30th Street Station, University City station, or Jefferson. At that point, visitors should be prepared to walk two to three miles to the event.
For Buses, Subway trains, and Trolleys, three-day passes will be available for purchase although tokens and other passes will also be accepted.
Where should you park? That's on you. SEPTA suggests either arriving to the station very early or simply getting dropped off.
