Frustration, But Understanding For Market-Frankford EL Riders
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Riders on the Market-Frankford Line got their first taste Monday of how their commute would be impacted after half the fleet was taken out of service.
And during the evening rush, there were some mixed reviews.
It was smooth sailing for Gene Steffler as her work day ended with an El ride to Frankford.
"No problems," she says. "They've been doing a good job so far. I anticipated it being a problem but so far it's been good, cant' complain. A good ride in this morning and so far no trouble."
She had only been waiting a few minutes at 15th Street Station before she was able to board. Many riders who spoke with KYW Newsradio say there weren't any major issues.
That is until Terress Marshall came along.
"The evening rush has been worse," she tells KYW. "The morning was much smoother than the evening. Evening is hectic as you can see. I don't know what's going on!"
Marty feels the same way:
"I just let the train go by because it was obviously too packed so people had obviously been waiting for a long time. I havent been here for a long time yet but I just let that train go by."
Shuttles were running from 3-7pm, but Marty says she prefers to wait it out:
"I have a long way to go. The shuttle would take a long time. I should have taken the bus."
Cars seemed to be arriving every ten minutes or so as planned. Each one though was very crowded with people.
Larry understands why:
"A mess, but it's necessary. There's a somewhat of a slight inconvenience for us all, but it could be worse. We're making the best out of a bad situation."
As annoyed as Terress felt, she agrees:
"I guess we have to have patience with it, it has to get fixed so what can we do? Not that aggravated, but if I go through this two more days, I think I'll be at the max."
Transit officers were spread all throughout the platforms to help direct riders.
