This week we’re exploring one of SEPTA’s trolley lines – the Route 11! Also known as the Woodland Avenue Subway, the Route 11 runs from 13th & Market in Center City to Darby Transportation Center in Darby. On a typical weekday, the Route 11 makes 240 trips and carries 14,822 riders. The Route 11’s one-way route distance is 6.7 miles, with ten stations along the way.
The Route 11 was established on December 24, 1858, by the West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company. This route originally ran horsecars from 9th & Main in Darby to 49th & Woodland in West Philadelphia. In 1896, the line was extended east to Front Street via Chestnut and Walnut Streets. The Route 11 was integrated into the Subway-Surface Trolley system by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company in 1906.
In addition to Center City, the Route 11 also travels through University City, servicing Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, and the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. The Route 11 connects with all Regional Rail Lines, the Market-Frankford Line, and 13 different bus routes at 30th Street Station. At its western terminus, Darby Transportation Center, the Route 11 connects with Bus Routes 113, 114, and 115 and Trolley Route 13.
