Editing PATCO Speedline (section)

=== Locust Street Subway ===
As part of the earlier subway loop plans, the City of Philadelphia had begun tunneling from 8th Street to Locust Street, then west along Locust to 16th Street. Construction began in 1917 but was halted by [[World War I]], resumed briefly in 1931, and was again suspended due to the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="bidsdue">{{cite news |date=April 10, 1950 |title=Subway Bids Due for Work On Locust St |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71267412/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=21 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Work finally resumed in 1950,<ref name="bidsdue" /> and on February 14, 1953, the Bridge Line was extended to [[15–16th & Locust station]], with intermediate stops at [[12–13th & Locust station|12–13th & Locust]] and [[9–10th & Locust station|9–10th & Locust]].<ref>{{cite news |date=January 5, 1953 |title=Mere 150 Miles of Cable Stalls Locust Subway Start |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71274929/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Philadelphia Transportation Company |date=February 13, 1953 |title=Beginning Sunday, February 15: New Highspeed Rail Service to and through Central Philadelphia via Bridge Line and Locust St. Subway (advertisement) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71275209/courier-post/ |newspaper=Courier-Post |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Broad–Ridge Line would also use the same tracks. This extension, still owned by the City of Philadelphia,<ref>{{cite web |last=DRPA |title=DRPA-04-125 |url=http://www.drpa.org/publish/library/DRPA-04-125.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050114025234/http://drpa.org/publish/library/DRPA-04-125.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2005 |publisher=DRPA.org}}</ref> marked the last major addition to the Bridge Line before its transformation.

Despite the extension, the Bridge Line suffered from low ridership due to high fares and its failure to extend into the South Jersey suburbs.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 13, 1953 |title=Locust St. Subway Opening Emphasizes the Need for South Jersey Speed Lines |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71313053/courier-post/ |newspaper=Courier-Post |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> By January 1954, off-peak and Saturday service was cut back to operate only between Girard and Camden, with a shuttle train running between 8th and 16th stations. Sunday service west of 8th Street was suspended entirely due to minimal demand.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 6, 1954 |title=Lack of Riders to Cut Service On Locust Street Subway: Full Shutdown On Sundays Listed by PTC |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71275051/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=19 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> By 1962, only 1,900 passengers used the western segment of the line daily.<ref>{{cite news |date=April 4, 1962 |title=Locust St. Stations Are Spick-And-Span And Nearly Empty |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71311943/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71311978/the-philadelphia-inquirer/ 10] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>