In case you are planning an Amtrak trip to Philly, the weekend of September 26th-27th, you should heed the information from Amtrak’s website.
Pope Francis will make his first papal visit to the United States this September with a stop in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families event, as well as a Papal Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the heart of the city at 4 pm on Sunday, September 27, 2015.
This historic event is expected to bring a crowd of a million or more people to Philadelphia and Amtrak is working with city officials to ensure a safe weekend. Before heading to or through Philadelphia for the Papal Visit, here are a few things to note before you head out the door:
-Download the special service schedules for trains traveling to Philadelphia:
World Meeting of Families Trains, New York – Philadelphia – Washington (PDF, 126K)
World Meeting of Families Trains, Harrisburg – Lancaster – Philadelphia (PDF, 565K)
-All Amtrak trains will require reservations September 26 – 27, 2015. Book tickets as far in advance as possible.
-Amtrak will operate extra trains with added capacity to meet the anticipated demand on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, 2015. On Saturday and Sunday, some of these trains will provide service to and from New Jersey Transit’s Hamilton Station, where Amtrak does not normally stop.
Increased security measures will be in place. The event has been designated a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security.
Adult travelers should be prepared to present valid photo ID upon request when traveling on Amtrak.
Allow extra travel time to reach your destinations — many area roads will be closed to the public for cars and foot traffic.
Customers should be prepared to walk significant distances from the 30th Street Station to an event.
There will be no taxi service to/from the 30th Street Station during the weekend of September 26 – 27, 2015.