The Eagles have issued a travel advisory for Thursday’s home opener after SEPTA’s first phase of service cuts reduced the number of express trains available at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
The Birds are asking any fans to not travel to the Sports Complex on Sept. 4 unless they have a ticket to the game.
For fans with tickets, the team is urging attendees to get to the stadium early so they’re inside Lincoln Financial Field by 7:45 p.m. and plan for extra travel time. The game is scheduled to start at 8:20 p.m.
Hoping to take SEPTA?
As of Tuesday afternoon, SEPTA is not going to be running the special sports express trains on Thursday, Sept. 4, and instead will be running on limited service.
A spokesperson with SEPTA told NBC10 on Tuesday that the transit agency is actively looking for a sponsor to fund the sports express trains on Thursday.
“Yes we are exploring all options, but as of now we are continuing to plan on operating the current schedule,” the SEPTA spokesperson said.
Please make sure to check SEPTA’s website before you leave for the latest updates.
Parking at the Sports Complex
The Eagles are preparing for fans to arrive to the stadium ahead of the game by opening parking lots much earlier than normal.
The parking lots will be open by 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Any fans who are driving to the Sports Complex for the home opener are being asked to carpool whenever possible.
Planning to tailgate?
If tailgating at the Sports Complex, the team asks that setups be consolidated.
The Birds suggest that tailgaters set up their space by having their gear either in front of or behind the parked car within the white lines of their assigned spot.
This will help keep more parking spots available for more fans to have access to the lots.
Why SEPTA service has changed
On Sunday, August 24, SEPTA’s planned reductions included 32 bus routes being eliminated, 16 shortened routes and the reduction of express trains to and from the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
The cuts occurred after lawmakers in Harrisburg failed to agree on funding to address the transit agency’s $213 million dollar budget deficit.
You can find the full list of cuts here.
Last week, the city of Philadelphia announced they were using a portion of its $135 million transit subsidy to restore some SEPTA bus routes for students impacted by the service cuts.
Then on Friday, Aug. 29, a judge ordered a temporary injunction to halt the next phase of service cuts that included a fare hike scheduled for Sept. 1 and Regional Rail reductions on Sept. 2. SEPTA complied with the ruling.
However, besides some bus routes being restored for students, SEPTA has maintained their first round of service cuts that were implemented on Aug. 24, which includes the reduction of express trains to sporting events.
