SEPTA Rolls Out New Color-Coded, Letter-Based Wayfinding System

PHILADELPHIA — SEPTA has launched its new "Metro wayfinding" system, introducing new letters and symbols that will be used alongside existing terms on SEPTA's website.

The first new signs debuted at the opening of the new Drexel Station at 30th Street. The rollout will continue station-by-station over the next two years.

5th Street/City Hall is the next location where the new signs will be installed. SEPTA said that location is a critical complex at the core of the system that research found is often confusing for customers to navigate. This will occur later in 2024, followed by other stations on the Broad Street Line.

Riders should anticipate seeing both old and new signage during the transition period.

"The project will make the system easier to navigate for all passengers, regardless of language, ability, or familiarity with public transportation," Leslie S. Richards, SEPTA CEO and General Manager, said. "The new signage and wayfinding tools will help everyday riders take new trips and contribute to Philadelphia’s preparation as a host city for the World Cup in 2026."

The SEPTA Metro system includes:

• Use of easy to see and read colors, letters, and numbers for each SEPTA Metro line. This will improve visibility and clarity.
• New maps and signs that show bus connections and highlight SEPTA’s most frequent bus lines.
• New station entrance and exit signage to make the system easier to find.
• New "neighborhood maps" to help riders get oriented when leaving a station.
• Adjusting station names to eliminate duplicates, such as "Girard" (Broad-Girard) on the Broad Street Line and "Girard" (Front-Girard) on the Market-Frankford Line, and merging complexes, such as "15th St/City Hall" instead of having two separate station names: "15th St" and "City Hall."

Below are details of the new wayfinding system:

L (Blue): Market-Frankford Line

B (Orange): Broad Street Line

• B1: Local
• B2: Express
• B3: Spur

T (Green): Subway-surface trolleys

• T1: Route 10
• T2: Route 34
• T3: Route 13
• T4: Route 11
• T5: Route 36

G (Yellow): Route 15 Trolley

• G1: All stops

D (Pink): Media-Sharon Hill Line

• D1: Route 101
• D2: Route 102

M (Purple): Norristown High Speed Line

• M1: Local

SEPTA plans to complete the Broad Street Line first, before moving on to the Market-Frankford Line, trolley lines, and Norristown High Speed Line.

At the same time, SEPTA is improving its app, releasing more real-time information, working to vanquish "ghost buses," and piloting new, easier-to-read bus detour signage to align with the larger wayfinding improvements.

Learn more about SEPTA Metro online here.