Riders prepare for changes to PATCO Owl Service

NEW JERSEY (FOX 29) - Starting next week you may have to plan ahead more than usual for your ride on PATCO.

"I would think certainly there's a reason why they're doing it and they've thought it through," said Michael DeLia. He's optimistic about changes PATCO is making to its night owl service. but that's likely because the changes won't affect his ride from Collingswood into Philly tonight to see metal band Thor in concert. He'll get back here late and with no problem but next week he won't be as lucky.

The Collingswood PATCO station will be closed overnight.

"For me personally, I would just go to Westmont," he said.

Not so fast. The Westmont station is also on a list of six that will close from midnight to 4:30 a.m. beginning May 13. For some riders that will mean getting off at a different location and finding alternative transportation to get back to the station closest to their destination.

"For someone who is walking that would be an issue," said DeLia.

PATCO says closing the remaining stations will allow them to increase police officers on trains and in stations that remain open overnight. Melissa Wise and her husband William were getting on PATCO at the Haddonfield station when we talked to them this evening.

"Say if people work overnight they couldn't get to work at the times," said Melissa. She added, "They still gotta walk if they don't get the Uber or Lyft and still be dangerous." But William says it's worth the inconvenience if safety will improve.

"I guess they're looking at the city would be more dangerous opposed to being right here. But it doesn't matter because there's so much going on in the world today. I think the security is a good thing," he said.

The other change is that owl service trains will run every hour instead of every 45 minutes. Trains will resume making all stops at 4:30 a.m.

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