Stranded commuters are loaded on buses near the scene of a train fire in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009. A Philadelphia commuter train caught fire Wednesday, complicating the morning rush already hampered by the city's transit strike. Officials said no injuries were reported. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

It's tough to get around in Philly today. (Matt Rourke/AP)

By Mark Memmott

The lead headline at the website of the Philadelphia Inquirer this minute gets right to the point: "Bad To Worse."

The story:

The strike against SEPTA's subways, buses and trolleys in the city spread to the suburbs this morning as pickets blocked buses at a still operating terminal and a fire on a Regional Rail train further complicated an already messy mass transit picture.

The Associated Press writes that:

The sudden strike called early Tuesday by Transport Workers Union Local 234 all but crippled the agency, which averages more than 928,000 trips each weekday. The transit agency's largest union walked away from negotiations on a new contract over disagreements on wage, pension and health care issues.
Regional rail service is still operating because their workers are represented by a different union, but trains have been delayed as they experienced larger-than-normal crowds.

Maybe tonight's Game 6 of the World Series will cheer up the folks in Philly. Or not.

categories: National News

9:43 - November 4, 2009

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