Train Service Restored For Eagles Season Opener As Lawmakers Tackle Budget

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Transit riders—and football fans—impacted by a dispute over funding for public transportation in Pennsylvania got a surprise reprieve this week. FanDuel, a popular online gambling company, threw them a Hail Mary by offering to restore express train service for the Philadelphia Eagles’ season opener against National Football League (NFL) division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, on Thursday.

According to a press release on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) website, FanDuel will fund restored service on SEPTA’s Broad Street Line to ensure that fans can get to and from Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles’ home stadium, for the game.

Previously, SEPTA had advised that service to the football stadium, which can hold just under 68,000 people, would be limited. On Tuesday, September 2, the Eagles issued a travel advisory for fans, informing them they would not be running their special sports express trains due to the cuts. The Eagles warned fans to only travel to the sports complex if they had a ticket to the game (no tailgating just for fun) and to plan on adding extra travel time.

Now, the Eagles and SEPTA have announced that the transit company will run regularly scheduled trains, plus express trips, before and after the game. Before the game, express trips will run every 10 minutes to supplement local service, and after the game, SEPTA will have 10 express and six local trains operating.

As part of the deal, FanDuel will also offer free rides home for fans. The free rides from NRG Station (the subway station located near the sports complex) will begin at halftime and continue through the end of service. The total cost to FanDuel is reportedly $80,000.

Reactions From Local Lawmakers

While some lawmakers applauded the change, there were still criticisms. Rep. Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia) said at a press conference, “We shouldn’t have to rely on a gambling company to fund our transit. That should be the job of our legislature, and we’ve done the hard work in the House. And we think that SEPTA should be funded not just for one day, not for just eight Eagles home games and three or four playoff games when we go to the Super Bowl.”

Why Was Service Originally Limited?

The Eagles game is scheduled to take place on Thursday, September 4, just as major service cutbacks hit SEPTA riders. The cutbacks are the result of a clash over two budgets—the SEPTA budget and the Pennsylvania budget.

SEPTA is one of the largest transit systems in the country, supporting five counties in the Greater Philadelphia area. SEPTA also connects to transit systems in Delaware and New Jersey. Services include regional rail, buses, trolleys, subways, and a high-speed line. The average daily ridership in May 2025 (the last full month that school was in session in 2025) was 768,291 unlinked passenger trips across all modes.

SEPTA was staring down a $213 million budget deficit starting July 1, 2025. The transit system claimed at the time, “There is nothing left to cut from the budget but service.”

As a result, the agency announced that almost every route would experience reductions in service, with some facing elimination (including 50 bus routes, five regional rail lines, and one metro line). Other service impacts were expected to include reduced hours (all regional and metro lines face up to a 20% reduction in service and elimination), less frequent service, and shorter route lengths (16 bus routes). Fare hikes are also planned.

Pennsylvania Budget Stalemate

A considerable slice of SEPTA’s budget—nearly two-thirds—comes from the state. Other revenue sources include federal and local money, with the remainder from paying fares. That may be about to change, since lawmakers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s capital, have not approved funding to address the transit agency’s budget shortfall. Last month, the Democratic-led House passed a funding bill that included money for SEPTA, but could not reach an agreement with the Republican-controlled Senate.

What’s the hold-up? Money (the state is facing a shortage) and usage. Those opposed to the bill have suggested that taxpayers should not foot the bill for public transit, especially those taxpayers who live in other parts of the state. Those who champion funding transit argue the opposite—that funding transit means fewer cars on the road, which reduces other costs, and provides a public benefit.

Philadelphia is the sixth-most populous city in the country and the most heavily populated city in the state of Pennsylvania. About 1.6 million people live in Philadelphia and just over 6.3 million residents call the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area, which includes the surrounding counties, home. The state of Pennsylvania boasts a population of about 13 million.

The fight over transit funding is just one part of a bigger headache—Pennsylvania’s budget is more than nine weeks late.

SEPTA And Philadelphia

In addition to sports fans on their way to watch games (of the major Philadelphia sports teams, the Flyers, Sixers, Eagles and Phillies all play in the sports complex in the city—only the Union has a stadium outside of the city), other residents use transit regularly. Commuters on their way to work and university students ride alongside the approximately 52,000 public school students in Philadelphia who use public transit to get to school. After a noticeable drop in school attendance due to SEPTA cuts in the first week of the new school year, the city directed a portion of its $135 million transit subsidy to restore bus and trolley service on routes that are heavily used by students.

That’s a band-aid. But lawmakers worry that failing to stop the bleeding now could also affect the city’s ability to host major events. In 2026, Philadelphia will host FIFA World Cup matches, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, the PGA Championship, and NCAA March Madness games. The city, often referred to as “birthplace of the nation” because it was the first capital of the United States (yes, really) and the home of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, is also expected to play a role in celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday. One of the selling points for those events was the availability of public transit.

Legal Intervention—For Now

On August 29, a Common Pleas Court judge issued a temporary injunction to stop the planned SEPTA fare hikes and regional rail cuts (but not the bus, subway, and trolley cuts). The lawsuit argued, among other things, that SEPTA is not being truthful about its finances. A hearing is scheduled for September 4 (coincidentally, the day of the Eagles home opener).

George Bochetto, the attorney who filed the lawsuit, also wrote a letter, arguing that the express train service cuts for the Eagles game should also be halted. After the FanDuel announcement, the court found that SEPTA’s attempt to implement planned service cuts during Thursday’s Eagles game was a violation of the August 29 court order, a claim that SEPTA disputes.

Is This A Sign Of Things To Come?

While Eagles fans breathe a sigh of relief—and school kids make their way to school—lawmakers and attorneys will continue to fight to find a resolution. But we’ll likely see this scenario again played out across the country—Philadelphia isn’t the only city grappling with funding public transit amid shrinking budgets. The AP has reported that transit agencies in Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh are also considering massive cuts. In some areas, funding for transit has not kept pace with inflation, and ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels. Combined with waning federal funding, state and local governments will be looking for new and creative ways to refill their coffers.

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