Introduction
SEPTA had two routes numbered 205. The latest iteration operated as a bus-to-rail route from Paoli Station to Chesterbrook, coordinating with the Paoli/Thorndale Line at Paoli Station. Service on this iteration of route 205 started March 12th 2009 and was discontinued on August 30th 2019, and merged into existing route 206.
The original version of SEPTA Route 205 operated from Wayne Station to King of Prussia Mall, coordinating with the R5 Parkesburg Line (now the Paoli/Thorndale Line) at Wayne Station. This version started November 26th 1989 and was discontinued September 14th 1996
Both iterations of SEPTA route 205 operated under contract for SEPTA by Krapf’s Transit.
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SEPTA Route 205 from Wayne 1998-1996
The first version of SEPTA’s route 205 started on November 26th, 1989, and was the third “200 series” route created by SEPTA. This version operated between Wayne Station and King of Prussia Mall, coordinating with the then R5 Parkesburg Line. Like many other 200 series routes, route 205 was pseudo sponsored by Cabrini University, Eastern University, and Valley Forge Military Academy, although most of the service was funded by SEPTA.
Major transfer points on this version of route 205 include…
- Wayne Station for the R5 Parkesburg Line and bus route 105
- The Court at King of Prussia for routes 95, 99, 124, and 125
- King of Prussia Mall for routes 92, 95, 99, 118, 124, and 125
Service operated Mondays through Fridays in peak directions only (outbound from Wayne in the AM and inbound to Wayne in the PM), and Saturdays in both directions between 10AM and 6PM. On March 12th, 1992, all weekday service on route 205 was eliminated, and from then onwards the line would operate Saturdays only.
Service on this version of route 205 would ultimately be discontinued in December 16th 1996, alongside route 95 service from Gulph Mills to King of Prussia, both being replaced with route 95X from Gulph Mills Station, which itself would be replaced with route 123 on September 14th 1998.
SEPTA Route 205 from Paoli 2007-2019
On March 12th 2007 a new route 205 would be created alongside a new route 306, as part of a massive restructuring of Chester County’s bus network. The purpose of this new route 205 was to provide timed connections with the Paoli/Thorndale Line at Paoli Station to the then-bustling Main Line Industrial Park, with connections to Valleybrook, Great Valley, and Atwater along the way.
SEPTA would have very specific buses assigned to Krapf’s Transit to operate route 205, which were two Chevrolet/Champion buses numbered 2098 and 2099. But this time, Krapf would also purchase additional buses, three International Low Floor coaches numbered 2712-2715.
This version of route 205 made connections at….
- Paoli Station for Bus Routes 92, 105, 204, 205, 206, The Paoli/Thorndale Line, and the Amtrak Keystone Corridor.
- Great Valley connections with route 206
On March 23rd 2008, service to Atwater was discontinued.
The first re-route on this version of route 205 would occur November 8th, 2010. The end point was changed from Main Line Industrial Park on Lee Boulevard in Great Valley, to Fillmore Street and Black Rock Road in Phoenixville. To get there from the Commons at Great Valley, the route was extended via PA State route 29/State Road into Phoenixville. This also bridged a gap in Chester County’s bus network, although service would be downsized to peak hours only. This was also done around the time when SEPTA bus route 99 would be cutback to Phoenixville from Pottstown, and Route 139 would be cut back to Limerick from Philadelphia Premium Outlets outside of Pottstown.
In 2015, once again SEPTA configured the whole line. Once again, the route would remain the same between Paoli and The Shops at Great Valley, but this time service operated via Swedesford Road to Chesterbrook Corporate Center, which also provided a new connection to SEPTA route 124 in Chesterbrook.
Finally, service was discontinued on August 30th 2019, and merged into existing route 206.
Other Routes using the same numbers
SEPTA operated two routes numbered 205, once from 1989 to 1996, and again from 2007 to 2019.
New Bus Network Changes
- The 2007-2019 version of route 205 will be served by the West Chester-Malvern SEPTA Go Zone.
Timetables
- Wayne Station to King of Prussia
- 1994
- 1995
- Paoli Station to Main Line Industrial Park
- 2007
- December 3rd 2007 (From the collection of Matt Ciecka)
- 2008
- 2009
- 2010
- 2007
- Paoli Station to Phoenixville
- 2010
- 2013
