Tom Umile

Chemist. Teacher. Runner. Trying to tweet about education, but please excuse SEPTA rants. Philadelphians deserve better. Opinions are my own.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

So @SEPTA has zero outbound trains Fri morning, zero inbound trains on Fri afternoon/night, and only select stations open. @SEPTA_SOCIAL, you know not everyone gets the day off, right? Can I get a ride to work? Or at least a refund on the TrailPass I can't use?

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL @SEPTAKey @s_snart Awesome. Thank you!

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTAKey @s_snart Does that mean we’ll get free rides and/or refunds on our trips today since we aren’t allowed to buy our monthly passes?

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL @SEPTA_PAO Sure, but we never get an apology on the train. Only when we beg for one on social media. On board it’s just “tickets and passes!” It takes a lot of guts to so shamelessly expect customers to pay full price for such mediocre service. Philadelphians deserve better.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Hi, folks. What’s today’s excuse for the @SEPTA_PAO 531 running 18 minutes late?

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL My northbound BSL Express out of NRG stopped at Oregon, waited 10+ minutes, and now keeps making -local- stops. What gives? Philly deserves better.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

It's like this week's @cenmag wants to be required reading for my summer Green Chem grad course... 😂 (Seriously, though, the cover story is an excellent introduction to the complexities of choosing the 'greenest' chemistry.)

[C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News) @cenmag]

This week in the C&EN magazine: The elements of a green catalyst + 4 new chemical technologies that are making an impact + Making propylene directly from ethanol: https://t.co/yPNt86Vsdp #greenchemistry

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

If the universe were just and kind, all of SEPTA management would get home 29 minutes late after a long Friday.

[SEPTA @SEPTA_PAO]

Thorndale: Train #9542 going to Temple U is operating 29 minutes late. Last at Malvern.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Hey team. Any word on 9542 (5:12 at Villanova)? Two trains just blew by us without picking folks up. Haven’t seen or heard any announcements.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

I'm waking up from a long Twitter/X nap because of how excited I am that @VillanovaChem signed the Green Chemistry Commitment! Looking forward to working with my colleagues to infuse green chemistry throughout our curriculum.

[Villanova Chemistry @VillanovaChem]

We are excited to sign @beyondbenign's Green Chemistry Commitment! Our faculty will work to ensure that the next generation of chemists are armed with the tools to think about sustainability, human health, and the environment.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

Update: We returned to 30th St. Were told a train would be waiting. No train waiting. No announcements. Confusion on platform from paying customers who thought our broken down train was theirs. No staff to direct paying customers. @SEPTA continues to be SEPTA.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

SEPTA 2509 is still not moving. Five minutes ago we were told we were about to return to previous station. Train keeps being turned off and back on again, but no movement (besides a little inchwise shutter in either direction).

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Thank you. All of the frustrated, confused, late-to-work, paying customers on board hope so too.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

SEPTA #2509 has been sitting dead in the water for well over a half hour. Very little communication from staff. Incredibly frustrating and downright unethical. The only thing that’s reliable about SEPTA is that it’s unreliable. Philadelphians deserve better. @SEPTA_SOCIAL

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

SEPTA 2509 is still not moving. Five minutes ago we were told we were about to return to previous station. Train keeps being turned off and back on again, but no movement (besides a little inchwise shutter in either direction).

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

SEPTA #2509 has been sitting dead in the water for well over a half hour. Very little communication from staff. Incredibly frustrating and downright unethical. The only thing that’s reliable about SEPTA is that it’s unreliable. Philadelphians deserve better. @SEPTA_SOCIAL

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Car 709

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Just got our first announcement since we first stopped, that we’re going back to 30th.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Conductors made vague ‘mechanical problems’ announcement early on. No details since. No estimated time. No updates. Seems that there is a mechanic here now, but still no updates from crew.

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_SOCIAL Thanks for sharing!

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

@SEPTA_PAO Why did it take 47 minutes to share this info?

[Tom Umile @tpumile]

The @SEPTA_PAO inbound train 5336 never showed at Villanova station (sched: 3:47). No announcement made on any app, social media, or at the station. If SEPTA wants to convince Regional Rail riders to return, this is not how you do it. Philadelphians deserve better.