What is the best way for Chestnut Hill to save its train line? Take the train. The Chestnut Hill West line is at the top of SEPTA's hit list because it is at the bottom of the ridership list.

SEPTA managers, like their befuddled counterparts in other transit agencies, assume that inside every unprofitable railroad is a profitable one waiting to be born by Cesarean section. The result of that approach is more frequently a death spiral.

SEPTA does little to nothing to promote its services, so we must – as a community – take up the mantle by traveling by train as frequently as possible and by encouraging everyone else to do so.

If you don't actually work in Center City, you nevertheless have ample opportunities to travel by train. Are you going out to eat? Take the train into Center City and walk to one of the great restaurants you'll find there. Buy season subscriptions to one or more theater companies in Center City and take the train to the play or the show. Take in one of the many museums. The possibilities abound.

It is true that return schedules late in the evening are terrible. The solution is simple: return by train to Glenside or Jenkintown, which are served by far better schedules, and take Uber back to Chestnut Hill.

It’s your civic duty. Thousands of middle and high school students rely upon SEPTA trains and would be distressed by a discontinuance of the service. Driving your car adds pollution to the air and tears up the roads, which are in poor repair. Taking the train is an act of public benefaction. Don't miss this opportunity to help yourself, your neighbors, and the environment. Take the train!

Ted Forrence

Chestnut Hill