SEPTA would shutter the Cynwyd, Chestnut Hill West, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton and Wilmington/Newark lines. Service across its five-county area would be cut by 45%, driving away customers and impacting fare revenues, Sauer said.

All this can be avoided, the agency says, if Harrisburg can agree on a budget that funds mass transit statewide.

For years, SEPTA has been warning of dire cuts that would trigger “a death spiral” because of its perennial budget deficits. The agency says 2025 may be the year it may not find an eleventh hour budget fix.