You have about as much chance of scoring one of those prized papal passes for the regional rail system as you do of hitting the lottery.
Literally.
SEPTA yesterday rolled out Plan B when it comes to selling tickets for the regional rails for the two-day visit of Pope Francis Sept. 26-27.
Actually on Monday they're not selling any tickets at all. They learned that lesson the hard way. They tried online sales last week, only to see their computers melt down under the demand.
Yesterday they informed the public that they will have all day on Monday - from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. - to get in on a lottery for the opportunity to buy tickets.
SEPTA says there is no need to jump on the computer seconds after midnight to get your application in. You will have the same chance no matter when you put your application in, so long as you get it in sometime during that 24-hour period.
SEPTA has hired a private outfit to run the lottery, including vetting all the entries for duplicates and people looking to game the system.
The winners will be notified on Thursday if they're one of the lucky winners.
SEPTA still plans to sell 175,000 tickets for each day, at $10 a pop. Those who hit the lottery can purchase as many as 10 passes.
So how long do you think it will take them to show up on eBay and how much do you think they will be going for.
Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Sunday Times for a full rundown on SEPTA's plans for Delaware County for the momentous visit by Pope Francis, which will culminate a week of activity tied to the World Meeting of Families.
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