The Future of 30th Street Station

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Acela150

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Jan 11, 2008
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Here is a quick video about the future of my personal favorite station, yeah I'm a little bias. But I can tell you personally that things at 30th Street are a little crazy right now. Plenty of work being done to make my home away from home more welcoming. And when they say the best part of 30th Street is coming up from the platform into the main hall, they're not kidding. Each and every time I do it I fall in love with the building again.

http://6abc.com/community-events/the-past-and-future-of-philadelphias-amazing-30th-street-station---6abc-discovery/3718405/?sf194461743=1
 
He he. Bet nobody saw the Newark, DE station in the video...because nobody pays attention to DE.
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Nice quick video, thanks for posting it.

Pennsylvania Station, New York is my "home station", but 30th Street Philadelphia is my favorite. I do remember the old Penn Station, before it was destroyed, however, I am a huge fan of Art Deco architecture, and 30th Street is a brilliant combination of "classic" and "Art Deco".

I also like the way 30th Street has the mainline trains on the lower level, and the suburban trains perpendicular on the upper level.

I hope they eventually reconnect the station with the Market Street subway station, as part of the renovations...
 
I hope they eventually reconnect the station with the Market Street subway station, as part of the renovations...
There are plans to get new streetcars for the Market Street subway and all indictaions so far seems to be about articulated multi section cars. I guess that this would also imply modifications to the subway infrastructure, such as adapting platforms to enable level boarding, building elevators at the stops that don't have them yet etc. In other words, pretty much a total facelift of the public side of the subway. I guess that opening up and improing the connection could be made a part of all that.
 
Their are plans to restore the underground passage from 30th Street to the Market Frankford Line and Trolleys. But that’s all it is. Plans.
The plan is to establish a covered, lower level plaza on the west side of the station that would open to the SEPTA subway station. The old passage would not be used.

30th_West.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Their are plans to restore the underground passage from 30th Street to the Market Frankford Line and Trolleys. But that’s all it is. Plans.
The plan is to establish a covered, lower level plaza on the west side of the station that would open to the SEPTA subway station. The old passage would not be used.

attachicon.gif
30th_West.jpg
IIRC, the old passage was pretty dang creepy. This looks like a vast improvement.

Any idea about the time frame for this?
 
Thank you, Acela150, for posting this. One of my favorite places--especially the main hall, and you're right about the feeling of coming up into it from the platform. It is also one of the most peaceful places I've ever been in--it is calmer and quieter than my local library! I don't know if it's the acoustics or the layout, but the sounds seem to get absorbed somehow.

Between the beautiful main waiting room, a lovely ClubAcela with excellent staff, and an easy regional rail trip from Center City, I often have spent half a day of one of my Philly local "getaway" trips just at 30th St.
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(I looked for the Newark station, but did not find it. I even looked for its name on the map going south, but did not see it. I guess you have to be from Delaware to figure out where it is in the video.
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)
 
Thank you, Acela150, for posting this. One of my favorite places--especially the main hall, and you're right about the feeling of coming up into it from the platform. It is also one of the most peaceful places I've ever been in--it is calmer and quieter than my local library! I don't know if it's the acoustics or the layout, but the sounds seem to get absorbed somehow.

Between the beautiful main waiting room, a lovely ClubAcela with excellent staff, and an easy regional rail trip from Center City, I often have spent half a day of one of my Philly local "getaway" trips just at 30th St.
default_smile.png


(I looked for the Newark station, but did not find it. I even looked for its name on the map going south, but did not see it. I guess you have to be from Delaware to figure out where it is in the video.
default_tongue.png
)
Watch around 2:38-2:43
 
I hope they eventually reconnect the station with the Market Street subway station, as part of the renovations...
There are plans to get new streetcars for the Market Street subway and all indictaions so far seems to be about articulated multi section cars. I guess that this would also imply modifications to the subway infrastructure, such as adapting platforms to enable level boarding, building elevators at the stops that don't have them yet etc. In other words, pretty much a total facelift of the public side of the subway. I guess that opening up and improing the connection could be made a part of all that.
That plan is nothing short of a fantasy right now that would take way to much money to put in place. I'll guess that they'll order Low Floor ADA Accessible Streetcars.

Their are plans to restore the underground passage from 30th Street to the Market Frankford Line and Trolleys. But that’s all it is. Plans.
The plan is to establish a covered, lower level plaza on the west side of the station that would open to the SEPTA subway station. The old passage would not be used.

attachicon.gif
30th_West.jpg
Thanks Bill.

Their are plans to restore the underground passage from 30th Street to the Market Frankford Line and Trolleys. But that’s all it is. Plans.
The plan is to establish a covered, lower level plaza on the west side of the station that would open to the SEPTA subway station. The old passage would not be used.

attachicon.gif
30th_West.jpg
IIRC, the old passage was pretty dang creepy. This looks like a vast improvement.

Any idea about the time frame for this?
The old passage was closed IINM due to Homeless and Drugs taking it over. Time frame?? A long time from now..
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I'm scratching my head at the Amtrak flack's claim that it's the only Amtrak station in the country where trains depart in all four directions. Yes, I get the fact that the upper level platforms are perpendicular to the lower level platforms. But that's a red herring, since the "westbound" SEPTA tracks immediately dump onto the Amtrak tracks that run underneath.

If she means that you can take a train north, south, east and west...well, that's true (although the eastbound service consists solely of a relatively limited NJT route to Atlantic City). But you can also do that in Chicago, and you don't have to rely on a local commuter operator to complete the compass points.
 
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