30th Street Station

This article is about the Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail station. For the subway and trolley station, see 30th Street (SEPTA station).

Philadelphia–30th Street Station Amtrak station SEPTA Regional Rail commuter station New Jersey Transitcommuter rail station
(2007)
Station statistics
Address	2955 Market Street Philadelphia 19104-2989
Coordinates	39.9557°N 75.1820°W / 39.9557; -75.1820
Lines	Amtrak:   Acela Express   Cardinal   Carolinian   Crescent   Keystone Service   Palmetto   Pennsylvanian   Northeast Regional   Silver Star   Silver Meteor   Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail:   Airport Line   Chestnut Hill East Line   Chestnut Hill West Line   Cynwyd Line   Fox Chase Line   Lansdale/Doylestown Line   Manayunk/Norristown Line   Media/Elwyn Line   Paoli/Thorndale Line   Trenton Line   Warminster Line   West Trenton Line   Wilmington/Newark Line New Jersey Transit:   Atlantic City Line
Connections	Market–Frankford Line at 30th Street   Subway–Surface Trolleys All Routes SEPTA City Bus: 9, 12, 21, 30, 31, 42, 44, 62, 121, LUCY SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125 Megabus: M21, M23, M29, M30, M31, M32, M34 BoltBus
Platforms	3 island platforms (upper level), 6 lower level
Tracks	6 (upper level), 9 (lower level)
Baggage check	Available for Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional 66, 67, Palmetto, Silver Meteor and Silver Star services
Other information
Opened	1933
Accessible
Code	PHL
Owned by	Amtrak
Fare zone	C (SEPTA)
Traffic
Passengers (2012)	580 (Average weekday) (NJT)
Passengers (2012)	4.069 million (Annually)  5.1% (Amtrak)
Passengers (2013)	16,662 (Average weekday) (SEPTA)
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Wilmington toward Washington, D.C. Acela Express Trenton toward Boston South Station Wilmington toward Chicago Cardinal Trenton toward New York City Wilmington toward Charlotte Carolinian Wilmington toward New Orleans Crescent Wilmington toward Savannah Palmetto Paoli toward Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Wilmington toward Miami Silver Meteor Silver Star Ardmore, Pennsylvania toward Harrisburg Keystone Service North Philadelphia toward New York City Wilmington toward Norfolk, Newport News or Lynchburg Northeast Regional North Philadelphia toward Boston South Station or Springfield Wilmington toward Washington, D.C. Vermonter Trenton toward St. Albans SEPTA University City toward Airport Terminals Airport Line Suburban Station toward Temple University Terminus Chestnut Hill East Line Suburban Station toward Chestnut Hill East North Philadelphia toward Chestnut Hill West Chestnut Hill West Line Suburban Station toward Temple University Wynnefield Ave toward Cynwyd Cynwyd Line Suburban Station Terminus Terminus Fox Chase Line Suburban Station toward Fox Chase Lansdale/Doylestown Line Suburban Station toward Doylestown Manayunk/Norristown Line Suburban Station toward Elm Street, Norristown University City toward Elwyn Media/Elwyn Line Suburban Station toward Temple University Overbrook toward Thorndale Paoli/Thorndale Line North Philadelphia toward Trenton Trenton Line University City Terminus Warminster Line Suburban Station toward Warminster West Trenton Line Suburban Station toward West Trenton University City toward Newark Wilmington/Newark Line Suburban Station toward Temple University NJ Transit Rail Terminus Atlantic City Line Cherry Hill toward Atlantic City
Thirtieth Street Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	W. River Dr., Market, 30th, and Arch Sts. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Built:	1927-1933
Architect:	Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
Architectural style:	Classical Revival
Governing body:	Department of Transportation
NRHP Reference#:	78002456
Added to NRHP:	June 7, 1978

The 30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the seven stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors. At the end of fiscal year 2010, a total of 3,787,331 Amtrak passengers used 30th Street, making it the 3rd busiest Amtrak station in the system.

The station's address is 2955 Market Street, and is located across from the United States Post Office-Main Branch. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Because Amtrak's service to Newark Liberty International Airport is codeshared with United Airlines, the station has the IATA Airport Code of ZFV.

History

The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which was headquartered in Philadelphia, acquired tunnel rights from the Schuylkill River to 15th Street from the city of Philadelphia in return for land that the city needed to construct the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. This right enabled the company to build both Suburban Station and the 30th Street Station, which replaced Broad Street Station as the latter was too small to handle Philadelphia's passenger-rail traffic. Broad St. Station was a stub-end terminal in Center City and through trains had to back in and out, and the company desired a location which would accommodate through-traffic between New York City and Washington. D.C. Broad St. Station also handled a large commuter operation, which the new underground Suburban Station was built to handle. (Because of the Depression and World War II, Broad St. Station continued to operate until 1952.)

The Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the successor to D.H. Burnham & Company, designed the structure, originally known as Pennsylvania Station–30th Street in accord with the naming style of other Pennsylvania Stations. Its design was influenced by the Northeast Corridor electrification that allowed trains to pass beneath the station without exposing passengers to soot as steam engines of earlier times had. The station had a number of innovative features, including a pneumatic tube system, an electronic intercom, and a reinforced roof with space for small aircraft to land, and contained a mortuary, a chapel and more than 3,000 square feet of hospital space.

Construction began in 1927, and the station opened in 1933, shortly after the peak of the PRR's expansion. The vast waiting room is faced with marble and the coffered ceiling is painted gold, red and cream. The building's exterior has columned porte-cocheres on both the west and east facade, and exhibits a balance between classical and modern architectural styles.

"Ben Franklin Station"

On December 25, 2005 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trust had asked Amtrak to change the name of 30th Street Station to "Ben Franklin Station". The change would have coincided with the celebration of Ben Franklin's 300th birthday in January 2006. The cost of replacing signage at the train station was estimated at $3 million.

On January 13 the Inquirer reported that Philadelphia Mayor John Street, who initially said he was unaware of the request, had thrown his support behind the name change. Philadelphians had mixed reactions to the proposal, according to the Inquirer stories. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia, was lukewarm, and Amtrak officials worried that a "Ben" station could be confused with its other three "Penn" stations. Pew and Amtrak officials said that conversations were continuing, but the newspaper quoted Philadelphia charity manager H. F. Lenfest as saying that Pew had abandoned its proposal. On January 25, 2006 Pew announced that it was abandoning its campaign, giving no reason.

Overview of the lines serving 30th Street.

Present day

The building is owned by Amtrak and houses many Amtrak corporate offices, although Amtrak is officially headquartered in Washington, D.C. The 562,000 ft² (52,000 m²) facility features a cavernous main passenger concourse with ornate Art Deco decor.

Prominently displayed is the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial, which honors Pennsylvania Railroad employees killed in World War II. It consists of a bronze statue of the archangel Michael lifting the body of a dead soldier out of the flames of war, and was sculpted by Walker Hancock in 1950. On the four sides of the base of that sculpture are the 1,307 names of those employees in alphabetical order.

The building was restored in 1991 by Dan Peter Kopple & Associates. When the station was renovated, updated retail amenities were added. They include several shops, a large food court, car rental facilities, Saxbys Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, and others.

The Amtrak 30th Street Parking Garage was designed by BLT Architects and completed in 2004. This nine-level, double helix garage provides 2,100 parking spaces and glass enclosed stair tower and elevator to offer views of Philadelphia. The following year (2005) the Arch Street Pedestrian Bridge was completed and designed with contribution from BLT Architects. The Arch Street Pedestrian Bridge provides direct access for pedestrians from 30th Street Station to the parking garage and Cira Centre; this prevents pedestrians from interacting with heavy traffic from PA 3 and I-76.

Busiest station

The station is one of the busiest intercity passenger railroad facilities in the United States. The station also has extensive local and regional passenger volume; it is one of SEPTA's three primary regional rail hubs. It is within walking distance of various attractions in West Philadelphia, notably the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University in University City.

Street access

Many important highways and streets pass next to or near the station. Vehicles and taxicabs can easily access the station from various major routes, including Market Street (PA 3), Interstate 76 (more commonly known as the Schuylkill Expressway in the Philadelphia area), and Interstate 676 (more commonly known as the Vine Street Expressway in the city of Philadelphia). The John F. Kennedy Boulevard Bridge is just east of the station.

Rail access

Trains from SEPTA, Amtrak, and New Jersey Transit serve the station. The three east-west Upper Level platforms serve SEPTA Regional Rail suburban trains. The north-south Lower Level platforms serve Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains.

SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line (also known as the "El") and all of SEPTA's Subway-Surface Lines stop at the 30th Street subway station, less than 1/2 block (< 1/10 mile) from the southwest entrance to 30th Street Station. A tunnel connecting the underground subway station and 30th Street Station was closed due to crime and vagrancy concerns.

A number of the SEPTA system's bus lines include stops at the station on their routes.

Cira Centre

Cira Centre, a 28-story glass-and-steel office tower opened in October 2005, is across Arch Street to the north and is connected by a skyway at the station's mezzanine level next to the upper-level SEPTA Regional Rail platforms. The tower is owned by Philadelphia-based Brandywine Realty Trust, was designed by architect César Pelli and BLT Architects, and sits on land leased from Amtrak. César Pelli is best known for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A collection of equipment at Race Street in 2000

Amtrak maintenance facilities

Amtrak owns and operates the Penn Coach Yard and Race Street Engine House equipment repair and maintenance facility at 30th Street.

Station facilities

ClubAcela

The station is home to one of four ClubAcelas in the Amtrak System for First Class Acela Passengers. Passengers that can enter the facility include Amtrak Guest Rewards members with a ClubAcela pass, Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus members, Acela Express First Class Passengers, Sleeping Car Passengers on overnight trains, and United Airlines United Club members.

Rental cars and car sharing

Budget Rent a Car, National, Avis, Alamo, and Hertz Rent A Car offer rental car services at counters located inside of 30th Street Station.

Zipcar and PhillyCarShare vehicles are located outside 30th Street Station. Most of these vehicles parked in reserved parking spaces located on the south side of the station building.

Gallery

• 

  A bird's eye view (April 1977)

• 

  Corinthian columns of the portico

• 

  The station's Art Deco main waiting room

• 

  Another view of the interior, looking northwest

• 

  The Angel of the Resurrection (1952) by Walker Hancock

• 

  Spirit of Transportation (1895) by Karl Bitter

• 

  Upper level platforms

• 

  Skylight above SEPTA tracks 5 & 6

In popular culture

The station was featured in the 1981 film Blow Out, the 1983 film Trading Places, the 1985 film Witness starring Harrison Ford, and the 2010 videogame Heavy Rain.

See also

• Philadelphia portal

• Amtrak
• Broad Street Station
• Center City Commuter Connection
• Commuter rail in North America

• New Jersey Transit
• Reading Terminal
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
• Suburban Station

References

Notes

External links

• Amtrak – Stations – 30th Street Station

• NJT rail station information page for 30th Street Station
• DepartureVision real time train information for 30th Street Station
• Atlantic City Line schedule
• Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Homepage – see "Historical Architectural Projects" pages
• Aerial perspective photo link
• Station Building from 30th Street from Google Maps Street View
• Station Building from Market Street from Google Maps Street View
• Upper Level (SEPTA) platforms from Google Maps Street View