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SEPTA Opens New Station, Celebrates Reconstruction of Another

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in Philadelphia cele­brated the opening of its first new regional rail station in almost 20 years, the 9th Street Regional Rail Station in Lansdale, on Nov. 16—three days after the agency marked the completed reconstruction of the historic Wayne Junction Station in the city’s Nicetown neighborhood.

The 9th Street Station, which opened to the public Nov. 15, was developed through a public-private partnership among SEPTA, Lansdale Borough, Lansdale Parking Authority and a local property management company to promote ­revitalization of a large industrial site and mixed use, transit-oriented development.

“This is a true public-private partnership,” SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel said. “Cooperation on this initiative has been extraordinary and the new station facilities will be a catalyst for smart growth opportunities in Lansdale.”

The station is situated on an industrial site acquired in the 1990s for new residential development and a SEPTA train station and parking lot. That project was not completed in large part because of the economic downturn late in that decade. When the developer returned to ideas for the site almost a decade later, Lansdale Borough brought SEPTA into the process.

The station, which opened to the ­public Nov. 15, is fully ADA accessible with a high-level platform capable of expansion to meet future demand, galvanized steel entrance structure, weather-protected waiting shelter, modernized grade crossing and signal system, landscaping and stormwater management system. The site also offers 78 spaces of permanent parking and a 125-space temporary parking lot.

The Wayne Junction Station, originally designed by renowned architect Frank Furness, has been a regionally significant transportation hub since it opened in 1881. The station building is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, but it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

SEPTA had deferred the $31.5 million project because of funding constraints until 2011, when it received a $4 million FTA Livability Grant. This reconstruction comes on the heels of SEPTA’s ground breaking for several ADA improvements at its 40th Street Station, featured in the Nov. 16 Passenger Transport.

“The modernization of the Wayne Junction rail station makes it more inviting for people to take the train, and that will make these neighborhoods, and others throughout metro Philadelphia, more livable and more sustainable,” said FTA Acting Administrator McMillan, who attended the event. “For residents and businesses in Nicetown, the completion of this project means they will benefit from safer, more accessible and environmentally friendly access to SEPTA transportation services.”

Knueppel said, “Wayne Junction Station is a critical part of the SEPTA system, and we’re thrilled to be able to deliver these improvements to our riders and the community. The reconstruction delivers full ADA accessibility and long-needed modern amenities for our riders while preserving the station’s rich history.”

The station—a multimodal transfer point that serves six regional rail lines, a trackless trolley route and two bus routes—remained open during construction. It features new or upgraded station platforms and elevators; power, signal and track infrastructure; passenger tunnels and stairways; and signage, lighting, Audio Visual Public Announcement and HVAC systems, shelters, canopies and benches.

SEPTA worked closely with the community to retain the station’s historic significance while positioning it as a center of economic growth in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The project received the 2015 Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The project is already helping spur transit-oriented development in the growing communities surrounding the station.

“This station is the gateway to the growing Nicetown neighborhood,” said Majeedah Rashid, chief operating officer of the Nicetown Community Development Corporation.

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