30th Street Station

File:Removal of West Philadelphia station platforms, January 1931.jpg

The station is located at 2955 Market Street in the 30th Street Station District of the University City section of Philadelphia, near both the Schuylkill River and Center City.{{Cite web |url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/phl |title=Philadelphia, PA (PHL): 30th Street Station |website=Amtrak |access-date=May 10, 2018}} The building opened in 1933, and has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

30th Street Station is Amtrak's third-busiest station in the nation, and by far the busiest of the 24 stations in Pennsylvania, serving over four million Amtrak rail passengers and over 12 million SEPTA and NJ TRANSIT rail commuters annually. On any average weekday, 30th Street Station provides train service to over 100,000 passengers.[https://www.amtrak.com/philadelphia-30th-street-station-investment-development-program "30th Street Station Investment Development Program"], Amtrak.com]

Amtrak's code for the station is PHL. The station's IATA Airport Code is ZFV, which is used primarily by a codeshare agreement allowing United Airlines to sell Amtrak service between the station and Newark Liberty International Airport.

In the early 1900s, 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 eventually allowed the company to replace the inadequate Broad Street station with 30th Street Station, as well as build Suburban Station. The old Broad Street Station was a stub-end terminal in Center City Philadelphia, where through trains had to back in and out, and the company wanted a location which would accommodate trains between New York City and Washington, D.C. Broad Street station also handled a large commuter operation, which the new underground Suburban Station was built to handle.

Construction on 30th Street Station began in 1927 and the station opened in 1933, starting with two platform tracks.{{cite philarchmit}}{{rp|186}} Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the Chicago-based firm that succeeded 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,{{Cite web |url=https://gis.penndot.gov/CRGISAttachments/SiteResource/H001480_01H.pdf |title=30th Street Station" National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form |last=Dunson |first=Edward |date=February 3, 1978 |website=dot7.state.pa.us |access-date=November 15, 2014 |archive-date=June 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628144221/https://gis.penndot.gov/CRGISAttachments/SiteResource/H001480_01H.pdf |url-status=dead }} and contained a mortuary, a chapel and more than 3,000 square feet of hospital space. The vast waiting room is faced with travertine and the coffered ceiling is painted gold, red and cream. The building's exterior has columned porte-cocheres on the west and east facades, and shows a balance between classical and modern architectural styles.

Due in part to the Great Depression and World War II, the Broad Street station remained open until 1952.{{cite web|url=http://prrths.com/Downloads/Philly's~Subways~Railways~and~Stations1.pdf |title=The Subways, Railways and Stations of Philly: Written Material to Accompany a Mostly-Underground Tour from 30th Street Station to Market East station |website=prrths.com |last=Kyriakodis |first=Harry |publisher=Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society |date=February 9, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051211083617/http://prrths.com/Downloads/Philly%27s~Subways~Railways~and~Stations1.pdf |archive-date=December 11, 2005 }} Until 1958, 30th Street Station was one of two major intercity stations in Philadelphia; the other was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's station on Chestnut Street. However, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ended all service north of Baltimore in 1958, making 30th Street the major intercity terminal in the Delaware Valley metropolitan region.

In the 1970s, Amtrak installed a Solari board by Solari di Udine in the main waiting room to display train departure information. On November 30, 2018, officials announced that the board—by then, the railroad's last remaining Solari device—would be replaced with a digital board.{{cite news|title=End of an era: Flipping board at 30th Street Station to be replaced in January|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=November 30, 2018|url=https://6abc.com/travel/flipping-board-at-30th-street-station-to-be-replaced-in-january/4797646/|access-date=December 7, 2018}}{{cite news|url=http://www2.philly.com/news/amtrak-flipboard-th-street-station-saffron-20181212.html|title=After talk with Philly congressman, Amtrak says it may keep flipboard at 30th Street Station|last=Saffron|first=Inga|date=December 11, 2018|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|access-date=December 13, 2018}} A minor public outcry followed, and within days, Rep. Brendan Boyle urged Amtrak CEO Richard H. Anderson to reconsider.{{cite news|url=https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/12/amtrak-philadelphia-30th-street-station-split-flap-display-board/578053/

|access-date=2018-12-13|title=Philly Rallies to Save its Amtrak Station Flip Board - CityLab|newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=2018-12-13}}{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Gray|title=Iconic 30th Street Station flip board heading to museum|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=January 25, 2019|url=https://6abc.com/travel/iconic-30th-street-station-flip-board-heading-to-museum/5106712/|access-date=February 28, 2019}} In January 2019, Amtrak sent the board to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, reserving the right to reclaim it if it could be worked into the station's planned renovation.{{cite news|title=Philadelphia's iconic 30th Street Station flip board removed|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=January 26, 2019|url=https://6abc.com/travel/iconic-30th-street-station-flip-board-removed/5108205/|access-date=January 27, 2019}} On February 28, 2019, the new digital board began operation.{{cite news|title=New digital Amtrak sign in operation at 30th Street Station|publisher=WPVI-TV|location=Philadelphia, PA|date=February 28, 2019|url=https://6abc.com/travel/new-sign-in-operation-at-30th-street-station/5161531/|access-date=February 28, 2019}} The Museum placed the Solari board on static display in July 2019;{{cite news|last=Rush|first=Mariah|title=30th Street Station's old Amtrak Solari board now on display at Railroad Museum|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=July 30, 2019|url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/amtrak-solari-board-30th-street-station-railroad-museum-20190729.html|access-date=August 11, 2019}} after the renovation it will return as a design element.{{Cite web |title=Amtrak promises 30th Street's iconic flipboard will return, but (still) only as decoration |url=https://billypenn.com/2022/12/05/amtrak-flipboard-philadelphia-30th-street-station-solari-historic-display/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=Billy Penn |date=December 5, 2022 |language=en-US}}

File:The concourse of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.jpg style grand concourse]]

In 2005, Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trust asked Amtrak to change the name of 30th Street Station to "Ben Franklin Station" in honor of Benjamin Franklin{{Cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13481014.htm |title=Proposal calls for Ben Station: Renaming the 30th St. depot to honor Franklin is on the table |last=Saffron |first=Inga |date=December 25, 2005 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051228041434/http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13481014.htm |archive-date=December 28, 2005 |publisher=Interstate General Media}} and as part of the celebration of Franklin's 300th birthday in January 2006. The cost of replacing signs at the station was estimated at $3 million.

In January 2005, John F. Street, then the mayor of Philadelphia, announced his support for the name change, but others had mixed reactions to the proposal. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia, was lukewarm, while Amtrak officials worried that a "Ben" station could be confused with its other three "Penn" stations.{{Cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/family_guide/13614092.htm |title=Family Entertainment Guide |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} On January 25, 2006, Pew abandoned the campaign, giving no reason.

In August 2014, Congress passed legislation to rename the station William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in honor of William H. Gray III, a former U.S. Congressman from the Philadelphia area.{{USStatute|113|158|128|1838|2014|08|08|HR|4838}} At the time, the change was to occur "in the next few months".{{Cite web |url=http://6abc.com/news/30th-street-station-renamed-for-late-congressman/249744/ |title=30th Street Station Renames for Late Congressman |date=August 9, 2014 |website=6abc.com |publisher=WPVI-TV |access-date=November 15, 2014}}

In 2019, signs were installed outside the station with the new name and plans were announced for a statue of Gray and a memorial plaque.{{cite web |url=https://philly.curbed.com/2019/7/3/20680786/congressman-william-gray-signs-renaming-30th-street-station|title=William Gray III signs go up at 30th Street Station|website=Curbed Philadelphia|author= Anna Merriman|date=3 July 2019|access-date=15 November 2019}} The name change officially took effect on February 6, 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/renaming-of-th-street-station-in-honor-of-william-h/article_36c226ae-48cb-11ea-8b80-83b32ac0b862.html|title=Renaming of 30th Street Station in honor of William H. Gray III becomes official|first=John N.|last=Mitchell|website=The Philadelphia Tribune|date=February 6, 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-07}}

The building is owned by Amtrak and houses many Amtrak corporate offices, although Amtrak is officially headquartered near Union Station 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.[edit]

Hancock, Walker. "The Pennsylvania Railroad Memorial", American Artist 16 (October 1952), pp. 28–31.

The building was restored in 1991 by Dan Peter Kopple & Associates.{{cite philarch}}, p.106 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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blta.com/project/amtrak-30th-street-station-parking-garage-2/ |title=Amtrak 30th Street Station Parking Garage |website=BLTa |access-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923192320/http://www.blta.com/project/amtrak-30th-street-station-parking-garage-2/ |url-status=dead }} The following year in 2005, the Cira Centre office tower was opened between 30th Street and the garage, which was the station's first transit-oriented development built by Brandywine Realty Trust under a ground lease. A pedestrian bridge over Arch Street was also built, connecting from 30th Street Station's upper level to the parking garage and the Cira Centre; this prevents pedestrians from interacting with heavy traffic from PA 3 and I-76.{{Cite web |url=http://www.blta.com/project/arch-street-pedestrian-bridge-2/ |title=Arch Street Pedestrian Bridge |website=BLTa |access-date=March 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923192321/http://www.blta.com/project/arch-street-pedestrian-bridge-2/ |url-status=dead }}

In 2016, Amtrak, in partnership with Brandywine, Drexel University, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Architects, released the 30th Street Station District master plan.{{cite web |title=District Plan |url=https://www.phillydistrict30.com/district-plan |website=Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan |date=June 25, 2020 |publisher=Amtrak |access-date=27 May 2024}} Building off of Brandywine and Drexel's Schuylkill Yards project, this 35-year plan envisions a modernized and expanded 30th Street Station capable of hosting 20 to 25 million annual passengers, an expansion of the outdoor plaza, new connections to SEPTA Metro, and a centralized intercity bus terminal. Similar to New York's Hudson Yards, the plan also envisions up to 18 million square feet of potential development through Schuylkill Yards and expansion over Penn Coach Yard, potentially hosting 10,000 residents and 40,000 jobs.

In 2023, Amtrak, in partnership with Plenary Group, announced that work would start on a $400 million renovation of the station aided by funds from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, serving as the first phase of the District Plan.{{cite news |last1=Mann |first1=Ted |title=Flush With Cash, Amtrak Embarks on Ambitious Makeover |url=https://www.wsj.com/us-news/amtrak-train-makeover-60d5c487?mod=hp_lead_pos8 |access-date=2 October 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=1 October 2023}} The project encompasses modernized retail and food court spaces, consolidation of ticketing and operations to create more concourse space, expansion of the Market Street "Porch" plaza, renovated Amtrak offices and Metropolitan Lounge, and state of good repair; a direct connection to SEPTA is not in scope. Work commenced in early 2024 and will last until October 2027.{{cite web |title=Station Redevelopment |url=https://www.gray30thstreetstation.com/station-redevelopment |website=William H. Gray III 30th Street Station Redevelopment |publisher=Amtrak |access-date=27 May 2024}}

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

File:30th Street Station SEPTA concourse entrance.jpeg's concourse at 30th Street Station]]

{{30th Street Station (Philadelphia)}}

Trains from SEPTA, Amtrak, and NJ Transit serve the station. The three east-west Upper Level platforms serve SEPTA Regional Rail; all 13 Regional Rail lines stop at the station. It is one of three stations that are part of the Center City Commuter Connection. The north-south Lower Level platforms serve Amtrak trains, as well as NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line.{{cite web |title=30th street station |url=https://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=1 |website=NJ Transit |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422185801/http://www.njtransit.com/rg/rg_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=TrainStationLookupFrom&selStation=1 |url-status=dead }}

SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line (also known as the "El") and all of SEPTA's subway–surface lines (routes T1 through T5) stop at the 30th Street subway station, less than half a block, or {{convert|0.1|mile|km}}, from the southwest entrance to 30th Street Station. A pedestrian tunnel once directly connected the underground subway station with all five lower level passenger platforms of 30th Street Station.{{cite web |url=https://digital.library.temple.edu/digital/collection/p15037coll3/id/66077/rec/160 |title=Map showing thirtieth street station, underground concourse, and subway|access-date=30 April 2022}} This was closed in the 1980s, reportedly due to safety concerns. SEPTA and Amtrak floated reopening the tunnel in the early 2000s, but the September 11 attacks derailed those plans.{{Cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/Archive_Subway_riders_get_shortchanged_at_30th_St_Station.html |title=Subway riders get shortchanged at 30th St. Station |last=Saffron |first=Inga |date=March 7, 2003 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}

A number of SEPTA bus routes stop at or near the station, including Routes 9, 30, 31, 44, 49, 62, 124, 125, and LUCY (Loop through University City).{{cite web |url=http://www.septa.org/stations/rail/30th.html |title=30th Street Station|website=SEPTA |access-date=11 December 2018}}

{{Main|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.{{Citation needed|date = March 2018}}

The station has an Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge, which is accessible to Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus and Select Executive members, Acela Express first-class passengers, sleeping car passengers on overnight trains, and private railcar owners and lessees when the car is being hauled by Amtrak.

Budget Rent a Car, National, Avis, Alamo, and Hertz Rent A Car rent cars at counters in 30th Street Station.

Zipcar vehicles are parked outside 30th Street Station, mostly in reserved parking spaces on the south side of the station or, during construction, in the controlled-access parking lot outside Cira Centre.

30th Street Station is featured in several films including Glass (2019), The Visit (2015), The Happening (2008), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), Unbreakable (2000), Witness (1985), Trading Places (1983), Blow Out (1981), Marnie (1964), The Burglar (1957), and Pride of the Marines (1945).{{cite AV media|title=Pride of the Marines|publisher=Warner Brothers|year=1945|time=0:30:00 and 1:41:00|type=DVD}}{{cite web|url=https://www.phillymag.com/ticket/2015/11/12/alfred-hitchcock-philly-grace-kelly/ |title=Alfred Hitchcock's Philly Obsession: 14 Hints He Loved the City of Brotherly Love |date=November 12, 2015 |publisher=Philly Mag |access-date=2019-03-24}}

In television, the station is featured in the recurring opening credits of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 2, episode 7). It also appears in the 2010 video game Heavy Rain.

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Amtrak web|PHL|Philadelphia 30th Street Station}}

• {{SEPTA links}}
• [https://www.njtransit.com/station/philadelphia-30th-street-station 30th Street Station] at NJ Transit
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) documentation:
• {{HAER |survey=PA-404-A |id=pa3545 |title=Thirtieth Street Station, Power Director Center |link=no}}
• {{HAER |survey=PA-404-B |id=pa3881 |title=Thirtieth Street Station, Load Dispatch Center |link=no}}
• Google Maps Street View: [https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9555511,-75.1803623,3a,75y,281.83h,90.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ssi8wxHf20EOw4O65Eo8pxw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Schyulkill Avenue (eastern entrance)], [https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9557839,-75.1832242,3a,75y,94.48h,96.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sNNFcDuGuLb7NogV_y8QqyQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en 30th Street (western entrance)], [https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9547065,-75.1821947,3a,60y,15.4h,91.98t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJResaTF4wZsn-h7QX7TWPQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en Market Street (southern entrance)]

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