Franklin Square station

{{For|the former station in New York City|Franklin Square station (IRT Third Avenue Line)}}

{{Infobox station

| name = Franklin Square

| style = PATCO

| image = Franklin Square Station (PATCO).jpg

| caption = Headhouse in Franklin Square in March 2025

| address = 7th and Race streets

| borough = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| coordinates = {{coord|39.95465|-75.14953|region:US-PA_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}

| owned = Delaware River Port Authority

| platform = 2 side platforms

| tracks = 2

| connections = {{bus icon}} SEPTA City Bus: {{SEPTA bus link|47}}, {{SEPTA bus link|47M}}

| structure = Underground

| accessible = Yes

| website = {{URL|thefranklinsquarestation.com}}

| opened = {{Unbulleted list|June 7, 1936|April 1, 1952|May 14, 1976|April 3, 2025}}

| closed = {{Unbulleted list|July 10, 1939|late 1952{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}|September 7, 1979}}

| rebuilt = {{Unbulleted list|1975–1976{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}|2022–2025}}

| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=PATCO|line=Speedline|left=8th & Market|right=City Hall}}

| mapframe = yes

| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |line=none |marker=rail-metro |marker-color=#{{rcr|PATCO}} |zoom=15 }}

}}

Franklin Square station is an underground rapid transit station on the PATCO Speedline, operated by the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). It is located beneath Franklin Square, at 7th and Race streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. First opened on June 7, 1936, Franklin Square station has had several periods of closure and reopening due to low ridership. The station's most recent reopening occurred on April 3, 2025, marking the first time since 1979 that PATCO trains have stopped at the station.

The station is the easternmost stop on the PATCO Speedline in Pennsylvania, situated just west of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which connects Philadelphia to Camden, New Jersey. Its location serves as a key access point for travelers from South Jersey to nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and Old City attractions.

This is one of the few PATCO stations that does not have 24-hour service; the station is closed daily between 12:15 am and 4:15 am.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-03 |title=Schedules |url=https://www.ridepatco.org/schedules/schedules.asp |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=PATCO}}

History

= Bridge Line station =

File:Franklin Square Alleyway.jpg

Franklin Square station was constructed starting in 1934, with houses demolished on the west side of Franklin Square to make way for the Bridge Line rapid transit service to New Jersey, utilizing cut-and-cover techniques. Beneath the square, the tunnels are split apart, with the tracks closer together on the southwest corner and gradually spreading further apart toward the northeast corner. This shift occurs as the tracks are positioned on the outsides of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River. During construction, about half of the trees in the park were removed. Afterward, the park was restored with new walkways, trees, and grass.{{Cite report |url=http://phillyarchaeology.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Franklin-Square1.pdf |title=An Archeological Sensitivity Study of Franklin Square |last=McVarish |first=Douglas C. |last2=Yamin |first2=Rebecca |last3=Roberts |first3=Daniel G. |date=2005 |publisher=John Milner Associates, Inc. |access-date=August 20, 2014}}

The station opened along with the rest of the Bridge Line on June 7, 1936, alongside three other stations: City Hall and Broadway in Camden, and 8th Street in Philadelphia.{{Cite web |date=June 12, 2002 |title=PATCO History |url=http://trainweb.org/phillynrhs/patco.html |access-date=July 19, 2014 |publisher=National Railway Historical Society, Philadelphia Chapter}} However, due to low ridership, with only 1.5% of passengers using the stop, the station was closed on July 10, 1939.{{Cite news |date=July 7, 1939 |title=Bridge Line Station To Be Closed Monday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-bridge-line-st/168469236/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=221 |issue=7}}

= Sporadic reopenings and closures =

The station remained closed for over a decade until it briefly reopened in 1952, following the discontinuation of the Philadelphia and Camden Ferry across the Delaware River in April.{{Cite news |date=March 28, 1952 |title=Bridge Line Stop To Be Reopened |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-bridge-line-st/168468857/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=15 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=246 |issue=88}}{{Cite web |last=Baer |first=Christopher T. |date=April 2015 |title=A General Chronology of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Its Predecessors and Successors, and its Historical Context (1952) |url=http://prrths.com/newprr_files/Hagley/PRR1952.pdf |access-date=March 20, 2025 |website=The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society |page=7}}{{Cite news |date=March 28, 1952 |title=Franklin Sq. Station Will Open Tues. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/courier-post/168447421/ |work=Courier-Post |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |last=Trinacria |first=Joe |date=September 21, 2017 |title=PATCO's Philly Ghost Station Just Got Closer to Reopening |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/09/21/patco-ghost-station-franklin-square-reopening-drpa/ |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=Philadelphia |language=en-US}} On January 4, 1969, Franklin Square was ceremonially reopened for one day to mark the launch of the PATCO Speedline, but it did not resume regular service at that time.{{Cite news |date=May 22, 1975 |title=Authority Approves Reopening Of Franklin Square Station |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-authority-appr/168469438/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=2B (14) |via=Newspapers.com |volume=292 |issue=142}}

The station underwent a $1 million renovation before reopening as a fully functional PATCO station on May 14, 1976, to serve the United States Bicentennial celebrations in the nearby Independence National Historical Park area.{{Cite news |date=May 13, 1976 |title=Speed Line to Wheel Open Franklin Sq. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news-speed-line-to-wh/168469102/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=Philadelphia Daily News |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=52 |issue=29}}{{Cite news |date=May 14, 1976 |title=The Franklin Square Station will open this morning. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-the-franklin-s/168469178/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=2B (14) |via=Newspapers.com |volume=294 |issue=135}} During the peak of the celebrations, Franklin Square Station saw more than 27,000 riders each week. However, after the celebrations ended, ridership again declined. By 1979, fewer than 400 people a day were boarding at the station, leading to its closure once again on September 7, 1979.{{Cite news |date=July 19, 1979 |title=Franklin Square station of Lindenwold line to close |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-franklin-squar/168469304/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |page=2B (14) |via=Newspapers.com |volume=301 |issue=19}} At that time, the DRPA, the parent agency of PATCO, committed to maintaining the station for future reopening if demand warranted.{{Cite news |date=August 3, 1979 |title=Doomed to Failure |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news-doomed-to-failur/168469478/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=Philadelphia Daily News |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=55 |issue=106}} The bicentennial-era headhouse was demolished in 1983.{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1983 |title=Franklin Sq. Station a Bicen Memory |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news-franklin-sq-sta/168469533/ |access-date=March 20, 2025 |publisher=Philadelphia Daily News |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com |volume=58 |issue=248}}

= 2020s reopening =

File:Franklin Square Station Platform.jpgIn 2009, the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) began planning for the renovation and modernization of Franklin Square station.{{Cite press release |title=DRPA Board Takes First Step Toward Reopening Franklin Square Station |date=July 15, 2009 |publisher=PATCO |url=http://ridepatco.org/news/news.asp?param=2&pubnumber=888 |accessdate=July 19, 2014}} The project was officially announced in 2016, with an initial reopening target of 2021.{{Cite news |date=December 5, 2016 |title=PATCO plans to reopen dormant Franklin Square station in Philly |url=http://www.phillyvoice.com/five-year-plan-patco-plans-reopen-unused-franklin-station-philly/ |access-date=January 8, 2017 |work=PhillyVoice}} However, delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the construction start to mid-2021, with the anticipated opening set for Fall 2024.{{Cite web |title=PATCO's Franklin Square station to open later this year |url=https://whyy.org/articles/patco-franklin-square-station-open-2024/ |access-date=April 5, 2024 |website=WHYY |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Darryl C. |date=December 22, 2020 |title=PATCO still on track to reopen Franklin Square Station despite pandemic hit |url=https://whyy.org/articles/patco-still-on-track-to-reopen-franklin-square-station-despite-pandemic-hit/ |access-date=March 13, 2023 |website=WHYY}}

The $29.3 million renovation, which got underway in 2022, involved extensive upgrades to the station's mechanical, electrical, and structural systems.{{Cite web |last=Moselle |first=Aaron |date=July 1, 2022 |title=Closed for over 40 years, Franklin Square PATCO station ramps up construction |url=https://whyy.org/articles/philly-patco-station-construction-to-reopen/ |access-date=March 13, 2023 |website=WHYY}} The new headhouse features transparent speckled smoked glass designed to prevent bird collisions, as well as a green roof to manage stormwater runoff. The underground platform and concourses were refurbished with energy-efficient LED lighting and modern communication systems, while preserving the station’s original 1930s green-and-white tiles. The project also made the station more accessible by adding elevators, escalators, and ramps to improve ease of access.{{Cite press release |title=PATCO Franklin Square Station to Open on April 3 |date=March 19, 2025 |url=https://www.ridepatco.org/news/news.asp?param=2&archive=0&publication=19&pubnumber=6136 |access-date=April 7, 2025 |website=PATCO}} The station ultimately reopened on April 3, 2025.{{cite web |last=Pileggi |first=JoAnn |date=April 3, 2025 |title=PATCO's modernized Franklin Square Station reopens |url=https://www.fox29.com/news/patcos-modernized-franklin-square-station-reopens |access-date=April 7, 2025 |publisher=FOX 29 Philadelphia}}{{cite web |date=April 3, 2025 |title=Philadelphia leaders open new PATCO Franklin Square station |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/video/philadelphia-leaders-open-new-patco-franklin-square-station/ |access-date=April 7, 2025 |website=CBS News}} The station is expected to serve around 1,500 riders daily.{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2025 |title=The Return of Franklin Square Station |url=https://wwww.septa.org/news/franklin-square-station/ |access-date=April 7, 2025 |website=Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority}}

References

External links

{{Official website|https://www.thefranklinsquarestation.com/}}
[http://www.philly.com/philly/news/A_time_trip_into_PATCOs_ghost_station.html "Ghost station: Franklin Square"]. Story by Paul Nussbaum & photos by Colin Kerrigan. Philadelphia Inquirer. March 19, 2015.

Category:PATCO Speedline stations in Philadelphia

Category:Railway stations in Philadelphia

Category:Abandoned rapid transit stations

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1936

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1952

Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1976

Category:1936 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:1952 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:1976 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:1939 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

Category:1952 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

Category:1979 disestablishments in Pennsylvania

Category:Railway stations located underground in Pennsylvania

Category:Railway stations scheduled to open in 2025

Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1939

Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1979