Amtrak, SEPTA envision underground concourse to connect 30th Street Station with SEPTA lines

A partnership that includes Amtrak and SEPTA is working to develop an underground concourse to link 30th Street Station and SEPTA's subway and trolley station across the street. (See renderings.)

The 30th Street Station is the third-busiest Amtrak station in the United States with direct connections to a number of modes of transportation, but "the modes do not clearly connect, creating a confusing and sometimes precarious experience for visitors," according to a draft of a 30th Street Station District Plan, which on Wednesday will be shown at an open house at the station for public feedback.

The 30th Street Station District, launched in the summer of 2014, is led by Amtrak, SEPTA, Brandywine Realty Trust, Drexel University and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The underground concourse — which will have a skylight — is the first step in a 35-year plan that includes the completion of an Innovation Neighborhood by Drexel University and Brandywine Realty Trust.

The final phase is planned for 2050, with the completion of the rail yard development.

The 30th Street Station District plan calls for an underground concourse that includes a "fully-integrated multi-modal system where passengers can travel by the modes of their choices with ease and comfort."

About 11 million passengers came through 30th Street Station in 2014, according to the draft — and that number is expected to double by 2040.

To meet that demand, the plan calls for updated retail offerings, and a reopening of the north concourse for passengers to increase Amtrak ridership and improve NJ Transit platform access by at least 50 percent, according to the draft.

The plan also calls for a permanent terminal for intercity buses like BoltBus and Megabus on the north side of Arch Street.

The buses currently board passengers on the sidewalk along JFK Boulevard, "an ad hoc location that lacks even a covered waiting area," according to the draft.

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The new bus terminal would connect with 30th Street Station by a pedestrian bridge and includes an indoor waiting area with bus queuing.

Street enhancements "to improve traffic circulation" for safe traveling for pedestrians and bicyclists are also in the mix.

The 30th Street Station District Plan also aims to "to create a new urban neighborhood" on the 88-acres of rail yards north of 30th Street Station.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal