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Suburban Station
The platform of Suburban Station in Philadelphia
General information
Location	1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	39°57′07″N 75°10′29″W / 39.95194°N 75.17472°W / 39.95194; -75.17472
Owned by	SEPTA
Line(s)	SEPTA Main Line (Center City Commuter Connection)
Platforms	5 island platforms
Tracks	8
Connections	(at City Hall), (at 15th Street) SEPTA City Bus: 2, 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 62 SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125
Construction
Bicycle facilities	22 rack spaces
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	CC
History
Opened	September 28, 1930 (1930-09-28) (replaced Broad Street station)
Rebuilt	2007
Previous names	Penn Center Station
Passengers
2017	25,062 boardings, 25,062 alightings (weekday average)
Rank	1 of 146
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station 30th Street Stationtoward Airport Airport Line Jeffersontoward Temple University 30th Street Stationtoward Chestnut Hill West Chestnut Hill West Line 30th Street Stationtoward Wawa Media/Wawa Line 30th Street Stationtoward Thorndale Paoli/​Thorndale Line 30th Street Stationtoward Trenton Trenton Line 30th Street Stationtoward Newark Wilmington/​Newark Line 30th Street Stationtoward Cynwyd Cynwyd Line Terminus 30th Street StationTerminus Chestnut Hill East Line Jeffersontoward Chestnut Hill East Fox Chase Line Jeffersontoward Fox Chase Lansdale/​Doylestown Line Jeffersontoward Doylestown 30th Street Stationtoward Penn Medicine Manayunk/​Norristown Line Jeffersontoward Norristown–Elm Street Warminster Line Jeffersontoward Warminster West Trenton Line Jeffersontoward West Trenton
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Philadelphia–30th Streettoward Washington, D.C. Chesapeake1980–1981 Terminus Philadelphia–30th Streettoward Harrisburg Keystone Service1981–1988 Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Philadelphiatoward Pottsville Schuylkill Branch Terminus Philadelphiatoward Chestnut Hill Chestnut Hill Line Philadelphiatoward White Marsh Fort Washington Branch Philadelphiatoward Norristown–Haws Avenue Norristown Line Philadelphiatoward Paoli Paoli Line Philadelphiatoward Trenton Trenton Line Philadelphiatoward West Chester West Chester Line Philadelphiatoward Wilmington Wilmington Line
Suburban Station Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architect	Graham, Anderson, Probst & White; Stewart, Joseph, & Co.
Architectural style	Art Deco
NRHP reference No.	85001962
Added to NRHP	September 5, 1985
Track layout JFK Blvd. and Cuthbert St. are omitted v t e Legend CHEFOXDOY NORWARWTR 15th St. CYN ends 16th St. 17th St. 18th St. 19th St. 20th St. AIRCHWCYNWAW THOTRENWK

Suburban Station is an art deco office building and underground commuter rail station in Penn Center in Philadelphia. Its official SEPTA address is 16th Street and JFK Boulevard. The station is owned and operated by SEPTA and is one of the three core Center City stations on the SEPTA Regional Rail and one of the busiest stations in the Regional Rail System.

The station, which was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad to replace the original Broad Street Station, opened on September 28, 1930.

History

20th century

The station opened as a stub-end terminal for Pennsylvania Railroad suburban commuter trains serving Center City Philadelphia, intended to replace the above-ground Broad Street Station in this function. PRR inter-city trains, on the other hand, would use 30th Street Station. The station's full name was originally Broad Street Suburban Station. It also includes a 21-story office tower, One Penn Center, which served as the headquarters of the PRR from 1930 to 1957.

When Amtrak took over the Silverliner Service from Penn Central in 1972, it was operated as a quasi-commuter service (Clockers and express trains to New York) that terminated at Suburban Station. The trains through Harrisburg were named Keystone Service in 1981. By the late 1980s, the Metroliners used for the service were in poor shape, but Amtrak had a shortage of AEM-7 locomotives due to wrecks.

On February 1, 1988, Amtrak converted all Keystone Service trains to diesel power and terminated them on the lower level of 30th Street Station, as diesel-powered trains were not allowed in the tunnels to Suburban Station. The change was listed as "temporary" on timetables starting on May 15, 1988, and lasting into 1990.

Suburban Station was originally a stub-end terminal station with eight tracks and four platforms. Plans for a tunnel to link the Pennsylvania and Reading commuter lines were floated as early as the 1950s, but funding to seriously study the project did not start until SEPTA's formation in the late 1960s. The project languished in the 1970s for want of funding until federal money was appropriated during Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo's time in office. SEPTA took over operation of all commuter rail service in the Philadelphia area in 1983; it previously contracted these operations to Conrail from 1976 to 1983 and to PRR and Reading from 1966 to 1976. A train crash occurred here on December 10, 1986, when an Airport Line train rammed a stopped Chestnut Hill West train injuring 42 people. The operator tested positive for drugs.

The link between the old PRR and Reading lines, the Center City Commuter Connection, opened in 1984. It extended four tracks eastward to the new Market East Station, now known as Jefferson Station, widened two of the existing platforms, added a fifth platform and realigned the tracks.

21st century

The renovated building above the station is the core of the Penn Center office complex, and is known as One Penn Center at Suburban Station. The office building attained an Energy Star Rating in 2009.

BLT Architects transformed Suburban Station in 2006. The station was redesigned to make navigation easier and adapt to current pedestrian traffic. Upgrades included increased retail space, a reactivated and improved HVAC system, and a restored/refurbished waiting area.

The station is now in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Comcast Center, situated on the north half of its block near Arch Street, adds a "winter garden" on the south side, which serves as a new back entrance to the station, with the commuter rail tracks about 50 feet below street level.

Services

All SEPTA Regional Rail trains stop at this station. All run through except those on the Cynwyd Line as well as some limited/express trains which terminate on one of the stub-end tracks at this station. Through trains usually change crews at this station.

The station has an extensive concourse level above track level. This concourse has SEPTA ticket offices, retail shops and restaurants, and access to other SEPTA stations and to several Center City buildings. The connections, via the large Center City Concourse, include the Broad Street Line at City Hall station, the Market–Frankford Line, Subway-Surface Lines at the 15th Street station, and the PATCO Speedline at 15–16th & Locust station.

Station layout

The station has a total of 8 tracks and 5 island platforms. It also includes a 7up, two Dunkin’s, an Enterjuicer, and more.

Gallery

• Aerial view of Suburban Station
• Front entrance of Suburban Station
• Underground entrance
• Waiting area
• Concourse shops
• Concourse shops
• Entrance to the concourse

References

1. ^ "Suburban Station". SEPTA. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
2. "Fare Zone Map" (PDF). SEPTA.
3. "FY 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
5. SEPTA | Suburban Station
6. "FY 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
7. Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY ITS PREDECESSORS AND SUCCESSORS AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1972" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.
8. Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service. National Railroad Passenger Corporation. October 29, 1972. p. 43 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
9. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. October 25, 1981. p. 22 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
10. ^ Baer, Christopher T. (April 2015). "A GENERAL CHRONOLOGY OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY ITS PREDECESSORS AND SUCCESSORS AND ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT: 1980-1989" (PDF). Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society.
11. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. May 15, 1988. p. 65 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
12. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. April 1, 1990. p. 69 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
13. Mark Fazlollah (August 22, 2017). "Notable SEPTA train accidents". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
14. "Suburban Station". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
15. BLTa Architects: Suburban Station
16. "Downtown Link Center City Concourse". SEPTA. Retrieved September 2, 2019.

External links

• SEPTA – Suburban Station
• Pennsylvania Railroad - Suburban Station (Pennsylvania Railroad Stations; Past & Present)
• JFK Boulevard and 17th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• JFK Boulevard and 18th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• JFK Boulevard and 16th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 16th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Main entrance from Google Maps Street View
• JFK Boulevard and 15th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View

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v t e  SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
Metro	Lines Current  Market–Frankford Line  Broad Street Line  Subway–Surface Trolleys  Route 10  Route 34  Route 13  Route 11  Route 36  Route 15 Trolley  Media–Sharon Hill Line  Norristown High Speed Line Former Trolley routes 6 23 50 53 56 60 Proposed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Stations Proposed List of stations Major stations 69th Street T.C. Darby T.C. Drexel Station at 30th Street Fern Rock T.C. Frankford T.C. Norristown T.C. Olney T.C. Equipment Proposed Kawasaki Type K LRV SEPTA PCC III B-4 M-4 N-5
Regional Rail	Lines Current      Airport Line      Chestnut Hill East Line      Chestnut Hill West Line      Cynwyd Line      Fox Chase Line      Glenside Combined      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line      Manayunk/​Norristown Line      Media/Wawa Line      Paoli/​Thorndale Line      Trenton Line      Warminster Line      West Trenton Line      Wilmington/​Newark Line Former Bethlehem Line Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge service Elwyn-West Chester service Fox Chase-Newtown service Pottsville Line Thorndale-Parkesburg service Proposed Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Stations Proposed List of current stations List of former stations Major stations 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University Equipment Current Siemens ACS-64 Comet Silverliner Silverliner IV Silverliner V  Former ABB ALP-44 EMD AEM-7 Silverliner Silverliner I Silverliner II Silverliner III
Buses and trolleybuses	Current Trackless trolley routes 59 66 75 City bus routes 6 23 29 35 37 38 53 56 60 79 Suburban bus routes 103 104 Former Trackless trolley routes 29 79
Miscellaneous	1983 Regional Rail strike 25 Hz traction power system Callowhill Depot Center City Commuter Connection SEPTA Key

v t e SEPTA Regional Rail stations
Airport	Terminals E & F Terminals C & D Terminal B Terminal A Eastwick Penn Medicine 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Chestnut Hill East	Chestnut Hill East Gravers Wyndmoor Mount Airy Sedgwick Stenton Washington Lane Germantown Wister Wayne Junction Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street
Chestnut Hill West	Chestnut Hill West Highland St. Martins Richard Allen Lane Carpenter Upsal Tulpehocken Chelten Avenue Queen Lane North Philadelphia 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Cynwyd	Cynwyd Bala Wynnefield Avenue 30th Street Suburban
Fox Chase	Fox Chase Cheltenham Lawndale Olney Wayne Junction Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street
Lansdale/Doylestown	Doylestown Delaware Valley University New Britain Chalfont Link Belt Colmar Fortuna 9th Street Lansdale Pennbrook North Wales Gwynedd Valley Penllyn Ambler Fort Washington Oreland North Hills Glenside Jenkintown–Wyncote Elkins Park Melrose Park Fern Rock Wayne Junction North Broad Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street
Manayunk/Norristown	Elm Street Main Street Norristown Conshohocken Spring Mill Miquon Ivy Ridge Manayunk Wissahickon East Falls Allegheny North Broad Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street Penn Medicine
Media/Wawa	Wawa Elwyn Media Moylan–Rose Valley Wallingford Swarthmore Morton Secane Primos Clifton–Aldan Gladstone Lansdowne Fernwood–Yeadon Angora 49th Street Penn Medicine 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Paoli/Thorndale	Thorndale Downingtown Whitford Exton Malvern Paoli Daylesford Berwyn Devon Strafford Wayne St. Davids Radnor Villanova Rosemont Bryn Mawr Haverford Ardmore Wynnewood Narberth Merion Overbrook 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Trenton	Trenton Levittown Bristol Croydon Eddington Cornwells Heights Torresdale Holmesburg Junction Tacony Bridesburg North Philadelphia 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Warminster	Warminster Hatboro Willow Grove Crestmont Roslyn Ardsley Glenside Jenkintown–Wyncote Elkins Park Melrose Park Fern Rock Wayne Junction North Broad Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street Penn Medicine
West Trenton	West Trenton Yardley Woodbourne Langhorne Neshaminy Falls Trevose Somerton Forest Hills Philmont Bethayres Meadowbrook Rydal Noble Jenkintown–Wyncote Elkins Park Melrose Park Fern Rock Wayne Junction Temple University Jefferson Suburban 30th Street Penn Medicine
Wilmington/Newark	Newark Churchmans Crossing Wilmington Claymont Marcus Hook Highland Avenue Chester Eddystone Crum Lynne Ridley Park Prospect Park Norwood Glenolden Folcroft Sharon Hill Curtis Park Darby Penn Medicine 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University
Former stations	52nd Street Allentown Andalusia Auburn Baldwin Barmouth Belle Mead Bethlehem Birdsboro Bound Brook Bryn Athyn Center Valley Cheyney Churchville Coatesville Columbia Avenue County Line Crescentville Darlington DeKalb Street Fellwick Fishers Frankford Junction Franklin Street Fulmor George School Glen Mills Glen Riddle Hamburg Hellertown Holland Hopewell Huntingdon Valley Ivy Rock Lamokin Street Leesport Lenni Locksley Logan Manayunk West Mohrsville Mogees Newark Penn Newtown Nicetown Parkesburg Phoenixville Pottstown Pottsville Quakertown Reading Terminal Royersford Schuylkill Haven Shawmont Shoemakersville Southampton Spring Garden Street Tioga Valley Forge Walnut Hill West Chester West Chester University Westmoreland Westtown Williamson School Wissinoming

• Former Amtrak stations in Pennsylvania
• Former Pennsylvania Railroad stations
• Penn Center, Philadelphia
• Railway stations in the United States opened in 1930
• Railway stations located underground in Pennsylvania
• Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia
• SEPTA Regional Rail stations
• Stations on the SEPTA Main Line
• Wilmington/Newark Line