Drexel Station at 30th Street

Drexel Station at 30th Street (known as 30th Street station prior to 2024) is an underground SEPTA Metro station in Philadelphia. It is located on Market Street between 30th and 31st Streets in the University City neighborhood, adjacent to 30th Street Station and Drexel University. The station features four tracks – the inner pair serving the L and the outer pair for the T.

Drexel Station at 30th Street
Primary entrance at the northwest corner of 30th and Market Streets in April 2024
General information
Location	30th and Market Streets Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°57′18″N 75°11′01″W
Owned by	SEPTA
Platforms	1 island platform 2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	Amtrak, NJ Transit Rail, SEPTA Regional Rail (at 30th Street Station) SEPTA City Bus: 9, 30, 31, 44, 49, 62, LUCY SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125 NJ Transit Bus: 313, 315, 316, 414, 417, 555
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Accessible	Yes No
History
Opened	November 6, 1955 (November 6, 1955)[1]
Rebuilt	2024[2]
Previous names	30th Street (1955-2024)
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Metro Following station 34th Street toward 69th Street 15th St/​City Hall toward Frankford 33rd Street toward 63rd–Malvern/​Overbrook 22nd Street toward 13th Street 33rd Street toward 61st–Baltimore/​Angora 33rd Street toward Yeadon or Darby 33rd Street toward Darby 33rd Street toward 80th/​Eastwick
Location

History

Trolley platform at 30th Street

Drexel Station at 30th Street opened on November 6, 1955 by the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC),^[3] built as a replacement for the elevated 32nd Street station that had opened in 1907 as part of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company's original Market Street subway–elevated line from 69th Street T.C. to 15th Street, which was elevated west of 23rd Street.^[4][1]

The PRT announced a project to bury the elevated tracks between 23rd to 46th streets in the 1920s.^[5] The tunnel from 23rd to 32nd streets was completed by 1933, but construction on the remaining segment was put on hiatus due to the Great Depression and World War II.^[5] The PRT went bankrupt in 1939 and was reorganized as the PTC,^[6] which began building the rest of the tunnel in 1947.^[5]

The underground station is half a block southwest of 30th Street Station, the city's main intercity rail and commuter rail station. A tunnel previously connected the two stations, but was closed in the 1980s, reportedly due to safety concerns. Amtrak and SEPTA considered reopening the tunnel in the early 2000s, but the September 11 attacks ended those plans.^[7]

In December 2018, SEPTA received a $15 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation to make significant improvements to the station.^[8][9] The improvement project was projected to cost over $37 million, with remaining funds contributed by SEPTA's capital budget and the developer Brandywine Realty Trust,^[8] which owns 3000-3020 Market Street directly above the subway station^[10] and is planning the Schuylkill Yards megaproject. The project calls for improvements to the station's mezzanine, as well as reopening and renovating the underground concourse connecting the subway station with the main 30th Street Station building.^[8] A second access point to the station at the corner of 31st and Market streets reopened in late 2019, which includes a staircase and new elevator.^[11] The full project was expected to be completed in 2021, but was not ultimately completed until April 2024.^[9][2]

The 30th Street Station District, a development plan, called for the station house at the northwest corner of 30th and Market streets to be rebuilt.^[12] Work began on station renovations in 2020.^[2] On December 21, 2023, SEPTA announced that Drexel University had bought naming rights to the station for five years, which would change the station name to Drexel Station at 30th Street.^[13][14] New signage with the name, the first to adhere to SEPTA Metro, was added in February 2024.^[15] The name change officially took effect when the renovated station opened in April 2024.^[2]

Station layout

The station has a high-level island platform for Market–Frankford trains and two low-level side platforms for subway–surface trolleys.

Bus connections

In addition to rail services, the station is also served by numerous bus routes including routes 9, 30, 31, 44, 49, 62, 78, and LUCY operated by the SEPTA City Transit Division, routes 124 and 125 operated by the SEPTA Suburban Division, and NJ Transit bus routes 313, 315, 414, 417, and 555 serving New Jersey.

Image gallery

• Post-renovation
• 
  L platform entrance
• 
  Westbound T platform entrance

• Pre-renovation
• 
  L platform
• 
  Free transfer zone in 30th Street station
• 
  T platform
• 
  T platform
• 
  Former 30th Street station entrance
• 
  Trolley car at eastbound platform

References

1. John Hepp (2013). "Subways and Elevated Lines". Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
2. Perez-Castells, Ariana (8 April 2024). "SEPTA's Drexel Station reopens with major upgrades, including efforts to connect it to Amtrak's 30th Street Station". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
3. Cox, Harold E. (1967). May, Jack (ed.). The Road from Upper Darby. The Story of the Market Street Subway-Elevated. New York, NY: Electric Railroaders' Association. p. 32. OCLC 54770701.
4. Springirth, Kenneth C. (2016). Philadelphia Electrified Rail Lines In Color. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-5824-8498-3.
5. John L. Puckett. "Putting the Market Street Elevated Underground". West Philadelphia Collaborative History. University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
6. "Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34". Archived from the original on 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
7. Saffron, Inga (March 7, 2003). "Archive: Subway riders get shortchanged at 30th St. Station". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
8. Tanenbaum, Michael (10 December 2018). "SEPTA awarded $15 million grant for subway improvements at 30th Street Station". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
9. Merriman, Anna (December 7, 2018). "With federal grant, SEPTA plans $37M subway improvement project". Curbed. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
10. "Our Properties". Brandywine Realty Trust. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
11. "Current Projects". Philadelphia 30th Street Station District. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
12. "30th Street Station West Underground Concourse" (PDF). 30th Street Station District. March 27, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
13. "SEPTA, Drexel announce naming rights agreement for 30th Street Station". CBS. December 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
14. Perez-Castells, Ariana (December 21, 2023). "SEPTA's 30th Street Station is getting a new name and $3.1 million courtesy of Drexel University". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
15. Fitzgerald, Thomas (February 14, 2024). "SEPTA's first signs of 'Metro' rebranding have arrived". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 20, 2024.

External links

• SEPTA – Drexel Station at 30th Street
• Images at SubwayNut Archived 2020-01-28 at the Wayback Machine
• Images at NYCSubway.org
• 30th Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• 31st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View