Temple University station

This article is about the Regional Rail station. For the subway station also called "Temple University", see Cecil B. Moore station. For other uses of “Temple station”, see Temple station (disambiguation).

Temple University station is an above-ground SEPTA Regional Rail station located at the eastern edge of the Temple University campus at 915 West Berks Street between 9th and 10th Streets, in the Cecil B. Moore section of Lower North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[3] The station is in the Center City fare zone, although the station itself is located in North Philadelphia.

Temple University
Two Silverliner IV trains entering Temple University station
General information
Location	915 West Berks Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	39°58′54″N 75°08′58″W
Owned by	SEPTA
Line(s)	SEPTA Main Line
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	SEPTA City Bus: 3, 23, 47
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	CC[1]
History
Opened	1911 (1911)
Rebuilt	1992
Passengers
2017	3,191 boardings 2,682 alightings (weekday average)[2]
Rank	4 of 146
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Jefferson toward Airport Airport Line Wayne Junction toward Glenside Jefferson toward Chestnut Hill West Chestnut Hill West Line Terminus Jefferson toward Wawa Media/Wawa Line Jefferson toward Thorndale Paoli/​Thorndale Line Jefferson toward Trenton Trenton Line Jefferson toward Newark Wilmington/​Newark Line Jefferson toward 30th Street Station Chestnut Hill East Line Wayne Junction toward Chestnut Hill East Fox Chase Line Wayne Junction toward Fox Chase Lansdale/​Doylestown Line North Broad toward Doylestown Jefferson toward Penn Medicine Manayunk/​Norristown Line North Broad toward Norristown–Elm Street Warminster Line Wayne Junction toward Warminster West Trenton Line Wayne Junction toward West Trenton
Former services (SEPTA) Preceding station SEPTA Following station Spring Garden Street toward Reading Terminal Bethlehem Line Wayne Junction toward Allentown Chestnut Hill East Line Wayne Junction toward Chestnut Hill East Newtown Line Wayne Junction toward Newtown Lansdale/​Doylestown Line North Broad toward Doylestown      Pottsville Line did not stop here Spring Garden Street toward Reading Terminal Warminster Line Wayne Junction toward Warminster West Trenton Line Wayne Junction toward Newark Penn Station
Former services (Reading) Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station Spring Garden Street toward Philadelphia Main Line North Broad Street toward Pottsville Bethlehem Branch North Broad Street toward Bethlehem New York Branch North Broad Street toward Bound Brook Norristown Branch North Broad Street toward Elm Street Girard Avenue toward Philadelphia Chestnut Hill Branch North Broad Street toward Chestnut Hill
Track layout Legend CHEFOXDOY NORWARWTR Norris St. Berks St. AIRCHWWAW THOTRENWK
Location

There is a small ticket kiosk located at the base of the stairs on the street level. Temple University maintains a security kiosk at street level. Stairways and two elevators lead up to the high-level platforms at track level. There are two island platforms serving four tracks. Each platform is 380 feet (120 meters) long, long enough to platform four cars with only the end doors being used. The platforms have a canopy overhead and some wind-breaking walls but are otherwise exposed to the weather.

This station is located approximately 2.6 track miles from Suburban Station. In FY 2005, Temple University station was the fourth busiest station in SEPTA's Regional Rail system, with 2,448 average total weekday boardings and 2,593 average weekday alightings.^[4] The station also has two large bicycle racks that both have roofs above them to protect bikes against the weather. The station can easily accommodate 30+ bicycles. The racks are also in full view of the 24-hour security guard.

Station history

Built in 1911, the old Temple University station achieved infamy in November 1984 when SEPTA was forced to shut down the Reading side of the railroad above North Broad Street Station. A few days after the Center City Commuter Connection and Market East station (now Jefferson Station) fully opened, some of the girders supporting the tracks in the platform area on the bridge over the avenue were discovered to be in imminent danger of collapse. The emergency repairs, completed early in 1985, included demolishing the station and replacing it with temporary wooden low-level platforms and steel stairs which served until the new station opened. This event helped draw attention to the deterioration of North American railroad and transit infrastructure; the two-year-long RailWorks project which resulted would provide a permanent, modern station at a location more convenient to Temple's campus.

The station was opened in 1992 and was built for $37 million as part of SEPTA's RailWorks project to rebuild the Reading Railroad viaduct in North Philadelphia. The station sits on the Reading side of the system and almost all trains stop here. The new station replaced the older Temple University station, which was originally named Columbia Avenue (a street since renamed Cecil B. Moore Avenue). The old station, located at 39.977465°N 75.149835°W / 39.977465; -75.149835, had two island platforms serving all four tracks, but was served by only a few peak hour trains by the time SEPTA began operation of the railroad.

Station layout

The station has two island platforms serving four tracks.

Gallery

• 
  Norris Street entrance
• 
  Station platform facing north
• 
  Front entrance

References

1. "Fare Zone Map" (PDF). SEPTA.
2. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
3. SEPTA (2006). Temple University Station. Archived 2006-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
4. "SEPTA (May 2006). Annual Service Plan 2007. p. 83" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-05. (539 KiB)

External links

Media related to Temple University (SEPTA station) at Wikimedia Commons

• SEPTA – Temple University station
• Berks Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Norris Street entrance from Google Maps Street View