January 19, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Amtrak's $550 million renovation project has commenced at 30th Street Station. By 2027, the passenger rail service aims to have new food and retail options and a connective tunnel to SEPTA trains and trolleys.
A large-scale renovation project at 30th Street Station has officially begun, temporarily closing the transportation hub's south concourse and Market Street plaza while construction gets underway.
The work will not affect train operations but will impact the station's concession offerings. Food options, including Wendy's, Au Bon Pain, Surf City Squeeze and Old Nelson Food Company, will be closed through summer 2025. Three station mainstays — Pret a Manger, Hudson News and Dunkin' — will operate temporary kiosks in the main concourse.
Amtrak said the renovations would ultimately expand the station's food, beverage and retail offerings and improve the outdoor Market Street plaza.
"Our goal is to create a modernized guest experience that offers high-quality retail and food & beverage options for passengers, employees, and all Philadelphians alike," Sammy Patel, vice president of the station's concessions developer and manager Vantage, said in a release.
The delayed $550 million project also calls for upgraded stairs and escalators, a lounge and an underground tunnel connecting the station to SEPTA train and trolley lines on Market Street. Historic finishes, storefronts and brass doors will be restored, and both the "Spirit of Transportation" sculpture and the Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial will be preserved. Amtrak expects to complete all renovations by 2027.
Still, not everyone is thrilled with the current changes. Riders have already expressed frustration over the limited food options and confusion over the nature of the closures on social media.
"Excuse me, Miss 30th Street Station, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," one TikTok user said in a video posted Thursday. "But what is this nonsense?"
@interstellar_isabellar I know i knowwww it’s “lets save on labor costs and needlessly punish the homeless” #phillythings ♬ original sound - Isabella Segalovich
Other users called the closures "wretched," "terrible" and "annoying" in the comments, while reassuring one another that they were temporary.
"It's only for renovations! But the uphill septa Dunkin' is chaos in the mornings," one person wrote.
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