June 16, 2016

Officials unveil final plans for future 30th Street Station District

Multi-decade initiative includes $10 billion in public and private investment

By Michael Tanenbaum
PhillyVoice Staff

Source/30th Street Station District Plan

30th Street Station as envisioned by the final district plan.

Thirtieth Street Station as we know it will undergo a transformational renovation in the coming decades, bringing a raft of new amenities and neighborhood improvements outlined Thursday in a final plan presented by SEPTA, Amtrak, PennDOT, Drexel University, and Brandywine Realty Trust.

First introduced in March, the Philadelphia 30th Street District Plan encompasses an ambitious development framework that will leverage the station's vital role in regional transportation and augment the surrounding area's status as a connected destination in west Center City.

After a series of five open houses, partners in the initiative together released a report with a multi-decade timeline of projects amounting to $2 billion in public investment and $8 billion in private investment. That includes the $3.5 billion Schuylkill Yards partnership between Drexel University and Brandywine Realty Trust announced earlier this year.

Source/30th Street Station District Plan

Overall aerial projection of Center City Philadelphia.

This is a comprehensive, ambitious set of objectives that will go a long way toward defining Philadelphia's cityscape for the balance of the 21st century. Highlights of the plan include an urban neighborhood built over the rail yards, a pedestrian bridge with promenades over the Schuylkill River into Fairmount park, a sky-lit concourse connecting the station to the Market-Frankford Line and trolleys, and the expansion and improvement of surrounding parks and neighborhoods.

Here's a quick rundown of what's in store over seven phases of the plan's projected timeline:

2016-2020: Completion of Regional Rail East Mezzanine Access, a $5 million renovation that will increase passenger access and reduce congestion at the station. Early station plaza upgrades for public realm improvement.

2021: Connection to SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and trolleys

2024: I-76 ramp realignment

2025: Intercity Bus Terminal

2026: North Station Concourse

2027: Mantua Greenway Improvements

2028: Completion of Station Plaza

2030: Beginning of first Railyard Development

2032: 31st Street Pedestrian Bridge

2033: Completion of Schuylkill Yards

2035: Race Street Pedestrian Bridge

2036: Race Street River Crossing

2040: Drexel Park Expansion

2041: Pearl Street River Crossing

2042: West Bank Trail

2043: Arch Street Transportation Center + Tower

2045: Schuylkill Bluffs Park

2050: Railyard Development Complete

Detailed explanations and visual renderings of each project can be found in the final report, which also outlines the overall goals of livability and sustainability embraced by the plan's various stakeholders

Source/30th Street Station District Plan

Pedestrian bicycle and bridge crossing at Arch Street.

"Outside of early wins at and around the station," the report's authors write, "this Plan will require patient, multi-generational commitment to a new future, one built around a shared vision and updated periodically as circumstances change.".

For a general overview and reaction to the plan from city leaders, you can check out the video below.