5 things to know about 30th Street Station’s upcoming redesign

The restoration and renovation of the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station is underway, and the project is expected to cost more and take longer than previously anticipated, according to updates shared on Thursday by project officials.

The redevelopment of the station, which began in 2021, is now expected to be completed by the end of 2027. A previous estimate from Amtrak in 2021 had said it would be done in 2025. The estimated cost has also grown. The project is expected to cost $550 million, according to Beth Toll, senior public relations manager for Amtrak. An earlier estimate had placed the project between $300 million and $400 million, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The development team, Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP), is designing, building, financing, and managing the maintenance of the station improvements. Amtrak reached an agreement in 2021 with PIP to manage and maintain the station through 2071. Part of the agreement is that PIP will invest its own capital and raise additional funds needed for the project.

The station, which Amtrak says is its third busiest rail station in the country, serves more than four million Amtrak passengers and over 12 million SEPTA and NJ Transit commuters annually, said Toll.

The renovation project will be carried out in phases to allow Amtrak service to continue operating throughout the redevelopment. Here are five things to know about 30th Street Station’s renovations.

Beginning in early 2024, Market Street Plaza will close to cars and pedestrians to allow for expansion of The Porch, which currently houses swinging chairs, other seating, umbrellas, and greenery.

Renderings for the redesign space incorporate new landscaping and design to create separate public areas which could accommodate events and programming. A glass awning could extend from the station onto a new pedestrian area that could potentially host a farmers market.

The Porch will remain open to pedestrians in early 2024, and travelers will be able to access the station at 29th and 30th Streets, but cars will not be able to drive from one side of the station to the other through that aisle anymore.

Beginning in January, the south concourse, which currently houses food and beverage businesses, will close for renovation. Some businesses will move to kiosks within the main hall during construction.

Plans to upgrade the food, beverage, and retail options in the station include a new food hall and an updated seating area. New businesses will open progressively in the space up through 2027. A new sit-down restaurant is expected to extend into the main hall area, according to Billy Penn.

The 1970s-era electromechanical board, which announced arrivals and departures for decades in the station, is coming back in 2027. The board is expected to be displayed inside the station on the concourse level in a prominent location along Market Street.

Some travelers may be disappointed that the board won’t be functional, and will no longer make its iconic “clickety-clack” sound. The board was removed in 2019 and has since been on display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, Pa.

The station will also be getting new escalators and elevators, Abigail Barman, Amtrak’s assistant project director for the renovation, told Billy Penn. As part of the plans, the train platforms and the upper-level concourse area will be connected with replaced elevators and escalators.

The station, which opened in 1933, has neoclassical, art deco, and art moderne design elements. The restoration efforts will include work on the station’s finishes such as plaster and marble, bronze doors, lighting, and wood benches.

The renovations will also conserve the Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial, which honors the railroad’s 1,307 employees who died in World War II and was installed in the station in 1952. The Spirit of Transportation sculpture, which was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Railroad and originally intended for the railroad’s Broad Street Station, will also remain. The work is by Austrian artist Karl Bitter and was installed in the station in 1933.

Prior to the redevelopment, the station facade underwent a cleaning and restoration process.