30th Street Station
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Template:Amtrak station 30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the heart of Philadelphia's passenger rail network.
The Chicago-based architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White designed the structure, originally known as Pennsylvania Station, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1934 by the former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which was headquartered in Philadelphia, to replace Broad Street Station when the latter became too small to handle Philadelphia's growing passenger-rail traffic. The PRR sought a location away from Center City Philadelphia, where Broad Street Station was located, which would allow room for a larger yard as well as multiple tracks and platforms. It found such a place on Market Street between 29th and 30th Streets, directly on the Schuylkill River, and built 30th Street Station there.
It is the second-most active railway station in the United States, containing roughly 562,000 ft² (52,000 m²). The cavernous main passenger concourse contains a large Winged Victory statue erected in honor of Pennsylvania Railroad employees killed in World War II. The station also played prominent roles in the 1983 film Trading Places and the 1985 film Witness starring Harrison Ford.
Currently, trains from SEPTA, Amtrak, and New Jersey Transit (usually known as NJ Transit) serve this station. Amtrak intercity trains and NJ Transit's Atlantic City line run through the station's lower level, while SEPTA commuter trains serve the upper level.
In addition, SEPTA's Market-Frankford subway line (also known as the "Blue Line" or the "El") stops at 30th Street Station -- although there is no longer direct access from the subway station to the rail station due to crime and vagrancy concerns. Passengers wishing to transfer to or from the subway must walk above-ground for approximately one block.
The building is presently owned by Amtrak and houses many Amtrak corporate offices (although Amtrak is officially headquarted in Washington, D.C.). Also found in the station are multiple shops, a McDonald's restaurant, a Dunkin Donuts, and a large food court.
In 2004, ground was broken on the Cira Centre, a 32-story glass-and-steel office tower immediately adjacent to the station. The tower, owned by Philadelphia-based Brandywine Realty Trust, was designed by architect Cesar Pelli, best-known for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It will connect directly to the station by means of a skybridge leading to the SEPTA platform on the station's upper level.
Because Amtrak's service to Newark Liberty International Airport is codeshared with Continental Airlines, the station has the IATA Airport Code of ZFV.
See Also
- Center City Commuter Connection
- 8th Street (SEPTA station)
- Suburban Station
- Chester Transportation Center
- 69th Street Terminal
External links
- 30th Street Station Homepage (http://www.30thstreetstation.com/)
- Amtrak Homepage (http://www.amtrak.com/)
- Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Homepage (http://www.gapw.com/) - see "Historical Architectural Projects" pages
- SEPTA official website (http://www.septa.org/)
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