Franklin Street station (Pennsylvania)

Last updated
Franklin Street
BARTA bus terminal
Former SEPTA regional rail station
Franklin Street station 2024a.jpg
Franklin Street building front, now a restaurant in 2024
General information
LocationFranklin Street and 7th Street
Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates 40°19′58″N75°55′27″W / 40.3328802°N 75.9242991°W / 40.3328802; -75.9242991
Owned byBARTA
Platforms2 side platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsAiga bus trans.svg  BARTA buses: All at the BARTA Transportation Center
Construction
Structure typeStone
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
History
ClosedJune 30, 1981 [1]
RebuiltFebruary 8, 1929February 25, 1930 [2] [3]
2013
ElectrifiedNo
Former services
Preceding station SEPTA.svg SEPTA Following station
Leesport
toward Pottsville
Pottsville Line Birdsboro
Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station
Reading
toward Pottsville
Main Line Neversink
toward Philadelphia
Reading
Terminus
Wilmington and Northern Branch Lorane
toward Wilmington
Location
Franklin Street station (Pennsylvania)

Franklin Street station is a former railroad and bus station in Reading, Pennsylvania. It currently is owned by Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) and hosts a brewpub restaurant operated by Saucony Creek Brewing Company.

Built by the Reading Railroad and dedicated on February 25, 1930, Franklin Street Station later served the SEPTA diesel service extending the Manayunk/Norristown Line to Pottsville. It closed when SEPTA cancelled the diesel service in 1981. BARTA acquired the building on December 14, 2005, and converted it into a bus depot in May 2013. [4]

History

Passenger Timetable (eff. 1972-02-06) of a predecessor to SEPTA diesel service on Reading Lines between Pottsville, Penn. via Reading, Penn. to Philadelphia POTTSVILLE 19720206.jpg
Passenger Timetable (eff. 1972-02-06) of a predecessor to SEPTA diesel service on Reading Lines between Pottsville, Penn. via Reading, Penn. to Philadelphia

The Franklin Street station served the railroad from 1930 until 1981 when SEPTA diesel service ceased operations. Medium distance trains serving the station included the King Coal and Schuykill. [5] From 1981 until 2013, the building sat vacant until BARTA acquired and refurbished the building for bus services. The plan was to alleviate overcrowded services at the BARTA Transportation Center located about a block away, as well as make an effort to preserve the historic station. [6] Grants from federal, state and local sources funded the acquisition and rehabilitation costs. The purpose for the acquisition was to create a multi-use complex in which the rehabilitation/renovation of the existing Franklin Street Station building and site was an integral component of the overall development of a transportation facility in the area. Between September 2013 and January 2014 BARTA bus service to Lebanon was operated from the Station. Due to low ridership, the bus service was discontinued.

In July 2017 the station was used for a multimedia art exhibition entitled "This is Reading" [7]

Station platform with Saucony Creeek Brewery shown as current tenant of building as of 2024 Franklin Street station.jpg
Station platform with Saucony Creeek Brewery shown as current tenant of building as of 2024

In June 2018, Saucony Creek Brewing Company leased the facility and opened a brewpub restaurant [8] in July 2019.

There is a proposal to return SEPTA Regional Rail service to the station by way of an extension of the Manayunk/Norristown Line, providing passenger train service from Reading to Philadelphia. In 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation conducted a feasibility study on bringing passenger train service to Reading via Amtrak. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SEPTA Regional Rail</span> Commuter rail service in Pennsylvania, US

The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite towns and cities. It is the sixth-busiest commuter railroad in the United States. In 2016, the Regional Rail system had an average of 132,000 daily riders and 118,800 daily riders as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norristown Transportation Center</span> Passenger transportation hub in Norristown, Pennsylvania

Norristown Transportation Center is a two-level multimodal public transportation regional hub located in Norristown, Pennsylvania and operated by SEPTA. It opened in 1989, replacing the older Norristown High Speed Line terminus one block away at Main and Swede Streets, and integrated the former Reading Company's DeKalb Street Norristown railroad station into its structure. A plaque embedded in the sidewalk between the bus lane and Lafayette Street commemorates the location of one of the columns of the dismantled segment of the Philadelphia and Western Railroad (P&W) trestle.

Schuylkill River Passenger Rail is a proposed passenger train service along the Schuylkill River between Philadelphia and Reading, Pennsylvania, with intermediate stops in Norristown, King of Prussia, Phoenixville, and Pottstown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny station (SEPTA Regional Rail)</span>

Allegheny station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station located along the Manayunk/Norristown Line located at 22nd Street and Allegheny Avenue in the Swampoodle neighborhood of North Philadelphia. It has also been known in Reading and early SEPTA timetables as 22nd Street or Twenty-Second Street, a name also shared by a former Pennsylvania Railroad station on the Trenton and Chestnut Hill lines. Allegheny station is the first station along SEPTA's Manayunk/Norristown Line not to be shared with any other line. In FY 2013, Allegheny station had a weekday average of 76 boardings and 102 alightings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manayunk station</span>

Manayunk station is a station located along the SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown rail line. It is located at Cresson and Carson Streets in the Manayunk neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In FY 2013, Manayunk station had a weekday average of 654 boardings and 563 alightings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivy Ridge station</span> SEPTA Regional Rail station

Ivy Ridge station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located at Umbria Street and Parker Avenue in Northwest Philadelphia, it serves the Manayunk/Norristown Line. The initial station was built in a minimalist design similar to that of Elm Street, Norristown. The current station has a 204-space parking lot. In FY 2013, Ivy Ridge station had a weekday average of 602 boardings and 582 alightings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Mill station</span>

Spring Mill station is a suburban commuter railroad station on the SEPTA Manayunk/Norristown Line in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Its official address is Station Avenue near Hector Street, Conshohocken, but it is actually in the Spring Mill section of Whitemarsh Township. The station is located south of Hector Street, where North Lane deadends at the Schuylkill River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Street station (SEPTA)</span>

Main Street station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States. It serves the Manayunk/Norristown Line. It is one of the two stations on the short electrified branch to Elm Street in Norristown. The station has 76 parking spaces. It is located at Main and Markley Streets. In FY 2013, Main Street station had a weekday average of 189 boardings and 181 alightings.

North Pennsylvania Railroad was a railroad company which served Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Northampton County in Pennsylvania. It was formed in 1852, and began operation in 1855. The Philadelphia and Reading Railway, predecessor to the Reading Company, leased the North Pennsylvania in 1879. Its tracks were transferred to Conrail and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuylkill Branch</span> Former railroad line in Pennsylvania

The Schuylkill Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the former Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in Pennsylvania. The line ran from the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line at 52nd Street in Philadelphia north via Norristown, Reading, and Pottsville to Delano Junction, about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) northeast of Delano. From Delano Junction, the PRR had trackage rights over the Lehigh Valley Railroad's Hazleton Branch and Tomhicken Branch to Tomhicken, where the PRR's Catawissa Branch began.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cynwyd Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail service

The Cynwyd Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line from Center City Philadelphia to Cynwyd in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Ivy Ridge Line, service was truncated on May 17, 1986, at its current terminus at Cynwyd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manayunk/Norristown Line</span> SEPTA Regional Rail line

The Manayunk/Norristown Line is a commuter rail service in Southeastern Pennsylvania between Center City Philadelphia and Norristown, and one of the 13 lines in SEPTA's Regional Rail network. It has the second highest operating ratio (19.9%) on the SEPTA Regional Rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royersford station</span>

Royersford station is a former train station in Royersford, Pennsylvania. It is located on Main Street. It was originally built by the Reading Railroad, and later served the SEPTA diesel service line extending from the Norristown section of the Manayunk/Norristown Line to Pottsville. It was taken out of service in 1981, when SEPTA cancelled the diesel service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuylkill Haven station</span>

Schuylkill Haven station is a former railroad station in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. It was located at 12 West Main Street, which is currently occupied by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad office building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenixville station</span> Former train station in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Phoenixville station is a former train station in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Located at 4 Bridge Street in Phoenixville, it is currently used for offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottsville station</span>

The Pottsville station, also known as Union Station Intermodal Transit Center, is a transit station in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Located next to the original Reading Railroad station, it currently houses bus service, SEDCO, the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and occasional train service by the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawmont station</span>

Shawmont is a former train station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on Nixon Street in the Roxborough section of Lower Northwest Philadelphia. Built by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, it later became part of the Reading Railroad and ultimately SEPTA Regional Rail's R6 Norristown Line. SEPTA made the station a whistle stop and closed its waiting room in 1991. SEPTA later closed the station in 1996. In 2018, $1 million was set aside for repairs and rehabilitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norristown Branch</span>

The Norristown Branch is a railway line in Pennsylvania. It runs 14.6 miles (23.5 km) from a junction with the SEPTA Main Line in North Philadelphia to Norristown, Pennsylvania. It was originally built by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad (PG&N) in 1834, and was a part of the Reading Company system from 1870 until 1976. Today it is owned by SEPTA and hosts the Manayunk/Norristown Line commuter rail service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley Forge Park station</span>

Valley Forge Park station is a former train station in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The station is visible from Sullivan's Bridge in the Valley Forge National Historic Park. Valley Forge Park station was originally built by the Reading Railroad as Port Kennedy station, and later served the SEPTA diesel service extending from the Norristown section of the Manayunk/Norristown Line to Pottsville. Service was originally suspended prior to SEPTA taking over from Reading Railroad but was opened in 1976 for the American bicentennial. In 1981, the station was closed again when SEPTA discontinued the diesel service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pottsville Line</span> Former SEPTA Regional Rail service

The Pottsville Line was a commuter rail service in the Delaware Valley, connecting Pottsville, Reading, and Pottstown with Philadelphia. It was the last vestige of passenger service on the former Reading main line. The service lasted into the SEPTA era and was discontinued in 1981. SEPTA continues to operate Manayunk/Norristown Line commuter trains between Philadelphia and Norristown.

References

  1. "Rail Service Marks End of an Era". The News Herald. Perkasie, Pennsylvania. July 29, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "Contract Awarded for New Depot". The Reading Times. February 9, 1929. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "New Reading Station Dedicated Yesterday". The Evening News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. February 26, 1930. p. 24. Retrieved August 23, 2020 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "From grim to grand: Franklin Street Station gleams again 2/20/2013".
  5. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June 1961, Reading Railroad section, Table 3
  6. "Franklin Street in its heyday" (PDF).
  7. "This is Reading". Lynn Nottage. 17 July 2017.
  8. "Saucony Creek Brewery to open downtown Reading location". Reading Eagle. 22 July 2019.
  9. Vasil, Jim (January 11, 2021). "Reading to Philly rail study shows idea gaining steam". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. "Reading to Philadelphia Passenger Rail Analysis" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. December 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.