St. Davids station

This article is about the station in southeastern Pennsylvania. For the similarly named station in the Exeter, England, see Exeter St Davids railway station.

St. Davids
The Saint Davids station, facing east, including the tracks and the inbound and outbound platforms
General information
Location	53 Chamounix Road, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°02′38″N75°22′25″W / 40.0439°N 75.3735°W / 40.0439; -75.3735
Owned by	Amtrak [1]
Operated by	SEPTA
Line(s)	Amtrak Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	4
Connections	SEPTA Suburban Bus : 106
Construction
Parking	107 spaces (57 daily, 50 public daily)
Bicycle facilities	4 racks (14 spaces)
Other information
Fare zone	3
History
Opened	1890 [2]
Electrified	September 11, 1915 [3]
Passengers
2017	242 [4] (weekday boardings)
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Wayne toward Thorndale Paoli/​Thorndale Line Radnor toward Temple University
Former services Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Wayne toward Chicago Main Line Bryn Mawr toward New York or Exchange Place Wayne toward Paoli Paoli Line Radnor toward Suburban Station
Location

St. Davids station is a regional rail station located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia at the intersection of Chamounix Road & Glynn Lane, Wayne, Pennsylvania. ^[5] The station and community are named after the nearby historic Episcopal church.

Service and facilities

St. Davids is served by most Paoli/Thorndale Line trains. There is no ticket office at this station. There are 107 parking spaces at the station (57 SEPTA spaces, 50 non-SEPTA spaces). There are also 5 bike racks available that can accommodate up to 20 bikes. ^[6] It is in Radnor Township. ^[7]

St. Davids shortly after electrification, 1914

St. Davids station is 13.7 track miles from Philadelphia's Suburban Station. A depot building was built in 1890 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, but was demolished by 1966 and replaced with a smaller structure. ^[8] In 2017, the average total weekday boardings at this station was 242, and the average total weekday alightings was 278. ^[4]

As of 2025, there is an ongoing effort to raise funding for a planned restoration of the station shelters to their original 19th-century condition. This restoration includes replacing later woodwork that utilized simple designs not matching original specifications, return of cast-iron Pennsylvania Railroad station signage, and repainting the station shelters to historically accurate colors. ^[9]

Station layout

St. Davids has two low-level side platforms with pathways connecting the platforms to the inner tracks.

Incidents

• On April 5, 1920, eastbound freight train 267 of the Pennsylvania Railroad carrying a load of automobiles, toys, dental equipment, and felt derailed near the station due to a coupling failure on the first car. Over 20 boxcars were wrecked in the incident, though no injuries were reported. ^{[10] [11]}
• On January 25, 1973 two women were struck and killed by a single-car passenger train while crossing the tracks at the station. A third person was also struck by the train while trying to push one woman from the tracks and survived. ^[12]

Notable places nearby

• St. David's Episcopal Church
• Eastern University ^[13]

References

1. "Transportation Planning for the Philadelphia–Harrisburg "Keystone" Railroad Corridor" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
2. Existing Railroad Stations in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
3. "Electric Service Begins on the P.R.R." The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 12, 1915. p. 4. Retrieved August 22, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Service Plan" (PDF). SEPTA. pp. 43–46.
5. Google Map of Saint Davids Station location
6. "St. Davids Station". Septa. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
7. "Township Map". Radnor Township. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
8. Yanosey, Robert (2009). Pennsylvania Railroad Facilities In Color. Vol. 3: Philadelphia Division. Scotch Plains, New Jersey: Morning Sun Books, Inc. p. 96. ISBN   978-1582482552.
9. "What We're Doing". Friends of St. Davids Station. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
10. "More Than a Score". Evening Public Ledger. No. April 5, 1920.
11. "Self-Wrecked Freight Ties up the Main Line". Intelligencer Journal. April 5, 1920. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
12. "Train Kills 2 Women at St. Davids Station". Philadelphia Daily News. January 26, 1973.
13. "Eastern College". Philadelphia Daily News. No. November 5, 1996. Retrieved February 28, 2025.

External links

Media related to St. Davids (SEPTA station) at Wikimedia Commons

• SEPTA – St. Davids station
• Chamounix Road entrance from Google Maps Street View