PATCO's Franklin Square Station will reopen to commuters on April 3 after being shuttered for decades, the Delaware River Port Authority announced on Wednesday.
The $29.3 million renovation of the station, at Seventh and Race streets along the park's western edge, started in March 2022. Franklin Square Station last served passengers in 1979. It originally opened in 1936 and ran intermittently for the next few decades with usage during the World War II shipping boom in the 1940s and for three years following the United States Bicentennial in 1976.
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"The revitalization of this station marks an exciting new chapter, offering enhanced transit access and convenience for both residents and visitors." aid John D. Rink, PATCO's general manager, in a press release. "We are proud of the station's transformation, and we look forward to welcoming both old and new riders to this historic, transformed station."
The station will be the 14th stop on the PATCO transit system, which connects Philadelphia to New Jersey as far east as Lindenwold, Camden County. The closest existing stop is at Eighth and Market, currently the first stop in Philadelphia for PATCO riders coming from New Jersey.
When the remade Franklin Square Station opens for service, its stop will fall between Camden's City Hall Station and the EIghth and Market. PATCO's other Philadelphia stops include Ninth/10th and Locust, 12th/13th and Locust and 15th/16th and Locust.
With 5.6 million PATCO users annually, the reopened station at Franklin Square will boost transportation options for riders and "promote intracity travel by offering a convenient connection between Franklin Square and Rittenhouse Square," per PATCO's release.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of Thursday, April 3, will give way to train service running later that afternoon.
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