City Hall station is a SEPTAsubway station in Philadelphia. Located in Center City underneath City Hall, it serves the Broad Street Line. It is the busiest station on the line, serving 57,000 passengers daily.[2] City Hall station is served by local, express, and special "Sport Express" trains. Entrances are located on the east and west sides of City Hall, as well as in the central courtyard. A free interchange also provides access to the Market–Frankford Line at 15th Street station, which is connected to City Hall by the Downtown Link underground concourse.
City Hall was an original station along the 1928 Broad Street Line and was not designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. In 2003, SEPTA rebuilt the station escalators at the connected 15th Street station on the Market–Frankford Line. A lawsuit was filed by the Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania, saying that because one critical component was renovated, the rest of the station complex needed to be renovated, as per building code requirements. As such, SEPTA would be required to make the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.[4] SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia had been proposing a US $100 million refurbishment of City Hall station,[5] which included structural repairs, improvements in lighting and ventilation, aesthetic improvements, as well as making it accessible to people with disabilities. However, the project's progression had stalled due to lack of funds.[6]
In November 2011, the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation awarded construction contracts totaling $50 million for the restoration of the Dilworth Park above the station, following the eviction of the Occupy Philly protesters occupying the area; the contract includes making the park accessible to people with disabilities.[7] SEPTA awarded construction contracts for the improvements in January 2012.[8] The project consisted of a restoration of the plaza, creating a "gateway" to the SEPTA transit station and installing elevators connecting to the street and Market-Frankford platforms at 15th. The contract did not include any accessibility for the disabled to the Broad Street Line platforms, which are outside the plaza boundaries. The total cost of the project has risen to $55 million, with most of the money coming from a federal grant, with additional contributions by the City of Philadelphia ($5 million), and non-profit organizations including the William Penn Foundation. The project, originally to have been completed July 2014, had been delayed due to the necessity to deal with stairways, duct banks and pipes construction crews encountered, that did not appear in any blueprints.[9]
The renovated Dilworth Park opened on September 4, 2014.[10]
In 2013, the passage of PA Act 89 (Transportation Funding Law) has allowed SEPTA to move forward with the $147 million BSL/MFL station renovation.[11] The reconstruction of 15th Street station began in 2016, and was completed in 2018. Reconstruction of City Hall station began in 2019.[12][13]
Gallery
Courtyard entrance
Station tile work
Southbound express track
A Broad Street Line local train bound for NRG station arriving at City Hall station
Station with train at platform
City Hall northbound platform
Another exit to the subway–surface trolleys
Former exit from City Hall station on the north side of City Hall
Northeast entrance
15th Street entrance is shared with City Hall station
