Wayne Junction (SEPTA station)

Wayne Junction
SEPTA commuter rail station

Wayne Junction before renovation from 2011-2015
Location 4481 Wayne Avenue near Windrim Avenue
Nicetown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Owned by SEPTA
Line(s)
  Chestnut Hill East Line
  Fox Chase Line
  Lansdale/Doylestown Line
  Warminster Line
  West Trenton Line
Platforms 2 island platforms
Tracks 6
Connections SEPTA City Bus 23, 53, 75
Other information
Fare zone 1
History
Opened 1881
Rebuilt 1900
Electrified 1931
Traffic
Passengers (2005) 347,620 Steady 0%
Services
Preceding station   SEPTA   Following station
Chestnut Hill East Line
Fox Chase Line
toward Fox Chase
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
toward Doylestown
Warminster Line
toward Warminster
West Trenton Line
toward West Trenton
Wayne Junction Station, Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
Coordinates 40°1′22.8″N 75°9′34.2″W / 40.023000°N 75.159500°W / 40.023000; -75.159500Coordinates: 40°1′22.8″N 75°9′34.2″W / 40.023000°N 75.159500°W / 40.023000; -75.159500
Architectural style Renaissance Revival style
Part of Wayne Junction Historic District (#12000223[1])
Added to NRHP April 16, 2012
Part of Colonial Germantown Historic District (#66000678[1])
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966

Wayne Junction is a SEPTA Regional Rail station located at 4481 Wayne Avenue, extending along Windrim Avenue to Germantown Avenue. The station is located in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Station

The original station building was designed by architect Frank Furness and constructed in 1881. The current station building was designed in 1900 by architects Wilson Brothers & Company. An old post card once boasted that "more trains stop here than at any other station in the world."[2] The station, located in fare zone one, does have a sales office but lacks any dedicated parking spaces.[3] Wayne Junction is currently undergoing a $11,165,600 renovation that will include a new low level platform, an additional high-level platform in the inbound side, two new elevators, and new canopies and windscreens.[4][5]

In FY 2013, Wayne Junction station had a weekday average of 527 boardings and 521 alightings.[6]

The SEPTA's Roberts Yard and Midvale District Bus Garage are nearby to this station.

Service

The Chestnut Hill East Line joins the SEPTA Main Line at Wayne Junction. Wayne Junction is the last station before the Fox Chase Line splits off the SEPTA Main Line, at Newtown Junction. Additionally, Wayne Junction is served by the Warminster Line, West Trenton Line, and Lansdale/Doylestown Line on the SEPTA Main Line.

History

Detail of station sign at Wayne Junction station

For most of the first half of the 20th Century, Wayne Junction served as the Reading Railroad's counterpart to the Pennsylvania Railroad's North Philadelphia Station, 2 miles (3.2 km) away. It served a very busy and prosperous business and residential area, drawing from North Philadelphia, Nicetown, Tioga, Logan, Germantown and other points. In addition to the extensive commuter network, service was provided by the Reading Railroad on a regular basis to New York via the Jersey Central and to Bethlehem and beyond on the Lehigh Valley Railroad to Upstate New York and Toronto. Beginning in the 1890s, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad passenger trains between Washington and New York City, including its famed Royal Blue, also stopped at Wayne Junction, using Reading and Jersey Central rails north of Philadelphia.[7] Until the B&O discontinued passenger service on the line in April, 1958, it provided regular service to Washington with through sleepers to the West, including Chicago, St. Louis, and Los Angeles on such trains as the Capitol Limited and National Limited.[8] The station provided a baggage room and lunch room, as well as the usual telegraph office. On October 25, 1959, Wayne Junction was the starting point for the first of the Reading's Iron Horse Rambles excursions featuring their T-1 class steam locomotives.[9] The surrounding neighborhood was a busy shopping area and provided additional services. The station has been a contributing property in the Colonial Germantown Historic District since 1966, and the Wayne Junction Historic District since 2012.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Existing Railroad Stations in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
  3. ↑ Wayne Junction Station
  4. ↑ SEPTA (July 2005) SEPTA Capital Improvements in the City of Philadelphia. p. 22. PDF (1.96 MiB)
  5. ↑ "Wayne Junction Station Entrance Closure Beginning Monday, December 5, 2011". SEPTA Alerts & Advisories. SEPTA. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  6. ↑ SEPTA (May 2014). Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Service Plan. p. 83 PDF (539 KiB)
  7. ↑ Stover, John F. (1987). History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press. pp. 172–176. ISBN 0-911198-81-4.
  8. ↑ Official Guide of the Railways. New York: National Railway Publication Co. February 1956. pp. 412–418.
  9. ↑ http://www.steamlocomotive.com/northern/reading/index-old.shtml
  10. ↑ "Wayne Junction Designated National Historic District," by Steve Currall (Hidden City, Philadelphia; February 9, 2012)

External links

Media related to Wayne Junction (SEPTA station) at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.