Finally, City Hall Station is getting its makeover.

[mixiboi]

Tho, its more that SEPTA is just sick of the oid ADA bull...

SEPTA awards contracts for City Hall improvements | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

The SEPTA Board on Thursday approved a series of three contracts worth $7.5 million to carry out its so-called “early action” plan for the City Hall subway station.

The construction of four elevators and two new fare lines is being done in conjunction with the Center City District's remake of Dilworth Plaza overhead and will result in the Market-Frankord El and trolley stops at the station becoming handicapped accessible ― something required by a consent decree signed to end a longstanding civil rights suit concerning the station.

SEPTA had originally hoped to remake the entire station, at a cost of $100 million, but that project has been shelved because of state funding cuts.

SEPTA and the CCD have also signed a reimbursement agreement covering work done on the elevators at Dilworth, which will be owned by SEPTA but built by CCD at a cost of $4.3 million. The district also agreed to reimburse SEPTA for nearly $1 million in costs related to relocating stairwells and utilities.

Guess this make the Dilworth station Makeover worth it if it means that the BSL will hav a proper and more easier acessed entrence.

[eldondre]

where are the new fare gates?

[mixiboi]

where are the new fare gates?

They will be under the Ice Skate Ring/ Reflection Pool:




Shame they couldn't do the same for the Trolleys..but they are in a weird place(At the northern part of City Hall above the BSL):

[eldondre]

I'm not sure that's much of an improvement anyway. two things I'd love to see, two faregates...one for the approach from the east and one for the west (north side of city hall) which would cut off free concourse movements but provide for more space for transferring. and secondly, restore the entrance from south broad. I understand why it's in this project since without them, there really would be no point to having stairwells in the middle. I guess the transit side of this was always kind of a tack on.

[scotchrocks]

and in the end, it will all still smell like urine.

[NoComment]

Will the project include making the stairway wider on the BSL portion? With the current design, good luck running down the stairs to catch the train during rush hour when the masses exit the trains and take up both sides of the stairwell, forcing you to wait til the crowd clears... and for the next train.

[BarryG]

Will the project include making the stairway wider on the BSL portion? With the current design, good luck running down the stairs to catch the train during rush hour when the masses exit the trains and take up both sides of the stairwell, forcing you to wait til the crowd clears... and for the next train.

Best I can tell, no changes are occurring to the BSL platforms at all. I don't think the elevators are even going down there.

[eldondre]

Will the project include making the stairway wider on the BSL portion? With the current design, good luck running down the stairs to catch the train during rush hour when the masses exit the trains and take up both sides of the stairwell, forcing you to wait til the crowd clears... and for the next train.

hah, septa isn't even planing on addressing that problem in the $100 million scenario

[BarryG]

hah, septa isn't even planing on addressing that problem in the $100 million scenario

Anything they could do short of widening the platform?

[cewillm]

Anything they could do short of widening the platform?

The platforms need to be widened, period. I get nervous about falling into the tracks every time I'm down there. It's just too narrow.

[NoComment]

The platforms need to be widened, period. I get nervous about falling into the tracks every time I'm down there. It's just too narrow.

I agree it's narrow and not a fun place, but hey, more walls = more space for advertising = more $ for septa. You gotta love the irony of the "Unlitter us" campaign with ads all over the northbound platform walls, considering if you are waiting in the front of the northbound BSL platform, you have to go on a long hunt down the platform for a trash can.

[caL]

I agree it's narrow and not a fun place, but hey, more walls = more space for advertising = more $ for septa. You gotta love the irony of the "Unlitter us" campaign with ads all over the northbound platform walls, considering if you are waiting in the front of the northbound BSL platform, you have to go on a long hunt down the platform for a trash can.

Not sure what you mean considering all walls down there are heavy load-bearing walls. A re-design of the station that removes walls will never happen.

[eldondre]

Anything they could do short of widening the platform?

the plan is to replace some of the walls with columns...personally I'd rather see the walls separating the staircases replaced over the platform. as much as I'd love to see a nicer city hall, $100 million would probably make the entire rest of the line ada compliant and some of the el. plus I don't think septa is looking forward to propping up city hall to put in columns.

too bad they cheaped out on the loop

[mixiboi]

Not sure what you mean considering all walls down there are heavy load-bearing walls. A re-design of the station that removes walls will never happen.

No comment comes from the philly.com comment family: Doesn't know what they are talking about but find ways to bitch.


Anyway, here is a render of what the new City Hall Station would look like if SEPTA can come up with 100 million:




For now, its only Elevators that wil replace one stairwell and a new entrence that will exit out to Dilworth Plaza(as seen picture). So yes, if you enter through the new Fare gates, the stairwells will be wider there. If you transfer from the MFL, those will still have the old stairwells...

[eldondre]

most people transfer.
at any rate, you can see why the project isn't happening, it's probably the least return for $100 million in the system. I'd like it if they just turned the stairs into a ramp going from the bsl (the short staircase)...a small but useful change

[Bob_Head]

Anyway, here is a render of what the new City Hall Station would look like if SEPTA can come up with 100 million:

Apparently, from that rendering, they're removing all the black folk, too.

[CComMack]

I'm still having trouble squaring these renderings with the current platforms at City Hall. Where are these new fare gates, exactly? Are they just set farther west from the current faregates at the top of stairways 3 and 4? I suppose that will make the transfers from the MFL slightly less claustrophobic. But what about access from the concourse running east? When I'm heading home from, say, 12th and Market, I usually walk along Market and duck underground at 13th/Juniper, and follow the concourse to the BSL faregates. If the concourse is severed with no entry faregates, that's a serious loss of time. (Unless the City Hall courtyard is going to be kept open more. And maybe we could get unicorn rides in there, while we're at it.)

Also, my usual use case for City Hall Station is connecting from the BSL to Suburban Station and vice-versa. Is the fastest way to do that still to connect through the subway-surface platform? (The blueprint is unclear, probably because it shows the wrong depth level.)

[mixiboi]

I'm still having trouble squaring these renderings with the current platforms at City Hall.

Also, my usual use case for City Hall Station is connecting from the BSL to Suburban Station and vice-versa. Is the fastest way to do that still to connect through the subway-surface platform? (The blueprint is unclear, probably because it shows the wrong depth level.)

I'll try and help

Where are these new fare gates, exactly? Are they just set farther west from the current faregates at the top of stairways 3 and 4?

The new Fare Gates will be located under the Dillworth Plaza which can be accessed from City Hall the MSB and South Broad underground. they are just a little west of where the current ones are. The new Fare Gates will be using the same stairwell as the MFL transfers(3 and 4), which are shown in the render.

But what about access from the concourse running east? When I'm heading home from, say, 12th and Market, I usually walk along Market and duck underground at 13th/Juniper, and follow the concourse to the BSL faregates. If the concourse is severed with no entry faregates, that's a serious loss of time.

The faregates that are there now will be removed, as the Dillworth faregates will be replacing them, you will still be able to access those from the concourse, tho SEPTA will have to figure all that out when its finish.

Also, my usual use case for City Hall Station is connecting from the BSL to Suburban Station and vice-versa. Is the fastest way to do that still to connect through the subway-surface platform? (The blueprint is unclear, probably because it shows the wrong depth level.)

Going to the subway-surface platform or the Dillwoth Plaza entrence will take the same time from Suburban Station. Tho, the Dillworth Plaza entrence will be more worth going to with the new technology that will be installed there.

[eldondre]

so they're going to put more people (in theory) onto 3 and 4 and remove access from the east?

[caL]

Apparently, from that rendering, they're removing all the black folk, too.

lol that's the biggest difference. Other than that, a red-tiled floor and a lot of white paint.