Goodbye, AT&T station. The southmost stop on the Broad Street Line at Pattison Avenue will change names in August, due to a change in sponsorship.
NRG Energy, an integrated power company based in Princeton, N.J., forked over $5.3 million to sponsor the BSL stop for five years. That replaces SEPTA’s previous five-year contract with AT&T, first signed in 2010, which apparently worked out so well it was extended for two additional years.
From the newly signed contract with NRG, SEPTA will receive 85 percent of the revenue. Per a PMN report, the rest will go to Intersection, the company that represented SEPTA in negotiations with NRG.
Not familiar with the brand? You will be. Just last week, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz agreed to extend his endorsement deal with NRG through the 2018 season.
But still, for SEPTA riders, the name change might bring some confusion.
After all, every single express stop on the Broad Street Line southbound currently features a signage directing riders to AT&T station. Customers will see new signage starting at the beginning of August, and it’ll take a few weeks to change all the signs along the BSL, per a SEPTA spokesperson. The official renaming is set for Aug. 14.
At that point, SEPTA insists all maps and signage will be updated to reflect the name change — anything that now says AT&T will be updated to NRG.
The renamed station will feature some new amenities, per a SEPTA spokesperson. There will be interactive screens with real-time travel information and portable phone chargers that riders can rent.
Changes like this are possible thanks to Act 44, a measure passed by state lawmakers in 2007 that encouraged SEPTA to seek non-fare revenue.
