For the first time in nearly half a century, the PATCO train station below Franklin Square park, dubbed Philly’s “ghost station,” has riders commuting through it again.
“It was kind of exciting coming over on the train, hearing the new announcement,” said Clark Brown, a 32-year-old consultant commuting from Haddonfield, New Jersey. “I passed it for a while for the past couple years and it was boarded up, so it’s cool to see it now.”
While many train stations in the city can be described as gritty, cramped and aging, the city’s $29.3 million renovation of Franklin Square is on full display with a bright new entrance and a vintage platform.
“I’m just excited,” said Rebecca Vargas, 51, who works as a coordinator at a nearby engineering firm. “Number one, excited about it being so close. I mean, it’s half a block to our office. We’re excited about that for rainy days and cold winter days and bad weather days.”
Vargas was headed home to her family in Jersey. She walked to the station with her colleague, Joel Cani, 52, a plumbing designer.
The two oohed and aahed as they walked into the station, looking through the open, glass exterior into Franklin Square Park. According to Vargas, the new station knocked five minutes off of her commute.
“That’s a big deal, five minutes, especially for work,” she said. “It gives you extra minutes to go make your coffee, get comfortable, put your stuff away, get situated, get started on your day.”
“We’ve been dying to get in here,” Cani said. “You know, it’s very comfortable, and it’s open space.”
For Abby Douglas, 41, a communications manager, the shorter commute meant more time spent with her son.
Douglas’ son is 14. “He hasn’t reached that age yet where I’m embarrassing,” she said, “so I like to take advantage of as much time with him as possible.”
Sarah Harris, 36, senior director of teacher and student programs at the National Constitution Center, was heading home to New Jersey after work. She praised the station’s architecture.
“It was really cool to see the old tile,” she said, admiring the green- and cream-colored pattern. “It was really nice to have some of that original architecture to look at, and then the building itself outside is absolutely beautiful.”
Folks felt positive about the vibe of the Franklin Square stop, where the design helps it serve as an extension of the beloved park above it. Commuters get to see the park through the large glass-enclosed entrance and walk into a kid-friendly green space featuring a historic carousel, a 19th-century fountain and a mini-golf course.
“It looks very futuristic,” said Amir Davoodi, a 27-year-old medical student at Cooper in Camden. “I think this is very awesome. The glass ceilings and the walls, everything looks incredible.”
Davoodi was coming back home into the city from Haddonfield after work. He takes PATCO to and from the hospital that he works at for his clerkship rotations.
“I have been a big fan of PATCO for the longest time,” he added. “I have a weird thing with public transport. I love using it. I think it’s super efficient.”
Chelbi Lea, a 32-year-old business analyst, had mistakenly gotten off of her train thinking she was headed in the wrong direction after discovering the unfamiliar Franklin Square stop. She had boarded at 8th and Market and was struck by the contrast between the two stations.
“8th and Market is super hot,” she said, comparing it to Franklin Square’s cool, air-conditioned feel. She felt the newly renovated station was “really clean.” “Honestly, it doesn’t smell like pee, which is great.”
Other city travelers had journeyed to the new stop just in order to see it. Richel McDonald, 43, a Trader Joe’s employee, came all the way from Haddonfield to Franklin Square because she wanted to admire it.
“They were saying it was going to open last year, and it’s just the anticipation,” she said. “I know it’s been closed since ’76, and that was before I was born.” (PATCO service to Franklin Square actually closed in 1979.)
Her take?
“It’s beautiful,” she said as she rode from the platform up the escalator into the sunny open glass entrance. “It’s definitely a lot nicer than the other PATCO stations, and I hope it stays this way.”
