Station #11 and ¼: North Philadelphia BSL Station (SEPTA)

Sign on the side of the Head House

North Philadelphia BSL is a station on SEPTA's Broad Street Line. The station is located at Broad, between Lehigh and Glenwood avenues. The station is part of the North Philadelphia Station Complex. Express and Ridge trains sometimes stop here, having the ability to do so.

Why isn't this station called Lehigh?

Another sign, this one in the station.

This is a question I see a lot, and its answer has to do with the station's history. The station was built in the late 1920s, and the nearby Pennsylvania Railroad station of North Philadelphia was a major station at the time. It was a boon for the station to have the name at the time, though now is a much different story. 

Obligatory Station Tour

BSL train at North Philadelphia Station

There is a lot at this station, and it's very interesting how this station is laid out. There are two entrances/exits, Lehigh Avenue and Glenwood Avenue. 

Like the example in the photo above, there are many long and thin corridors in this station. It may seem a little bit disorienting at first, but everyone who uses this station quickly gets used to it. 

The station has the usual BSL things, key card readers, turnstiles, a ticket office, you name it. What's less normal for a BSL station that is normal here is the atrium immediately afterward, where you can go northbound or southbound without having to go above ground. Some larger stations have this, and North Philadelphia is no exception.

Going down the stairs, you get to the main portion of the station: 
Trashiest point of view, I know

The main platforms are very simple, platforms like any other. Note that the inner tracks are for express and Ridge trains, while the outer tracks are for local trains. 

On the other side, there are stairs for whichever side you want to exit from. 

One issue this station has is the entrance on the Glenwood side. In attempting to make this entrance for the station need no staff, this area with the turnstiles quickly turns into a choke point, especially in times of high station traffic. If the key card reader on the left breaks, this entrance becomes useless, as there is no other way to enter otherwise, nor is there another turnstile.  

My Opinion of the Station

Could you tell I was standing on the yellow line when I took this photo? Don't be like me, everyone

This station is honestly not my favorite of the BSL stations, but it's definitely quite nice. At least, it's definitely better than the stations directly before and after it (Susquehanna - Dauphin, and Allegheny), that's for sure.

Also, it's actually quite clean (for a SEPTA station), which is honestly quite nice. 

Bus Connections:

54 bus sign

Rail:

Amtrak: Keystone Service trains run four southbound and one northbound trip on weekdays only that stop at North Philadelphia Station. The Keystone Service goes from New York to Harrisburg via Philadelphia. Access from North Philadelphia Main station 

Chestnut Hill West Line: Regional Rail Service from Center City to Chestnut Hill West, via Germantown. Access from North Philadelphia CHW station. 

Lansdale - Doylestown Line: Regional Rail Service from Center City to Lansdale and Doylestown, access from North Broad Station 

Manayunk - Norristown Line: Regional Rail Service from Center City to Norristown, access from North Broad Station 

Trenton Line: Regional Rail Service from Center City to Trenton, access from North Philadelphia Main station

Bus:

4: NRG Station to Fern Rock Transportation Center

16: City Hall to Cheltenham - Ogontz loop

54: 33rd-Dauphin to Richmond - Cambria via Lehigh Avenue

Amenity Checklist 


Accessible: ✓ 
Bathrooms: × (I don't think? if it does, I don't want to visit them) 
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes:  ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Indoor Shelters (or head house on a subway): ✓
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Parking (if applicable): N/A
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ✓
Ticket Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ✓ 
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Updated Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 8/10


I think it lives up to its purpose quite well, and it's very well-connected as well. My only main complaints that kept this station from a perfect 10/10 were the Glenwood exit turnstiles and a general feeling of lacklustreness the station was built in. 

Unfortunately, this is the best station with this name. The rest are leagues under this one, so much worse...

Station Directory

Fern Rock Transportation Center
Olney Transportation Center
Logan
Wyoming
Hunting Park
Erie
Allegheny
North Philadelphia 
Susquehanna - Dauphin
Cecil B. Moore
Girard
Fairmount

BRS trains continue to Chinatown and 8th and Market

Spring Garden
Race - Vine
City Hall
Walnut - Locust
Lombard - South
Ellsworth - Federal
Tasker - Morris
Snyder
Oregon
NRG

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Station Review #50: Baltimore Pennsylvania (Amtrak/MARC)

Image
Baltimore-Pennsylvania Station (aka Baltimore-Penn or just Penn) is the main train station of Baltimore, Maryland. This station is used both for MARC trains and Amtrak trains, most notably for the MARC PENN line and Amtrak's Northeast Regional and Acela trains, as well as other Amtrak trains. Baltimore-Penn Station is currently the 8th most used train station in the US. History Baltimore Penn Station is the third iteration of the train station in that exact location, and trains stopping here go back to 1873. The first station was a wooden station built by the North Central Railroad, a subsidiary of the PRR. This was demolished, and replaced by the Charles Street Union Station, pictured above. This was then also demolished and replaced by a new Baltimore Penn station in 1910, which is the station that is currently there.  Historically, all service was run by the PRR, which not only included service up and down the Northeast Corridor but also included service
Read more

Station Review #73: Glenside (SEPTA)

Image
Glenside is a station serving multiple SEPTA Regional Rail lines, located at Easton Road and Glenside Avenue in Glenside, PA.  History Glenside station was built in 1873 by the North Pennsylvania Railroad, one of the few original NPRR station houses to remain to this day. Just six years later, the NPRR was bought by the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, the predecessor to the Reading Railroad. Glenside station was originally named Abington station, and was renamed sometime later to Glenside.  In 2000, a café opened in the station building called Elcy's Café.  Routes that Serve Glenside Station  There are four Regional Rail routes that go to Glenside station, these are:  Airport Line: These trains go to Center City via the SEPTA Main line, before then going to Philadelphia International Airport. Oftentimes, these are combined with Warminister Line trains.  Glenside Combined Line: These trains usually just go from 30th Street station to Glenside vi
Read more

Station Review #54: Gwynedd Valley (SEPTA)

Image
Gwynedd Valley is a station on SEPTA's Lansdale - Doylestown line at its intersection with Plymouth Avenue in the small village of Gwynedd Valley, PA.  History Information about the history of Gwynedd Valley station is scarce. This station dates back to the 1850s. It's unknown if the station building is that old, or if it's actually a newer station built by the Reading Railroad after the acquisition of the North Penn Railroad main line. Not long after Gwynedd Valley station was built, wealthy people started moving to that area in droves. Today, many very wealthy people still live in the area.  Gwynedd Valley station is well known for an illustration of it being on the October 7th, 1961 cover of the Saturday Evening Post . This is illustrated by well-known illustrator John Falter, at the time a resident of Whitpain Township, PA.   Tour Much as you'd expect, this station really has not changed all that much in the last centu
Read more