Station Review #56: 34th Street (SEPTA)


34th Street is a station on SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line located at 34th Street and Market Street in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA. 

Tour

The station from outside

34th Street is one of the stations on the underground portion of the L, which are all known for having very old parts. You can see its roots in the Paris solution entrance, which all used the same general types of weird metal fencing also used in places like NYC. This is the entrance near the 34th Street Wawa. 

Stairs

The stairs lead to the station itself, nothing special here. There are no other ways in besides these stairs. 34th Street is one of three stations on the line that are still inaccessible, the other two being 11th and Spring Garden. 

I go in and am immediately greeted by this sight: Already, this feels incredibly dated. 

Old signboard

This is an old signboard that was just left there for decades, most likely. 

Bus map

If you look closely at the bus map on it, this map is incredibly outdated. There are multiple things in there that have been changed. 

There is some more mezzanine here, but not much else. 

I think the giant Train Arriving sign in front of the turnstiles is pretty neat, though. 

Going onto the platform, you should really take a look at the stairs. Blue and yellow a good combination for a flag but probably not for a staircase. 

Once you go to the (admittedly very thin) platforms, this is where you end up. There is not much here. 

As usual, the walls are not heavily modified with tile. The B island platform stations are like this, as well. 

Bench

Besides the aforementioned lack of accessibility, this is an average island platform, two-track metro station. There is nothing here of note. 

Eventually, my train came, and I went back, either to 30th or home. 

???????????

Also as a bonus, this photo accidentally came out purple and I have no idea how this happened but it's incredibly funny to me. 

Transit Connections

There actually are a few transit connections here. 

• 21 - 69th Street Transportation Center to Penns Landing - this is basically a relief route for the L line. 

• 30 - 30th Street station to 69th Street Transportation Center via University City, Haverford Avenue and sometimes Vine Street. This used to be a Subway Surface Trolley route until it stopped being one. Whenever Bus Revolution happens, this route will be merged into the 43. 

• 31 - City Hall to 76th-City (Overbrook Park). This followed the same fate as the 30, but then was deviated to go through Mantua, an underserved neighborhood (which is also pretty hard to serve well). This route is also a relief bus for the L train.

• 49 - 29th and Snyder to 33rd-Dauphin Loop via University City. This bus links Strawberry Mansion and Greys Ferry to University City. 

• Both LUCY buses. These do exactly what they say on the tin: Loop around University City

Technically, you could transfer to the subway-surface trolleys at 33rd Street, but considering the lack of free transfer, you'd be better off going to 13th or Drexel Station at 30th Street (yes I will call it that, it's much funnier to do it over and over again) instead for a simple and free transfer. 

Also, note that Drexel Station at 30th Street station has all of these connections too. 

Points of Interest in the area
34th Street is a station that is primarily made to serve University City and all that this entails. This mainly includes both Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. That is all this station really is meant to serve.

Statistics


Name: 34th Street 
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): L
Locality: University City 
City/Township: Philadelphia 
County: Philadelphia 
State: Pennsylvania 
Ridership: 7,076 Riders per average weekday.

Station Amenities

Accessible: ×
Bathrooms: ×
Bicycle parking: × (but most just bring their bikes onto and off the train anyway)
Clean Station: × (the L line stations never are)
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓ (There is one side only)
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable)/Turnstiles: ✓
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ✓ (it is underground)
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Adequate Parking: ✓ (none in this case)
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓ (It's underground, the entire station is the shelter)
Station In Good Condition: ✓
Ticket Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ×
Updated/Useful Signage: × 

Verdict: 4/10 (In all fairness, even if it was accessible, I don't think it'd get more than a 7/10.)


Station Directory


--------Philadelphia County--------
Frankford Transportation Center
Arrott Transportation Center
Church
Erie-Torresdale
Tioga
Allegheny
Somerset
Huntingdon
York-Dauphin
Berks
Girard
Spring Garden
2nd Street
5th Street
8th Street
11th Street
13th Street
15th Street
Drexel Station at 30th Street
34th Street
40th Street
46th Street
52nd Street
56th Street
60th Street
63rd Street
--------Delaware County--------
Millbourne
69th Street Transportation Center 


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