Station Review #75: Wayne Junction (SEPTA)

Sign

Wayne Junction is a train station located in the Wayne Junction neighborhood of Philadelphia. It has service from SEPTA's Airport, Chestnut Hill East, Fox Chase, Glenside Combined, Lansdale - Doylestown, and Warminister lines. 

History 

Old Wayne Junction station

Wayne Junction was first built in 1881 as a station along Germantown Pike that also served as a junction station. This junction allowed trains from Germantown, Chestnut Hill, Bethlehem, Doylestown, and Newtown to all converge along the Reading Main line, which made transfers more convenient for passengers. Both the Reading Railroad and the B&O railroad used the station, so eventually, services from all over the US that went through Philadelphia started going through Wayne Junction as well. 

Alas, the era of train being the main mode of travel eventually ended in the US by the 1950s. This caused the decline of Wayne Junction station. Even after this, there still was intercity trains at Wayne Junction station up until the 1980s, mainly to Newark, NJ and Allentown/Bethlehem, PA. Even these services got cut back as well. Nowadays, Wayne Junction serves no intercity traffic, and only has trains to a couple locations within the Philadelphia area. 

In 2017, Wayne Junction station was rebuilt. This renovation allowed the station to be made accessible. Certain aspects of the station are still original, however. 

Services That Stop Here

Silverliner IV car #160 on the Airport Line

There are many services at Wayne Junction Station, these include: 

Airport Line: Glenside Station to Philadelphia International Airport

Chestnut Hill East Line: Center City to Chestnut Hill East. This line has a special section of the platform. 

Fox Chase Line: Center City to Fox Chase. Often through-runs with the Airport Line

Glenside Combined Line: Penn Medicine to Glenside. This is essentially the combined section of the Reading Main Line, an important part of every line. Some services just run from 30th street directly to Glenside. 

Lansdale-Doylestown Line: Center City to Lansdale or Doylestown

Warminister Line: Center City to Warminister. Oftentimes through-runs with the Airport line. 

Tour

Station from outside

Station Sign

Hallway to get to the rest of the station 

Sign for the 2024 Regional Rail Improvement Program. During this program's duration, the Fox Chase Line was bustituted. 

Much of Wayne Junction's lower level is this concourse 

The Platforms

Below are multiple shots of the platforms.



Some of the platforms have benches



Wayne Junction actually has a destination board for once



One of the exits





Inside the station 

Much like many other stations, Wayne Junction has a station waiting room. It is a standard station waiting room. I'm not certain Wayne Junction has a bookshelf though. 

At the water fountains, there is a bit of station history on a plaque

Bus Connections


There are a few bus connections at Wayne Junction station, these include:

H/XH (Express): There are express variants of the H and XH that run via Wayne Avenue a few times a day. The H links Erie Station with Mount Airy and Cedarbrook Plaza while the XH links it with areas along Washington Lane. Both lines end at Cheltenham-Ogontz Loop. These buses will stop serving Wayne Junction station after the Bus Revolution goes through.

2: This bus normally goes from Southern bus depot to 23rd-Venango loop via 16th and 17th streets. The variant that goes to Wayne Junction is much more infrequent. Post Bus Revolution, this will be the main service pattern. 

23: This bus goes from Center City to Chestnut Hill Loop/Chestnut Hill West station via 12th/13th Streets and Germantown Ave. This is one of the most heavily used bus routes in the city. 

53: This bus serves multiple functions. First, it serves as a crosstown bus for east Hunting Park Avenue, linking to Juniata Park. Second, it then goes south towards Erie Station, before then going northwest towards and along Wayne Avenue. The 53 stays on Wayne Avenue all the way until it ends at Carpenter's Woods. There is a variant of the 53 that ends at Hunting Park station instead of in Juniata Park. 

75: This bus is a crosstown route linking Arrott Transportation Center with Wayne Junction via Wyoming Avenue. Along with the 59 and 66, the 75 is a trolleybus route. 

Points of Interest Near Wayne Junction Station


There's not much near Wayne Junction, besides a few parks and the rail yard. There is quite a bit of TOD nearby, however. 

Statistics


Name: Wayne Junction 
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): Airport, Chestnut Hill East, Fox Chase, Glenside Combined, Lansdale Doylestown, Warminister. 
Locality: Wayne Junction 
City/Township: Philadelphia 
County: Philadelphia
State: Pennsylvania 
Ridership: 666 riders per average weekday (2017)

Amenity Checklist


Accessible: ✓
Bathrooms: ✓
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ✓
Connections to other transit routes: ✓
Easy passage for each side: ✓
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): ✓
Good Wayfinding: ✓
Indoor Shelters: ✓
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ✓
Adequate Parking: ✓
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ✓
TVMs (if applicable): ×
Ticket Offices: ✓
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (signs that update/screens): ✓
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 9.5/10 

Literally the only thing stopping this place from getting a 10 is that it doesn't have a ticket vending machine for the SEPTA Key. I'm completely serious. 

Station Directory


--------Montgomery County--------
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
Trains continue to Lansdale, Doylestown, or Warminster

Trains continue from West Trenton 


Jenkintown - Wyncote

''''''''Zone 2''''''''

Elkins Park

Melrose Park

--------Philadelphia County--------

''''''''Zone 1''''''''

Fern Rock Transportation Center


Trains continue from Fox Chase or Chestnut Hill East


Wayne Junction


Trains continue from Norristown


North Broad

''''''''CCCC Zone''''''''

Temple University

Jefferson

Suburban

30th Street


Trains continue to Cynwyd or Thorndale


Penn Medicine 


Trains continue to Media/Wawa, Wilmington/Newark or Philadelphia International Airport

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