Station Review #121: Croydon (SEPTA)


Croydon is a station on the Trenton Line. The station is located at Bristol Pike and Cedar Avenue in Croydon, PA. Croydon is a census designated place in Bristol Township, located in south central Bucks County. 


History


Croydon station has a far longer and more storied history than one would expect, going back to 1834 with the opening of the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad. Originally, the station was about 1000 feet or so away from the site of the current station. At the time, the station was cakled Schenck station, named after Dr. Joseph H. Schenck, who owned a large mansion nearby at the time. Schencks was a rich man, and there is a possibility that he had a railway branch off of the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad. No one knows when exactly the station was renamed, or rebuilt the first time. All that is known is this it was after 1885. 

Croydon station today is virtually unrecognizable from the Croydon station of the past. The old station house was demolished sometime around the 1970s or so, and replaced by two green shelters. In 2009, the station was renovated, a project that finished in 2011 or so, making it fully accessible. 

Tour

Croydon is a fully accessible SEPTA station. The station consists of two outer platforms, the northbound platform with one shelter and the southbound platform with two 

Another view of the platforms

One of the old platforms, from before the station was made accessible

Inside of one of the shelters

Inside the station, things look incredibly generic, but that's okay. There doesn't need to be a completely different design for every single SEPTA Station. 

Map

Schedule

A little bit of damage 

This seems to be a common issue with stations of this design on SEPTA (see Olney, Woodbourne, etc). Many of the glass tiles are missing, nowhere to be found. Some of the other tiles have been vandalized meanwhile. Besides one of the lollypop signs being weathered, this is the only damage to the station at all. SEPTA has far worse in its network

Driveway 

This is the spot where the bus lets on, usually

Ramp

One thing that is very annoying with Croydon station is getting from one platform to the other. Croydon is a mess of ramps and stairs, one that could have easily been solved with a few elevators. At the very least though, ranps are far less likely to become unusable than elevators

The ramps and stairs both lead to a protected sidewalk that goes under the Northeast Corridor rail line itself.

The stairs

To get to the outbound platform, there are yet more ramps and stairs. 

Bus Stop

In theory, this is where you get on the bus from the outbound platform. 

Parking

Both platforms have lots of parking, though the northbound platform seems to have far more. 

Silverliner IV!

Bus Connections


There is only one connection at Croydon station: 
  • 128 - Neshaminy Mall to Oxford Valley Mall: This bus goes between the two malls, going via Croydon, Bristol, and Levittown. Much unlike the 14, which goes between Neshaminy and Oxford Valley malls in around 30 minutes, the 128 takes about 90 minutes instead. The 128 also runs about once every 90 minutes or so. Bus departures are often poorly timed with train departures. 

Points of Interest Near Croydon Station

Statistics


Name: Croydon
Agency: SEPTA
Line(s): Trenton Line
Locality: Croydon
Municipality: Bristol Township
County: Bucks
State: Pennsylvania
Ridership: 734 riders per average weekday (2017)

Amenity Checklist


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

Final Verdict: 8/10. This is another decent station. 
 

Station Directory

 
--------Philadelphia County--------
''''''''Center City Zone''''''''
Jefferson (Market East)
Suburban
30th Street
''''''''Zone 1''''''''
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
''''''''Zone 3''''''''
--------Bucks County--------
Croydon
''''''''Zone 4''''''''
Bristol
Levittown
--------New Jersey--------
--------Mercer County--------
''''''''NJ Zone''''''''
 

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