Station Review #176: 12th-13th and Locust (PATCO)
12th-13th and Locust is a station on the PATCO Speedline. The station is located on Locust Street, between 12th and 13th Streets in the Gayborhood neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA.
History
12th-13th was originally a station planned for the Philadelphia Subway Loop. This would have been something comparable to Chicago's L loop, albeit completely underground. This wouldve been a loop that went along 8th, Locust, 16th, and Arch, and would've connected to a line that went up Ridge Avenue and Henry Avenue into Roxborough. Most of this never happened. What did happen though was the section of the ridge subway between Broad Street and 8th Street, and part of the loop.
The tunnels were dug out for the sections of the loop along Locust, 8th, and Arch, but after the 8th street segment north of Market got used for both the Broad-Ridge Spur and the Bridge Line, the rest of the loop tunnels stayed abandoned. Work resumed on the section of the loop between 8th and Market and 16th and Locust in 1931, but then paused due to World War 2. It was finally finished in 1953. When this occured, some Bridge Line trains started going to this section. This is around the time 12th-13th and Market entered service. Many other Bridge Line trains instead would go up the spur to Girard. The Bridge Line was extended to Lindenwold in 1969, and became PATCO. Suddenly, all PATCO trains went to 12th-13th and Locust.
The station stayed the same until around 2020, when two major changes happened. For one, the concourse connection between 12th-13th and Locust and Walnut-Locust station on the B1 closed. Around the same time, the station was also made fully accessible.
Tour
12th-13th and Locust is similar as a station to many of the stations of the Broad Street Line in South Philadelphia, owing to both being built at similar times.
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| Some sort of alarm or detector? |
This station isn't in the best of conditions, much like the rest of the stations in the Locust Street Subway.
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| Tunnel |
Another similarity with the South Philadelphia Broad Street Subway stations: a large mezzanine.
For no particular reason, the city of Philadelphia closed the tunnels between the PATCO stations and the Broad Street line.
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| Seriously? |
This was never reopened, and it would not surprise me if the city would rather close the tunnels off with concrete than reopen them.
Oddly enough, not every PATCO station has these.
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| Platform |
The Locust Street Subway stations all use island platforms, and 12th-13th Street and Locust is no different.
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| Train |
Bus Connections
There are a few bus connections near 12th-13th and Locust Station, all from SEPTA:
9 - 4th-Walnut to Andorra: This is a bus that runs aling Chestnut and Walnut Streets in Center City, before running express along I-76 to Wissahickon Transit Center, and running along Ridge Avenue the rest of the way, ending at Andorra Shopping Center. This bus runs once every 20-30 minutes or so.
12 - Columbus-Dock to 50th-Woodland: This is a crosstown bus route that runs along Walnut and Locust streets, before going south to Grays Ferry. The 12 ends at 50th and Woodland, linking to the T4 and T5 trolleys, as well as the 52. This route runs one bus every 30 minutes or so. There are plans in the New Bus Network to move this bus to Chestnut and Walnut Streets.
21 - Columbus-Dock to 69th Street Transit Center: This bus is a crosstown route that runs along the entire length of Chestnut and Walnut streets. It essentially acts as a relief valve for the L. The 21 is one of the slowest SEPTA bus routes. This bus runs once every 10 minutes or so.
23 - 11th-Market to Chestnut Hill: This bus goes north along 11th-12th street and Germantown Avenue to Chestnut Hill from Center City, looping around at Locust Street. This bus runs about once every 10 minutes.
42 - 2nd-Spruce to 61st-Pine or Wycombe: This is a different crosstown bus route that runs along Chestnut and Walnut Streets. The main difference from the 21 though is that it branches off at 33rd-34th Streets, before going through the University of Pennsylvania campus and onto Spruce Street. The 42 spends the rest of its time on Spruce Street, before either ending at the 61st-Pine loop or the Wycombe loop in Upper Darby. The 42 bus runs at a frequency of about one bus every fifteen minutes. In the New Bus Network, this bus will be shifted south to go onto South and Lombard Streets from Spruce Street, replacing part of the 40.
45 - Broad-Oregon to 12th and Vine: This bus was formerly part of the 23, it continues south from 12th and Vine to Oregon Avenue along 11th and 12th Streets, looping around along Packer Avenue. This bus runs every 10 minutes. In the New Bus Network, the frequency of this bus will be decreased in a bid to get people to ride the Broad Street Line more.
There are more connections at Broad Street, but the next station (15th-16th and Locust) is better suited for most of those connections anyways because of where it's located.
Points of Interest near 12th-13th Streets and Locust
12th-13th and Locust is located near the heart of the Gayborhood, a neighborhood known for being one of the main hubs for the LGBTQ+ community of the Delaware Valley. This is a bustling area with dense housing, bars, stores, and many services. These services include places like clinics for example, of which multiple are immediately next to the station. This gets a lot of people in this area and using this station.
Statistics
Name: 12th-13th and Locust
Agency: PATCO
Line(s): PATCO
Locality: Gayborhood
Municipality: Philadelphia
County: Philadelphia
State: Pennsylvania
Ridership: 5394 riders per average weekday (2022)
Amenity Checklist
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: 7.75/10
Station Directory
--------PENNSYLVANIA--------
--------Philadelphia County--------
15th-16th and Locust
12th-13th and Locust
9th-10th and Locust
8th-Market
Franklin Square
--------NEW JERSEY--------
--------Camden County--------
City Hall
Broadway/Walter Rand Transportation Center
Ferry Avenue
Collingwood
Westmont
Haddonfield
Woodcrest
Ashland
Lindenwold
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