11th Street already has the new SEPTA-standard two-bulb, clear-plastic-covered fluorescent lights, and the conduit for the new information signs and communications/monitoring equipment has been installed above the metal-slat ceiling, which is being reinstalled now.

What does Phase Two entail that would require a demodel of 11th Street?

Personally, I'm not that fond of the re-exposure of the cement ceilings at 8th, 13th and 15th, and on every Broad Street Line station that was remodeled in 1982-84. I understand from some sources that the metal-slat ceilings are actually maintenance pains, and they do suffer damage from unrepaired leaks (look near the forward overpass at 11th Street eastbound for one example), but the latter also applies to the bare ceilings, and the batting above the slats helped dampen noise in the stations. I don't see why they couldn't have installed the new equipment and brighter lighting while keeping the IMO more attractive ceiling treatments.



11th Street -- the last station in the original 1907 Market Street subway to get a makeover -- was completed well before work on the Convention Center began in 1992. (It had begun by the time I moved here in 1983.) That remodel was all SEPTA's work.

Indeed, redoing City Hall station is going to be the job of the century, in part from the requirement that passenger circulation be maintained and City Hall supported.



However:

The oldest portion of the Broad Street Subway -- City Hall station itself -- was excavated in 1913-15; it's got a few more years before that hole turns 100.

The Broad Street Subway itself is even further away from its centennial. Work on the line resumed in 1925, and the first trains ran in it in September, 1927.


Refitting the South Broad stations for ADA access won't be that difficult, thanks to their island-platform configuration. Two elevators -- one from mezzanine to platform and one from mezzanine to street -- will do the job. The elevators to the surface will have to be on the east side of Broad Street, because the South Broad subway tunnel was configured so that two more tracks could be added under the west side of Broad when traffic warranted.

Some of the nostalgia buffs and juice fiends on the Philly_Traction listserv are giving him grief for in effect stating that there will be no further revival of streetcar-in-mixed-traffic service on his watch given the performance of Route 15 (an admittedly questionable assertion given that line's ridership and on-time performance stats), but I think he's emphasizing all the things that need to be emphasized in order to bring SEPTA up to speed.

__________________
Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Jazz and blogging are both intimate, improvisational, and individual -- but also inherently collective. And the audience talks over both." --Andrew Sullivan, "Why I Blog," The Atlantic, November 2008

Seems like you know your stuff.


I understand the ADA rules- If you redo something, you have to do it in a certain way. I still think there is a less budget busting way to re-do these stations. I think the new Oregon ave renewal is a great example. Clean neat and simple.

As opposed to Walnut locust's renewal Sadly, the mezzanine level got darker! (green floor paint?!) Track level area looks pretty good though...

My only complaint is when SEPTA spends/wastes money to re-do decent stations/features: Green electronic signs on green line, Re-installation of lights that work just fine... installing grey tile over red tile (but not adding ADA height!)

My preference would be that all stations reach a certain standard before renewing stations/features that seem ok.

I understand the City Hall Foundation Issue- BUT $100,000,000 estimate for that Station alone! If I were in the FTA or a PA State Legislator I'd gag on that number.

There must be a better way to renew these things. For example-

If SEPTA really does care about its riders:

For Spring Garden and Girard an immediate bright coat of paint, lighten the floors (light grey floor paint), lighten the subway track area walls and add the light fixtures removed from the trolley/el stations (see above).

Then when the larger federal Money is won- Do the ADA improvements and a "light" ($10-12 million each) renewal- We don't need these cathedral stations!

I have been working to get SEPTA to recognize the sorry state of my rail station (Tulpehocken) Even fixing up that historic building has been estimated to be 800K-1,000,000- Isn't there a better way to redo these things?

Boy, MSL, you know how to make a boy's heart sink.

Everyday it feels like 1992 promises mean nothing....But you know what? I'm ok with it right now, because there are alot more important things to deal with in SEPTAland, like getting West Market St back to normal.

We'll work on the campaign to get the 23 and 56 trolleys back later.


I can't take much credit for it, It is what happens when you hang around online with people like MarketStEl and the hundreds of transit fans on multiple internet boards:

http://www.subchat.com/

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Philly_Traction/

http://www.phillytrolley.org/

http://home.comcast.net/~trolleydriver/FPT.htm


People love this stuff as much as I do.


That was the Jeep Stickers they placed on the floor! lol.

They did that last Fall. Well not the light fixtures, but they won't, because the reconstruction IS coming....

December 2006

"SEPTA has long been hamstrung by the lack of a reliable, dedicated source of funding. Constant financial crisis -- often resulting in raids on the capital budget -- makes it difficult to plan for, let alone implement, improvements to the system.

"Your plans are shifted year after year," Moore said.

Case in point: the slashed projects in this year's capital budget.

The Girard, Spring Garden and City Hall subway stations -- which have had no major upgrades since 1928 -- will wait another year."

July 2007


Subway station upgrades. To improve the deteriorating, 75-year-old Spring Garden and Girard stations, SEPTA plans to spend $30 million in the next two years on new lighting, signs, wall, floor and ceiling finishes, elevators, and an audio-visual public-address system. SEPTA shifted $5 million out of this project last year.

City Hall Station renovation. The busiest station on the Broad Street subway is also one of the dingiest. SEPTA plans to spend $22 million over the next three years to brighten, enlarge and modernize the 80-year-old station. SEPTA diverted $1 million for this project in last year's budget.



Yeah, but I don't think you want a Dunkin Donuts in the historic building? lol

__________________
"And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day."--Rev. Arnold Conrad

Oh and new pictures:

I love the gray signs, goes good with blue.


Can not wait till they tell me when the train is coming...


Old Camera meet new camera...Edit(Correction See the post below)

__________________
"And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day."--Rev. Arnold Conrad

Nice that they put Braile on there for people with visual impairments because the lack of contrast between text and background color means that a lot of people with low vision won't be able to read that at all!

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Minor correction: The camera on the right in the photo above is not a security camera -- it transmits its images via closed circuit to a TV monitor in the motorman's cab. It's what the operator uses to see the outside of the train and check that all passengers have cleared the door area.

The wrapped camera on the left will perform the surveillance function; the older camera is part of train operations.

What I'm more curious about are the small ceiling-mounted security cameras I have seen installed on a couple of K-cars and at least one Broad Street Subway car. Are these in use yet or part of this larger project? Or are they a pilot test?

__________________
Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Jazz and blogging are both intimate, improvisational, and individual -- but also inherently collective. And the audience talks over both." --Andrew Sullivan, "Why I Blog," The Atlantic, November 2008

Isn't the old camera blocking about 60% of the view of the new camera?


ahh.. Septa.

__________________
"

won't SEPTA simply remove the old camera when they take the plastic off the new one?

__________________
"You down wit OPM?"
Fumo: "Yeah, you know me!"

zur: What the old camera keeps the new camera from seeing is the tracks. Not much you'd want to monitor there.

eldondre: No, because the two cameras serve different functions. Did either of you read my prior post?

The camera in the box housing is stationary and trained on the platform edge. There are two such cameras, one facing rearward, one facing forward, and both facing each other, at the edge of every Market-Frankford Line platform. The operator uses these as eyes on the doors so he can close them once all passengers are clear. These were installed when the current car fleet went into service.

The camera in the bubble will rotate and swivel, and its placement next to the door camera won't block its view of the station platform.

__________________
Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia
"Jazz and blogging are both intimate, improvisational, and individual -- but also inherently collective. And the audience talks over both." --Andrew Sullivan, "Why I Blog," The Atlantic, November 2008

I always wonder what that camera was, because I always said, it didn't exactly protect the people that aren't in it's view.


Yeah I saw them too. It's so nice to see SEPTA get to the 21st century..I also saw regular security cameras on the BSL and K-Cars. You know SEPTA loves there pilots, but hopefully I see them on more cars in the future.

__________________
"And Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they're going to think that their god is bigger than you, if that happens. So I pray that you will step forward and honor your own name with all that happens between now and Election Day."--Rev. Arnold Conrad