Girard station (Market–Frankford Line)

Girard station (soon to be known as Front–Girard station[3]) is an elevated rapid transit station which is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line. It is situated at the corner of Front Street and Girard Avenue[4] in the Fishtown neighborhood.

Girard
Girard Station platform with A train arriving
General information
Location1200 North Front Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°58′08″N 75°08′10″W / 39.9689°N 75.1362°W / 39.9689; -75.1362
Owned byCity of Philadelphia
Operated bySEPTA
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
ConnectionsCity Bus SEPTA City Bus: 5, 25
Construction
Structure typeElevated
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedNovember 5, 1922[1]
Rebuilt1997[2]
Electrified700 volts DC third rail
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Spring Garden Market–Frankford Line Berks
Preceding station SEPTA Metro Following station
Broad–Girard
major stops
Frankford–Delaware
Future services (2024)
Preceding station SEPTA Metro Following station
Spring Garden Berks
toward Frankford
Broad–Girard
major stops
Frankford–Delaware
Location
Map

The station is also served by the Route 15, the historic Girard Avenue trolley line, which runs on tracks in the median of Girard Avenue.

The trolley station is known as Front & Girard. SEPTA bus routes 5 and 25 also serve the station, as well as the Route 15 bus which temporarily replaced trolleys on the Richmond Street section of that line during I-95 construction. Six SEPTA PCC II cars returned to Route 15 service on June 16, 2024.[5]

History

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Girard is part of the Frankford Elevated section of the line, which began service on November 5, 1922.[6][7][1][8]

Between 1988 and 2003, SEPTA undertook a $493.3 million reconstruction of the 5.5-mile (8.9 km) Frankford Elevated.[8]

Girard station was completely rebuilt on the site of the original station; the project included new platforms, elevators, windscreens, and overpasses, and the station now meets ADA accessibility requirements.[8] The line had originally been built with track ballast and was replaced with precast sections of slab track, allowing the station (and the entire line) to remain open throughout the project.[9]

Station layout

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Eastbound trolley stop on Girard Avenue

The station's main entrance is located on the northwest corner of Front Street and Girard Avenue. This staircase leads to a fare control barrier serving the eastbound platform, along with an elevated overpass to the westbound platform.

The westbound platform has an exit-only staircase descending to the northeast corner of the intersection.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Market-Frankford Subway–Elevated Line". SEPTA. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Frankford Elevated Rapid Rail Line". Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "SEPTA Metro Network Map" (PDF). September 19, 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. ^ "world.nycsubway.org/ Photos 1-38 of 38". nycsubway.org. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  5. ^ Myers, Michelle (16 June 2024). "'The Tesla of trolleys': Behold the return of SEPTA's cream-and-green 1947 trolleys". www.inquirer.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  6. ^ Cox, Harold E. (1967). May, Jack (ed.). The Road from Upper Darby. The Story of the Market Street Subway-Elevated. New York, NY: Electric Railroaders' Association. p. 17. OCLC 54770701.
  7. ^ Hepp, John (2013). "Subways and Elevated Lines". Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Edward L. Woods, Jr.; Thomas A. Nuxoll (1999). "The Frankford Elevated Reconstruction Project" (PDF). American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  9. ^ American Public Transportation Association (1996). "Success Under Fire--A Discussion of the SEPTA-Frankford Elevated Reconstruction Project (FERP)". National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
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