15th Street/City Hall station

Railway station in Philadelphia May 2025 April 2025 LBT 15th St/City Hall SEPTA Metro Market-Frankford Line at 15th Street, December 2007.jpg A Market-Frankford Line (L) train at 15th Street station in 2007 Market Street between 15th Street and Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 39.9523 -75.1646 region:US-PA_type:railwaystation inline,title SEPTA SEPTA SEPTA Metro B Broad Street subwaySEPTA Metro L SEPTA Metro T Market Street subway 2 side (L); 2 island (B); 2 side (T) 2 (L), 4 (B), 2 (T) rail SEPTA Regional Rail (at Suburban Station) SEPTA City Bus: 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48 SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125 Yes (L) Platforms accessible; vehicles not accessible (T) No, planned (B) August 3, 1907 (Market-Frankford Line) September 1, 1928 (Broad Street Line) 15th Street (Market-Frankford Line/Trolley Lines) City Hall (Broad Street Line) SEPTA Metro L1 adj Drexel Station at 30th Street 13th Street B1 adj Walnut–Locust Race–Vine B2 adj Walnut–Locust Race–Vine T1 adj 19th Street 13th Street T2 adj 19th Street 13th Street T3 adj 19th Street 13th Street T4 adj 19th Street 13th Street T5 adj 19th Street 13th Street yes Philadelphia Transportation Company Market Elevated 19th Street 13th Street Former services yes track y Philadelphia LPhiladelphia T platforms utvSTR ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia L to SEPTA Frankford utSTR2+4\utSTRc3\d\utvSTR\d\utkvSTRc2\utkvSTR3+l~r ~~ ~~ ~~ r Philadelphia T to SEPTA Metro 13th Street utSTRc1\utv-STR+4\d\utvSTR\d\utkvSTR+1~r\ POINTERf@fq\utv-PSTR\dPLTl\utvSTR\dPLTr\utvPSTR-\POINTERg@gq ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia T platforms utv-STR\dPLTl\utvSTR\dPLTr\utvSTR- utv-STR\dPLTl\utvSTR\dPLTr\utvSTR- utv-STR\dPLTl\utvSTR\dPLTr\utvSTR- ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia L platforms utv-STR\d\utvÜST\d\utvSTR- ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia T to SEPTA Metro 33rd Street and beyond utv-STR\d\utvSTR\d\utvSTR- ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia L to 69th Street Philadelphia B platforms utvSTR\utvSTR ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia B to SEPTA Fern Rock utvSTR\utvSTR utSTRc2\utSTR3+l\utdSTRq\utvSTR!~MSTRq!~lhSTRq!~utSTRq\utvSTR!~MSTRq!~lhSTRq!~utSTRq\utdSTRq\utSTRq\utkSTR2+r ~~ ~~ ~~ l Philadelphia T utSTR3+1\utSTRc4\utSHI1+l\utvSTR\utSHI1+r\\ utPSTR(L)\utvSTR\utPSTR(R) utPSTR(L)\utvSTR\utPSTR(R) utvSTRq\utvSTRq\lhvSTRq!~utvSTRq\lhvSTRq!~utvSTRq\lhvSTRq!~utvSTRq\utvSTRq\utvSTRq ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia L utkSTRc3\\utPSTR(L)\utvSTR\utPSTR(R)\\ utkSTR+4\\utPSTR(L)\utvSTR\utPSTR(R)\\ utkSTR2\\utSHI1l\utvSTR\utSHI1r\\ utkSTRc1\utkSTRl+4\utdSTRq\utvSTR!~MSTRq!~lhSTRq!~utSTRq\utvSTR!~MSTRq!~lhSTRq!~utSTRq\utdSTRq\utSTRq\utkSTRr+1 ~~ ~~ ~~ r Philadelphia T utvSTR\utvSTR utvSTR\utvSTR ~~ ~~ ~~ Philadelphia B to SEPTA Metro NRG collapsed yes 15 #000 rail-metro 15th Street/City Hall station is a rapid transit station complex in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located partially underneath Philadelphia City Hall. It is served by the B, L, and T lines of the SEPTA Metro system. The three lines have separate platforms connected through an underground concourse. Station design thumb|left|A northbound Broad Street Line local (now B1) train at the station in 2019 The Market Street Subway, used by the L and T, runs east-west under Market Street. The L uses the inner tracks, with two side platforms located between 15th Street and 16th Street. The five T services (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) use the outer tracks, which curve outward at 15th Street to loop around City Hall. The eastbound side platform for the T is located west of 15th Street; the westbound side platform is at the northwest corner of City Hall angled to the street grid. The four-track Broad Street Subway, which runs primarily north-south under Broad Street, angles west of Broad Street between Penn Square South and Arch Street. It passes under the Market Street Subway. The B has two island platforms between the tracks; the inner tracks are used by B2 express service, while the outer tracks are used by B1 local service.https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/page/communication/SEPTA_Concourse-Map_v2-2.pdf Center City Concourse Map Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority The B platforms are divided by thick walls that support the City Hall structure above.https://www.phillymag.com/2014/04/07/thanks-new-funding-city-hall-station-renovation-back-track/ Thanks to New Funding, City Hall Station Renovation Is Back on Track Izzy Kornblatt Philadelphia Magazine April 7, 2014 March 20, 2026 All six platforms at 15th Street/City Hall are connected by passageways within fare control. The concourse level has two north-south passages, outside of fare control, that flank 15th Street. They form part of the Center City Concourse, a system of underground passageways that connect transit stations in the Center City area. The concourse connects to Suburban Station and 13th Street station outside fare control; a now-closed passage formerly connected to Walnut–Locust station. The station has nine sets of faregates; most connect to the Center City Concourse. The station has seven full-time entrances – two on the east side of 16th Street, two on the west side of 15th Street, and three in Dilworth Park – plus two on the east side of City Hall that also serve 13th Street station. Three entrances are open limited hours: two in the City Hall courtyard (each with a separate stairs and escalator) and one in Centre Square. Two elevators connect the east concourse and street level on the east side of 15th Street on both ends of Dilworth Park; the northern elevator also serves the westbound T platform. Three elevators connect the east concourse to the L platforms and the eastbound T platform. Two additional elevators on the west side of 15th Street on Market Street connect street level, the west concourse, and the L platforms. There is no elevator access to the B platforms.https://www.phila.gov/media/20240823094218/City-Hall-SEPTA-Sign-Application.pdf 15th St/ City Hall Metro Signage and Wayfinding Program August 28, 2024 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority History 20th century thumb|left|A route 13 (now T3) streetcar at the station in 1968 15th Street station was the original eastern terminus of the Market–Frankford subway–elevated, which was opened by the Philadelphia Transportation Company on August 3, 1907, and ran west to 69th Street in Upper Darby.16Hepp John 2013 Subways and Elevated Lines https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/subways-and-elevated-lines The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia In 1908, the Market–Frankford Line was extended eastward to Market-Chestnut (now closed). The original routing of the tracks curved around the foundations of the ornate City Hall building above, but was rebuilt into a straightened alignment in the mid-1930s in an effort to improve travel time.April 29, 2019 Why the 15th Street Station along the Market-Frankford Line isn't just called City Hall https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/septa-city-hall-15th-street-market-frankford-broad-street-subway-20190429.html Philadelphia Inquirer https://web.archive.org/web/20191113021013/https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/septa-city-hall-15th-street-market-frankford-broad-street-subway-20190429.html November 13, 2019 Construction of City Hall station on the Broad Street Line encountered difficulties in early 1916 when the City Hall foundation settled into excavation for the station underneath. The city considered abandoning the partially-complete station, building a curved subway around the west side of the building, and placing the station to the north. The station was ultimately finished at its original location, though the line did not open until September 1, 1928. An underground concourse – later the Center City Concourse – opened on October 13, 1936, providing a connection between the 15th Street and City Hall platforms.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/193813687/ Snip of Scissors Opens Concourse The Philadelphia Inquirer October 14, 1936 2 Newspapers.com 21st century left|thumb|One of the 2014-opened entrances in Dilworth Park In 2001–2003, SEPTA rebuilt an entrance to 15th Street station (on the northwest corner of Market and 15th Street) and an escalator in the City Hall courtyard. The work prompted a lawsuit by Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania, citing that renovating only one critical component would require the rest of the station complex (including the Broad Street Line portion) to be renovated for accessibility.Campisi Anthony September 22, 2011 SEPTA riders getting City Hall elevators down to the El https://whyy.org/articles/septa-riders-getting-city-hall-elevators-down-el/ PlanPhillyhttps://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/093964p.pdf Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ("SEPTA") February 16, 2011 3d Cir.https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1585&context=thirdcircuit_2008 Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority August 19, 2008 3d Cir. Separately, SEPTA completed 15% design for a $100 million refurbishment of the Broad Street Line station, including accessibility improvements, in 2006.Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority July 2005 SEPTA Capital Improvements in the City of Philadelphia 11 http://www.septa.org/inside/reports/Phila_0606.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081009001245/http://www.septa.org/inside/reports/Phila_0606.pdf October 9, 2008 The project stalled due to lack of funding.https://hiddencityphila.org/2011/12/ghosts-of-city-hall-station/ Ghosts of City Hall Station December 16, 2011 Mike Szilagyi Hidden City March 20, 2026 In September 2011, SEPTA and Disabled in Action reached a settlement under which five elevators would be installed in 15th Street station. The renovations were combined with a reconstruction of Dilworth Plaza on the west side of City Hall, which added a new underground concourse and station entrances. In November 2011, the Central City District awarded construction contracts totaling $50 million for the Dilworth Plaza work, including the two surface-to-concourse elevators.Center City District / Central Philadelphia Development Corporation of Philadelphia Dilworth Plaza http://centercityphila.org/life/dilworth_plaza.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120205122158/http://www.centercityphila.org/life/dilworth_plaza.php February 5, 2012 SEPTA awarded construction contracts for station improvements including the three platform elevators in January 2012.http://planphilly.com/articles/2012/01/26/septa-awards-contracts-city-hall-improvements SEPTA awards contracts for City Hall improvements Anthony Campisi PlanPhilly January 26, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130919235606/http://planphilly.com/articles/2012/01/26/septa-awards-contracts-city-hall-improvements September 19, 2013 The project, originally to have been completed in July 2014, was delayed when construction crews encountered stairways, duct banks, and pipes that did not appear in blueprints.December 4, 2013 Dilworth Plaza remake won't be finished until Labor Day http://articles.philly.com/2013-12-05/news/44760785_1_broad-street-line-city-hall-plaza-renovation https://web.archive.org/web/20160306225538/http://articles.philly.com/2013-12-05/news/44760785_1_broad-street-line-city-hall-plaza-renovation March 6, 2016 The Philadelphia Inquirer Paul Nussbaum The renovated Dilworth Park, the new entrances, and the platform elevators opened on September 4, 2014.Dilworth Park, transformed into a beckoning public realm, officially opens September 4, 2014 http://articles.philly.com/2014-09-06/news/53606302_1_levy-center-city-district-ice-skating https://web.archive.org/web/20141017022956/http://articles.philly.com/2014-09-06/news/53606302_1_levy-center-city-district-ice-skating October 17, 2014 Philadelphia Inquirerhttps://wwww.septa.org/news/septa-unveils-improvements-for-riders-at-city-hall-15th-street-stations/ SEPTA Unveils Improvements for Riders at City Hall & 15th Street Stations September 4, 2014 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority The surface elevators opened on November 12, 2014.https://wwww.septa.org/news/septa-and-center-city-district-commemorate-dilworth-park-accessibility/ SEPTA and Center City District Commemorate Dilworth Park Accessibility November 12, 2014 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority The 2013 passage of a state transportation funding bill allowed SEPTA to move forward with a full renovation of the station complex. Total cost was estimated at $147 million in 2015, with completion expected in 2020.FY 2015 Capital Budget and FY 2015–2026 Capital Program Proposal http://www.septa.org/reports/pdf/capbudget15.pdf dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140531174940/http://septa.org/reports/pdf/capbudget15.pdf May 31, 2014 42Nussbaum Paul January 28, 2015 SEPTA official: Central subway station makeover will take years https://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20150129_SEPTA_underboss__Downtown_subway_makeover_will_take_years_-_and_cost__150_million.html The Philadelphia Inquirer https://web.archive.org/web/20150130044609/http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20150129_SEPTA_underboss__Downtown_subway_makeover_will_take_years_-_and_cost__150_million.html January 30, 2015 Construction of the 15th Street station portion, including two new elevators, began in 2016. LED-illuminated artworks by Ray King were installed on the Market–Frankford platforms. The work was completed on October 21, 2019, at a cost of $28 million.Murphy Darryl C. October 21, 2019 Lights! Elevators! Signs! SEPTA's 15th Street Station gets $28 million makeover https://whyy.org/articles/elevators-signs-lights-septas-15th-street-station-gets-28-million-makeover/ May 31, 2020 WHYY-FMSasko Claire October 21, 2019 SEPTA's 15th Street Station Just Got a $28 Million Upgrade https://www.phillymag.com/news/2019/10/21/15th-street-station-upgrade/ May 31, 2020 Philadelphia Magazinehttps://wwww.septa.org/news/septa-completes-major-reconstruction-project-at-15th-street-station/ SEPTA Completes Major Reconstruction Project at 15th Street Station October 21, 2019 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Rebranding of the SEPTA Metro system took place in February 2025. The Market–Frankford Line became the L, the Broad Street Line became the B, and the Subway-Surface Trolley lines became the T. The complex of 15th Street and City Hall stations became 15th Street/City Hall station.https://wwww.septa.org/metro/station-naming/ Station Naming 2025 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authorityhttps://www.phillymag.com/news/2025/02/20/new-septa-bus-route-numbers-train-letters/ Philadelphia Magazine Confused About the New SEPTA Bus Route Numbers? We’re Here to Help February 20, 2025 Sandy Smith March 21, 2026 Additional renovations to the City Hall portion of the station complex began in late 2025 in preparation for 2026 United States Semiquincentennial events. They included new and relocated faregates, platform surface and flooring replacement, and wayfinding signage.https://www.phillyvoice.com/septa-city-hall-station-renovations-2026/ SEPTA's City Hall Station is getting a face lift ahead of America's 250th birthday celebrations PhillyVoice October 3, 2025 Michaela Althouse March 21, 2026https://wwww.septa.org/news/enhance-rider-experience-city-hall-station/ SEPTA to Enhance Rider Experience at 15th St/City Hall Station October 3, 2025 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Full renovations to the City Hall portion are planned to begin with modification of an interlocking near Fairmount station to allow for temporary track outages during construction. Renovations will then be made to the station passageways along with underpinning of City Hall and construction of the elevator shafts, followed by platform renovations and fitting out of the elevators. January 2026, the work is expected last through 2031, with a final cost of $189 million including the previous phases.https://www.dvrpc.org/tip/pa/ https://www.dvrpc.org/tip/pa25/programlists25d.pdf FY 2025 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for Pennsylvania Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission 2026 2024 Chapter 8: Project Listings 8 (SEPTA section) When completed, the station complex will have 14 elevators.https://phlcouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SEPTA-Submitted-Testimony_Philadelphia-City-Council-FY2019-Operating-Budget-Hearing_April-25-2018.pdf Testimony Of Jeffrey D. Knueppel, General Manager, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority 5 April 25, 2018 Philadelphia City Council References External links SEPTA: 15th Street station, City Hall station SEPTA – Station Accessibility Program – City Hall and 15th Street Stations NYCSubway.org: 15th Street, City Hall yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes autocollapse Category:SEPTA Metro L stations Category:SEPTA Metro B stations Category:SEPTA Metro T stations Category:1907 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:1928 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:Market Street (Philadelphia) Category:Broad Street (Philadelphia) Category:Railway stations in Philadelphia Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1907 Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1928 Category:Railway stations located underground in Pennsylvania