Ardmore station work completed
Amtrak and SEPTA marked the completion of accessibility and station improvements at Ardmore Station, describing the work as a milestone in station modernization. The announcement frames the project as part of ongoing station-delivery and accessibility upgrades (media.amtrak.com).
Ardmore Station’s rebuilt rail stop is now open, giving Main Line riders a fully accessible station after a project that started in 2019. (septa.org) The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority cut the ribbon on April 10, and service at the new station at 39 Station Ave began on March 23. Amtrak joined the event because its Keystone Service also stops at Ardmore. (septa.org) (media.amtrak.com) The rebuilt station adds elevators, ramps, and high-level platforms, which let passengers board trains without climbing steps. SEPTA also added a new inbound station building, outbound shelters, lighting, signage, landscaping, and stormwater work. (septa.org 1) (septa.org 2) Ardmore is one of the busiest stops on the Paoli/Thorndale Line, and SEPTA says that line carries more than 14,000 weekday passenger trips on average. The station also connects riders to nearby bus routes and Amtrak trains to Harrisburg and New York. (septa.org 1) (septa.org 2) The work fits into SEPTA’s Station Accessibility Program, a long-running effort to rebuild older stations so riders using wheelchairs, strollers, luggage, or walkers can use them more easily. Amtrak said the project also improves operations on the shared corridor it uses with SEPTA. (septa.org) (media.amtrak.com) Construction continued while trains kept running, which limited crews to nighttime work. SEPTA said the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and later by supply-chain problems that slowed the arrival of materials. (septa.org) The total project cost was $60.6 million, including design, support, and construction. SEPTA said the station had last been rebuilt in 1957, replacing the original 1870s-era building. (septa.org) Lower Merion Township has tied the station work to a broader Ardmore Transportation Center plan that includes multimodal access and transit-oriented development around the station area. That puts the rebuilt platforms and station building at the center of a larger redevelopment push in downtown Ardmore. (lowermerion.org) For riders, the immediate change is simpler: the new Ardmore Station is back in service, with level boarding, elevators, and new waiting areas where an older station stood for nearly seven decades. (septa.org)
