The City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), and local and elected officials have celebrated the groundbreaking of the SEPTA Platform Rehabilitation project at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).
The work will initially upgrade the airport’s Terminal D/E Regional Rail platform.
The project includes the rehabilitation of the platform surface and canopies, which will involve removing portions of the existing surfaces, such as the glazed curtainwall, epoxy flooring, automatic doors, tactile warning edges, platform roofing, and polycarbonate canopy panels.
The construction team will then replace these features with more resilient and aesthetically pleasing materials.
Significant electrical and HVAC upgrades will also improve the station’s lighting fixtures, speakers, fire alarms, insulation and roof drains.
This will include the installation of nearly 700 new LED light fixtures, which will result in a 73% reduction in lighting power at the platform.
SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards said:The improvements planned as part of this project will enhance the travel experience for the millions of visitors who fly to Philadelphia each year for tourism and business. The rehabbed platforms and passenger waiting areas and new lighting will create a welcoming new transit gateway for travellers continuing to destinations throughout our region.
Work is now underway on this two-year project at PHL, which will substantially enhance the appearance and functionality of each of the airport’s SEPTA rail platforms.
The project is supported by two grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: 500,000 USD from the PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund and 424,900 USD from the PennDOT Bureau of Aviation Grant Program.
Airport Interim CEO Keith Brune said:Philadelphia is fortunate to have a rail line that connects directly to our terminals. In just about 30 minutes, passengers can travel between Center City and the airport- and make connections to other destinations across the Greater Philadelphia region. Only a handful of major airports are able to offer this amenity to its passengers. The Airport Line is also important for bringing employees to work- from our Division of Aviation employees that live all over the city, to flight crews and concessions staff. Having reliable mass transit makes working at the airport a viable option.
