SEPTA has completed reconstruction of the 5th Street/Independence Hall Station – transforming it into a destination worthy of its location in the middle of the nation’s most historic square mile. Now, the station is ready to welcome all residents, workers, visitors and other travelers as the City and Region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEPTA, city, state and federal officials, members of the community and other stakeholders gathered today for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and made it clear: Philadelphia is open!
The station has been fully renovated, with improvements including mitigation of long-standing water infiltration issues; installation of new glass headhouses on the street level; new platform, floor and wall tiles, and LED lighting; and architectural treatments, such as bluestone pavers common in the historical area. A stand-out feature of the new station is the Art In Transit installation, “Portal to Discovery,” by local artist Tom Judd.
Tuesday’s event coincides with SEPTA lifting COVID-related capacity limits on all its vehicles to accommodate more riders. Customers and employees are still required to wear face masks in stations and on all buses, trolleys and trains. In addition, starting tomorrow, June 2, the City of Philadelphia will further relax its COVID restrictions. These decisions are based on increasing vaccination rates, and continued drops in reported cases of COVID-19.
-via Press Release