Plans Develop To Restore 30th Street Station Link

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Commuters tonight can get their first look at an ambitious master plan to redevelop the area around 30th Street Station. One of the first phases of the project would reconnect Amtrak with SEPTA trolleys and the El.

The 30th Street tunnel linking Amtrak and SEPTA has been closed since the 1980s, forcing commuters to walk outside. But a new underground connector is part of the latest draft of the 30th Street Station District Plan. That draft will be on public view at an open house at the station from 4:00 to 7:00 tonight.

Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz says the plan is designed to benefit travelers.

"The draft plan includes an image that shows a nice large circular skylit concourse that basically connects the southwest corner of 30th Street station with the SEPTA concourse just across 30th Street."

Schulz says the plan calls for completion of the new connector in 2020. Funding hasn't been considered yet, ultimately, the vision meshes with Drexel University's Schuylkill Yards commercial and residential development.

In:
• SEPTA
• Amtrak
• 30th Street Station
• Philadelphia