Franklin Street station (Pennsylvania)

Franklin Street station is a former railroad and bus station in Reading, Pennsylvania. It currently is owned by Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA) and hosts a brewpub restaurant operated by Saucony Creek Brewing Company.

For the abandoned subway station in Philadelphia, see Franklin Square station.
Franklin Street
BARTA bus terminal
Former SEPTA regional rail station
Reading Franklin Street Terminal from Chestnut Street entrance
LocationFranklin Street and 7th Street
Reading, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40.333942°N 75.923163°W / 40.333942; -75.923163
Owned byBARTA
Platforms2 side platform
Tracks2
Connections BARTA buses: All at the BARTA Transportation Center
Construction
Structure typeStone
ParkingYes
Disabled accessYes
History
ClosedJune 30, 1981[1]
RebuiltFebruary 8, 1929–February 25, 1930[2][3]
2013
ElectrifiedNo
Former services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station
Birdsboro
toward Reading Terminal
 Norristown Line Schuylkill Haven
toward Pottsville
Leesport
toward Pottsville
Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station
Lorane
toward Norristown
 Main Line Reading
toward Pottsville
Laureldale
toward Slatington
 Schyulkill and Lehigh Branch Terminus

Built by the Reading Railroad and dedicated on February 25, 1930, Franklin Street Station later served the SEPTA diesel service extending the Manayunk/Norristown Line to Pottsville. It closed when SEPTA cancelled the diesel service in 1981. BARTA acquired the building on December 14, 2005, and converted it into a bus depot in May 2013.[4]

History

The Franklin Street station served the railroad from 1930 until 1981 when SEPTA diesel service ceased operations. Medium distance trains serving the station included the King Coal and Schuykill.[5] From 1981 until 2013, the building sat vacant until BARTA acquired and refurbished the building for bus services. The plan was to alleviate overcrowded services at the BARTA Transportation Center located about a block away, as well as make an effort to preserve the historic station.[6] Grants from Federal, State and Local sources funded the acquisition and rehabilitation costs. The purpose for the acquisition was to create a multi-use complex in which the rehabilitation/renovation of the existing Franklin Street Station building and site was an integral component of the overall development of a transportation facility in the area. Between September 2013 and January 2014 BARTA bus service to Lebanon was operated from the Station. Due to low ridership, the bus service was discontinued.

In July 2017 the station was used for a multimedia art exhibition entitled "This is Reading" [7]

In June 2018, Saucony Creek Brewing Company leased the facility and opened a brewpub restaurant[8] in July 2019.

There is a proposal to return SEPTA Regional Rail service to the station by way of an extension of the Manayunk/Norristown Line, providing passenger train service from Reading to Philadelphia. In 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation conducted a feasibility study on bringing passenger train service to Reading.[9][10]


References
  1. "Rail Service Marks End of an Era". The News Herald. Perkasie, Pennsylvania. July 29, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved February 4, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Contract Awarded for New Depot". The Reading Times. February 9, 1929. p. 7. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "New Reading Station Dedicated Yesterday". The Evening News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. February 26, 1930. p. 24. Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "From grim to grand: Franklin Street Station gleams again 2/20/2013".
  5. 'Official Guide of the Railways,' June 1961, Reading Railroad section, Table 3
  6. "Franklin Street in its heyday" (PDF).
  7. "This is Reading". Lynn Nottage. 17 July 2017.
  8. "Saucony Creek Brewery to open downtown Reading location". Reading Eagle. 22 July 2019.
  9. Vasil, Jim (January 11, 2021). "Reading to Philly rail study shows idea gaining steam". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. "Reading to Philadelphia Passenger Rail Analysis" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. December 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2021.


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