SEPTA unveils accessibility upgrades at Susquehanna-Dauphin station

After three years of work, a North Philadelphia SEPTA Station is now accessible to everyone.

SEPTA spent about $24 million to overhaul the Susquehanna-Dauphin station on the Broad Street Line. The major addition is a pair of new elevators to make sure people in wheelchairs and other modes of transport can travel from the street to the platform.

SEPTA GM Leslie Richards said they did more than just put in the elevators. Workers also added “new stairwells to provide increased access into the station, glass headhouses for the elevators and the stairs, new energy-efficient LED lighting, new static and digital signage and restoration of historic tile walls and new floor tiles, which includes a mural created by schoolchildren in 1997.”

State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta said the station which sits on the edge of Temple University’s campus is an important spot.

“Not only are we increasing accessibility, but we are also improving rideability,” he said. “In North Philly, we deserve nice things, to provide easy pathways to get to places like the Uptown Theater.”

Amy Nieves of the Mayor’s Office of Disabilities said the improvements demonstrate SEPTA’s desire to improve access throughout its system.

“Many talk about the commitment to accessibility and equity, but this project and the many others underway with SEPTA show that SEPTA’s priorities are not just spoken, but they are marked in their budget and their actions,” Nieves said.

Cole Holmes, who uses a mobility scooter to move around, said the new elevators will help him go from place to place, but he’s hoping SEPTA can make stations such as the City Hall stop more accessible to those with mobility issues.

With the completion of this project, 13 of the 25 Broad Street Line stations are now fully ADA accessible. In addition to the Susquehanna-Dauphin improvements, construction is underway at Tasker-Morris station for an ADA project scheduled for completion in 2024.

SEPTA officials said the goal is to have 99% of the transit system fully accessible by 2033.