Still another chance to reopen ‘ghost’ station on PATCO line

Another effort is under way to revive a “ghost” station along the PATCO High Speed Line from South Jersey. 

The Franklin Square Station at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge’s Philadelphia side operated from 1976 through 1979 and has been shuttered ever since.

A renaissance in the area calls for the station to be reopened, said John Dougherty, a PATCO board member.

“One of the better kept secrets we have is Franklin Square. This calendar year, there are going to be over 900,000 people,” he said. “It might just be miniature golf, it might be stopping by when you are in Center City for a convention or visiting one of the beautiful neighborhoods we have.”

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, who chairs the Delaware River Port Authority board, said the DRPA has authorized money to study reopening the station.

“There are a great many more tourists, there are a great many more people living in that section of the city,” Cawley said. “So it might make sense for the ridership, and it may make sense for the experience of being along the Delaware River either along the Pennsylvania side or the Jersey side, to open it up.”

Sources say it could cost $10 million to reopen the station, partially because it would need to add elevators to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.