Church station is an

elevated An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the Track (rail transport), tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast i ...

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

station in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, served by

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

's Market-Frankford Line. It is located on Frankford Avenue between Ruan and Church streets in the Frankford neighborhood of

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

. The station was originally named Ruan–Church station, and it is also served by

SEPTA City Bus The City Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operate almost all of Philadelphia's public transit, including all six trolley, three trackless trolley, and 70 bus lines within city limits. Some of th ...

routes 3 and 5.

History

Church is part of the Frankford Elevated section of the line, which began service on November 5, 1922, as Ruan–Church station. Between 1988 and 2003, SEPTA undertook a $493.3 million reconstruction of the Frankford Elevated. Church station was completely rebuilt on the site of the original station; the project included new platforms, elevators, windscreens, and overpasses, and the station now meets ADA accessibility requirements. The line had originally been built with

track ballast Track ballast forms the trackbed upon which railroad ties (sleepers) are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to bear the load from the railroad ties, to facilitate drainage of water, and also to keep down vegetat ...

and was replaced with precast sections of deck, allowing the station (and the entire line) to remain open throughout the project. During the Market–Frankford's rush-hour

skip-stop Skip-stop is a public transit service pattern which reduces travel times and increases capacity by having vehicles ''skip'' certain ''stops'' along a route. Originating in rapid transit systems, skip-stop may be also used in light rail and bus ...

service pattern, Church was only served by "B" trains. This practice was discontinued on February 24, 2020. ChurchStationPhila

Station layout

There are two staircases at the station, with the main entrance on the west side of Frankford Avenue between Ruan and Church streets. Across the street is an eastbound platform exit-only staircase. South of the station, the tracks turn west to travel along Kensington Avenue.

References

External links

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Images at NYCSubway.orgStation entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church (SEPTA Market-Frankford Line station) SEPTA Market-Frankford Line stations Railway stations in Philadelphia Railway stations in the United States opened in 1922 Historic American Engineering Record in Philadelphia