SEPTA is a transportation staple in Philadelphia. However, anyone who has taken the rail line knows that parts of the concourse have become outdated and rundown over time — it’s time for concourse upgrades. That’s why the city has begun giving SEPTA a $164 million facelift.
Expected to be complete in 2020, SEPTA’s Center City Concourse Program will make significant upgrades to the underground pedestrian tunnel network that connects major transit stations beneath Center City Philadelphia. The multi-phase project will provide walkable connections and space for local shops and restaurants. The Lighting Practice developed a lighting design that promotes safety and visibility, highlights relocated murals, and positively enhances the commuter experience.
Hidden City Philadelphia recently shared some of the details about the repair and improvement program for SEPTA, which it calls “a contemporary rebranding of Center City’s weather-protected underground pedestrian concourse network.” The article’s author, Harry Kyriakodis, also shares an excerpt about the history of SEPTA from his upcoming book, Underground Philadelphia.
SEPTA Spruces Up The Underground With Downtown Link
Hidden City Philadelphia | January 2018
The future is looking bright and shiny for SEPTA’s dingy underground lair. Dubbed “Downtown Link,” the project is essentially a contemporary rebranding of Center City’s weather-protected underground pedestrian concourse network. If you haven’t already, you will soon see large signs for this directional and wayfinding system on the walls of transit stations and the many passages interconnecting those stations throughout Center City. SEPTA has been in the process of refreshing and heavily renovating the pedestrian concourse network—a desperately-needed move—so giving the network a formal name is really not a bad idea.
SEPTA launched its $164 million repair and improvement program with the adding of modern escalators, elevators, and other uplifting embellishments. New trash and recycling cans, brighter lighting, and updated signage are also elements of SEPTA’s Center City Concourse Program. It’s just too bad that “Downtown Link” doesn’t have a Philadelphia vibe to it, as, say, “Center City Link” or “Crosstown Concourse” might, but that that train has already left, so to speak.
