Fern Rock Transportation Center

The Fern Rock Transportation Center^[3] is a SEPTA rail and bus station located at 10th Street and Nedro Avenue in the Fern Rock neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] Fern Rock serves as the northern terminus and yard for SEPTA's Broad Street Line, as well as a stop for SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line, Warminster Line, and West Trenton Line.

Fern Rock TC
Fern Rock Transportation Center's rail platform
General information
Location	900 Nedro Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	40.041°N 75.136°W / 40.041; -75.136
Owned by	SEPTA City of Philadelphia (subway)
Line(s)	SEPTA Main Line Ninth Street Branch (former)
Platforms	2 island platforms, 1 side platform
Tracks	4 plus storage track
Connections	SEPTA City Bus: 4, 28, 57, 70
Construction
Structure type	Surface level
Parking	639 parking spaces[1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	1
History
Opened	September 9, 1956 (Broad Street Line)
Rebuilt	March 12, 1992
Electrified	600 volts DC third rail (Broad Street) Overhead catenary wires (12,000-volt/25 Hz) (Regional Rail)
Passengers
2017	650 boardings 779 alightings (weekday average)[2] (Regional Rail)
Rank	34 of 146 (Regional Rail)
Services
Preceding station SEPTA Following station Wayne Junction toward Airport Airport Line Melrose Park toward Glenside Wayne Junction toward 30th Street Station Lansdale/​Doylestown Line Melrose Park toward Doylestown Wayne Junction toward Penn Medicine Warminster Line Melrose Park toward Warminster West Trenton Line Melrose Park toward West Trenton Olney T.C. toward NRG Broad Street Line Local Terminus Olney T.C. toward Walnut–Locust Broad Street Line Express Olney T.C. toward 8th & Market Broad–Ridge Spur
Former services Preceding station Reading Railroad Following station Tabor toward Philadelphia Bethlehem Branch Oak Lane toward Bethlehem New York Branch Oak Lane toward Bound Brook
Future services (2024) Preceding station SEPTA Following station Wayne Junction toward Airport Airport Line Melrose Park toward Glenside Wayne Junction toward 30th Street Station Lansdale/​Doylestown Line Melrose Park toward Doylestown Wayne Junction toward Penn Medicine Warminster Line Melrose Park toward Warminster West Trenton Line Melrose Park toward West Trenton Preceding station SEPTA Metro Following station Olney Transit Center toward NRG Terminus Olney Transit Center toward Walnut–Locust Olney Transit Center toward 8th–Market
Location

Four bus routes also serve the station. Fern Rock Transportation Center serves as the western terminus for the 28 and 70 bus routes.^[4][5] Fern Rock is also the northernmost terminus for the 4 and 57 bus routes.^[6][7]

Regional Rail platforms

Fern Rock Transportation Center serves the Warminster Line, West Trenton Line, and the Lansdale/Doylestown Line.^[8] In FY 2015, there was a weekday average of 825 boardings and 792 alightings.^[9]

The current SEPTA Regional Rail station at Fern Rock Transportation Center, located along the SEPTA Main Line, was built in March 1992 to accommodate Regional Rail commuters displaced during SEPTA's 1992/1993 Railworks reconstruction project. The new station replaced former Reading Railroad stations Fern Rock and Tabor, respectively located north and south of the new station. It has high-level platforms and is handicap-accessible, being directly connected to the subway station by a ramp from the subway platform. While passengers can readily transfer between the Broad Street Line and the Regional Rail Lines at Fern Rock, such a transfer requires payment of a separate fare of the subway and regional rail, unless the rider possesses a SEPTA Trailpass, which can be used for travel on both subway and regional rail. A non-revenue track connection exists here between the SEPTA Regional Rail Lines and SEPTA's Broad Street Line. A train crash occurred here on January 27, 2009, injuring nine. ^[10]

Broad Street platform

The Broad Street platforms at Fern Rock Transportation Center opened in 1956, when the line was extended north from the original northern terminus at Olney Terminal by the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) and the City of Philadelphia. Fern Rock Transportation Center also hosts the yard and maintenance facilities for the Broad Street Line, and is the line's only above ground station.

Fern Rock is the northern terminal for local and express trains on the line, as well as the special event service that extends express service to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Broad–Ridge Spur trains generally only serve the station on Saturdays and during non-peak weekday hours.^[11]

Station layout

All tracks are located at ground level, with Regional Rail platforms oriented north-south and the Broad Street platform oriented east-west, part of a larger balloon loop around the storage yard.

Image gallery

• 
  Regional Rail station
• 
  SEPTA Route 28 Bus at Fern Rock
• 
  Station with BSL in front, Regional Rail in the back
• 
  BSL Subway Cars at Fern Rock
• 
  Stereo (3D) picture of outbound train platform at Fern Rock Station (red/blue glasses needed).
• 
  Broad Street Line station
• 
  Outbound Silverliner V at Fern Rock Transportation Center.

References

1. SEPTA. Fern Rock Transportation Center.
2. "Fiscal Year 2021 Service Plan Update". SEPTA. June 2020. p. 24. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
3. "SEPTA Metro Network Map" (PDF). September 19, 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
4. "Bus 28 schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. September 5, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
5. "Bus 70 schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. September 5, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
6. "Route 4 schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. February 19, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
7. "Route 57 schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. September 5, 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
8. Fern Rock-SEPTA
9. "SEPTA (May 2016). Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Service Plan. p. 69" (PDF). (539 KB)
10. cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/breaking/20090127_18_injured_in_SEPTA_R1_crash.html%7Cpublisher=The%5B%5D Philadelphia Inquirer|accessdate=15 September 2020
11. "Broad Street Line Schedule" (PDF). SEPTA. September 5, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2010.

External links

• SEPTA – Fern Rock Transportation Center
• Nedro Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View