FTA Awards $233 Million for Transit Station Accessibility, Including $80 Million for SEPTA
SEPTA is receiving an $80 million federal grant to reconstruct three Center City Philadelphia trolley stations and make them fully accessible, the agency announced Monday. The money comes through the Federal Transit Administration's All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) and covers the 22nd Street, 33rd Street and 36th Street stations on the Center City Trolley Tunnel route.
The stations were built in 1955 and are currently reachable only by stairs, which blocks riders who use mobility devices, families with strollers and anyone who cannot use stairs. SEPTA's Andrew Busch said the projects will add elevators connecting street level to the underground boarding areas, along with new tile work, new paint and complete overhauls of facilities that had not been renovated in decades.
SEPTA expects the accessibility upgrades to be completed in two to three years, a timetable intended to coincide with the arrival of new accessible trolleys scheduled for 2029. The grant will also fund raised platforms and wayfinding tools at the three stations.
The SEPTA award is the largest in the FTA's 2026 ASAP round, which the agency announced on Sept. 10 and which provides roughly $233 million for eight projects in five states. The program funds capital work to repair, improve, modify and retrofit older transit stations so they meet accessibility requirements, and was created under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
SEPTA is pursuing accessibility work elsewhere in its network as well. The 11th Street Station on the Market-Frankford Line closed on Sept. 5 for a roughly $44 million project that will add elevators to both platforms, and the authority said ASAP funding is now supporting a total of eight SEPTA station accessibility projects.
The FTA said the selections are aimed at ensuring accessible public transit options for people with disabilities and mobility needs who rely on rail systems to reach work, school and medical appointments.