15th Street/City Hall station

The Market Street Subway, used by the L and T, runs east-west under Market Street. The L uses the inner tracks, with two side platforms located between 15th Street and 16th Street. The five T services (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5) use the outer tracks, which curve outward at 15th Street to loop around City Hall. The eastbound side platform for the T is located west of 15th Street; the westbound side platform is at the northwest corner of City Hall angled to the street grid. The B platforms are divided by thick walls that support the City Hall structure above. All six platforms at 15th Street/City Hall are connected by passageways within fare control. The concourse level has two north-south passages, outside of fare control, that flank 15th Street. They form part of the Center City Concourse, a system of underground passageways that connect transit stations in the Center City area. The concourse connects to Suburban Station and 13th Street station outside fare control; a now-closed passage formerly connected to Walnut–Locust station. The station has nine sets of faregates; most connect to the Center City Concourse. == History ==

20th century 15th Street station was the original eastern terminus of the Market–Frankford subway–elevated, which was opened by the Philadelphia Transportation Company on August 3, 1907, and ran west to 69th Street in Upper Darby. In 1908, the Market–Frankford Line was extended eastward to Market-Chestnut (now closed). Construction of City Hall station on the Broad Street Line encountered difficulties in early 1916 when the City Hall foundation settled into excavation for the station underneath. The city considered abandoning the partially-complete station, building a curved subway around the west side of the building, and placing the station to the north. The station was ultimately finished at its original location, though the line did not open until September 1, 1928. 21st century In 2001–2003, SEPTA rebuilt an entrance to 15th Street station (on the northwest corner of Market and 15th Street) and an escalator in the City Hall courtyard. The work prompted a lawsuit by Disabled in Action of Pennsylvania, citing that renovating only one critical component would require the rest of the station complex (including the Broad Street Line portion) to be renovated for accessibility. Separately, SEPTA completed 15% design for a $100 million refurbishment of the Broad Street Line station, including accessibility improvements, in 2006. The project stalled due to lack of funding. In September 2011, SEPTA and Disabled in Action reached a settlement under which five elevators would be installed in 15th Street station. SEPTA awarded construction contracts for station improvements including the three platform elevators in January 2012. The project, originally to have been completed in July 2014, was delayed when construction crews encountered stairways, duct banks, and pipes that did not appear in blueprints. The renovated Dilworth Park, the new entrances, and the platform elevators opened on September 4, 2014. The surface elevators opened on November 12, 2014. The 2013 passage of a state transportation funding bill allowed SEPTA to move forward with a full renovation of the station complex. Total cost was estimated at $147 million in 2015, with completion expected in 2020. Construction of the 15th Street station portion, including two new elevators, began in 2016. LED-illuminated artworks by Ray King were installed on the Market–Frankford platforms. The work was completed on October 21, 2019, at a cost of $28 million. Rebranding of the SEPTA Metro system took place in February 2025. The Market–Frankford Line became the L, the Broad Street Line became the B, and the Subway-Surface Trolley lines became the T. The complex of 15th Street and City Hall stations became 15th Street/City Hall station. Additional renovations to the City Hall portion of the station complex began in late 2025 in preparation for 2026 United States Semiquincentennial events. They included new and relocated faregates, platform surface and flooring replacement, and wayfinding signage. Full renovations to the City Hall portion are planned to begin with modification of an interlocking near Fairmount station to allow for temporary track outages during construction. Renovations will then be made to the station passageways along with underpinning of City Hall and construction of the elevator shafts, followed by platform renovations and fitting out of the elevators. , the work is expected last through 2031, with a final cost of $189 million including the previous phases. When completed, the station complex will have 14 elevators. == References ==