Summary
- Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is open 24/7, providing convenient service for commuters. However, ticket office sales, baggage service, and parking have limited hours.
- The station offers free WiFi, allowing travelers to stay connected and entertained during their journey. However, the WiFi is basic and does not support high-bandwidth activities.
- The station has historical significance and has been featured in multiple movies and TV shows. Visitors can also explore nearby attractions, such as the Board and Brew game restaurant and the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II memorial.
The William H Gray III 30th Street Train Station (commonly referred to as 30th Street Station) is a major mixed-mode transit station that welcomes more than four million Amtrak commuters each year, along with 12 million+ NJ TRANSIT and SEPTA rail passengers.
Looking for practical information about this station? Here's everything to know about Amtrak Philadelphia and the William H Gray III 20th Street Station.
10 The Station Is Open 24/7 (But Ticket Office Sales Are Not)
Unlike most stations, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This 24/7 service covers the station waiting room, passenger assistance, and the station's Quik-Trak Kiosk.
With that said other aspects of the station (e.g., parking hours) are limited. Ticket office opening hours span 5:15am to 9:45pm, Monday to Friday, and 6:10am to 9:45pm on Saturday and Sunday.
As for the checked baggage service, this is available from 6:30am to 10:30pm, Monday to Sunday, while parking hours last from 5:00am to 11:00pm, Monday through Sunday. Lastly, lounge hours are 6:00am to 9:00pm, Monday to Sunday.
It's worth noting that many things can affect an Amtrak's train status, so being aware of these risks and knowing how to monitor your train's status, whether via the Amtrak Train Tracker or the Amtrak app can make life a lot easier for passengers when commuting by train.
- Location: 2955 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
- Lactation Suite Available
9 WiFi Is Available
While not always the case at Amtrak stations, the William H, Gray III 30th Street Train Station does come with WiFi. This will be music to the ears of travelers seeking a way to pass the time on their phone, tablet, or even laptop ahead of the trip.
Free basic WiFi is also offered onboard most Amtrak trains. This fact is just one of many things travelers should know about traveling on an Amtrak train.
- Level of WiFi on Amtrak Trains with WiFi: Basic WiFi that does not support high-bandwidth actions (e.g. streaming music or videos)
8 The Station Was Originally Opened In 1933
Construction of the original Philly 30th Street Station took off in 1927 before it was opened six years later. It opened with two platform tracks.
The design came from Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, a Chicago architectural firm that was founded in 1912, succeeding the famous D.H. Burnham & Company which designed Washington D.C.'s Union Station. The Philadelphia 30th Street Station was one of only two major intercity stations in the city until the late 1950s.
- Year of the station's opening: 1933
- Year of station re-build: 1989
7 Amtrak Philadelphia Prioritizes Bicycle Parking
Cyclists will be pleased to know that the 30th Street Station comes with 22 bike racks, with room for 100 bicycles altogether. This may come in handy for those seeking a place to leave their bike while waiting to bring it on board or to leave until they return from their journey.
- Number of Bike Racks: 22
6 Amtrak Philly Has Featured In Several Movies
Travelers may also be intrigued by the history and significance of the station in popular culture. The 30th Street Station has appeared in a range of movies and TV shows over the years.
The station appeared in notable movies including the 1985 neo-noir crime thriller Witness, the 2000 superhero thriller film Unbreakable starring Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis, and the 2008 thriller movie The Happening.
The station was also featured in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the opening credits of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
- Number of Movies to Feature the 30th Street Station: At least 10
- Number of TV Shows to Feature the 30th Street Station: At least 2
5 There Is A Board Game Restaurant Near Amtrak Philadelphia
A 10-minute walk from the station, commuters will find The Board and Brew game restaurant. Board and Brew is located on 33rd & Chestnut, 3200 Chestnut Street.
Along with providing delicious seasonal craft beer and refreshing coffee, they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner depending on the time of day. Visitors can also access the 700+ board games in the library at Board and Brew for only $5 a visit.
- Address of Board and Brew: 33rd & Chestnut, 3200 Chestnut Street
- Google Review Rating: 4.2/5 (from 210 reviews)
4 The Station Features A WWII Memorial
One notable feature of Philly's 30th Street Station is the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II memorial. This statue which includes Michel the Archangel holding up the body of a fallen soldier commemorates the more than 1,300 Pennsylvania Railroad workers who perished in the Second World War.
At a height of 39 feet, visitors will find this towering memorial at the main concourse of the station.
- Height of the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II memorial: 39 feet
3 A Metropolitan Lounge Is Available
This lounge is available for business class passengers willing to pay $35 for a daily pass. Visitors can find the station's metropolitan lounge by heading to the end of the hall behind stairway 1 before ascending the stairs. The lounge is open from 6:00am to 9:00pm each day of the week.
This smartly designed lounge features a range of stools and comfortable sofas for passengers to unwind ahead of their journey.
- Lounge opening hours: 6:00am to 9:00pm, Monday to Sunday
- Google reviews rating: 4.4/5 (from 116 reviews)
2 Several Routes Pass Through Amtrak Philadelphia
In total, four Amtrak routes pass through William H. Gray III Train Station, namely the Acela Express, Northeast Regional Train, Keystone Northeast Regional Train, and Pennsylvanian Train.
The Acela Express begins in Boston, Massachusetts, travels north through Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, passes through Philadelphia, and makes its way to Delaware before reaching Baltimore and finishing in Washington D.C.'s Union Station.
The Northeast Regional train, on the other hand, covers a much wider range of stations. While, like the Acela Express, starting in Boston and passing through states like Connecticut and New Jersey, from Philly, it goes beyond D.C. and continues on to more than a dozen stops in Virginia including Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, and Richmond.
The Keystone Northeast Regional train begins in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and passes through stops like Elizabethtown and Lancaster, making its way through 30th Street Station before heading through various points in New Jersey. This route ends at Penn Station in New York City.
Lastly, the Pennsylvanian train, which begins in New York, traverses two New Jersey stops before passing through 15 Pennsylvania stops. These stops include some covered by the Keystone Northeast Regional train (e.g. Lancaster and Ardmore), but it continues further west, finishing at Pittsburgh Union Station.
While these routes are arguably not among the best and top-rated Amtrak routes in the country, they allow the 30th Street Station to act as a gateway to much of the northeastern United States.
- Routes that pass through the station: Acela Express, Northeast Regional train, Keystone Northeast Regional train, Pennsylvanian train
1 Philadelphia's 30th Street Station Was Officially Renamed In 2020
Originally opened in 1933, the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station was rebuilt in the late 1980s. 30th Street Station only, preliminarily, gained its aforementioned official/full name in the fall of 2014.
This took place when Congress agreed to rename the station to William H. Gray III 30th Street Station after Democratic congressional representative Bill Gray (William Herbert Gray III) who passed away on July 1st, 2013.
The new name was not made official, however, until February 2020 with signs representing the station's new name appearing in 2019.
- Year of the station's renaming: 2020