New name for Fifth Street subway stop
Updated: JULY 1, 2016 — 1:08 AM EDT
by Jason Laughlin, Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...bway_stop.html
The name for Fifth Street's subway stop got longer but more descriptive at a ceremony Thursday.
The Market-Frankford Line stop is now called Fifth Street Independence Hall Station. The change highlights the stop as a gateway to some of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks and makes using the subway easier for tourists unfamiliar with the city, officials said.
"Naming this station will make public transit even more embedded in our city," said Mayor Kenney.
SEPTA will be updating its station maps to reflect the change in the near future, said Jeff Knueppel, the authority's general manager.
The renaming is part of a more ambitious beautification plan for the station and the corner of Fifth and Market Streets. SEPTA is seeking a federal transportation grant to provide $7.8 million for a nearly $20 million renovation that will improve disabled access to the station, and add bike racks and cobblestones and bus lanes to the intersection.
Plans include glass canopies over the stairways leading into the station and remodeled platforms that include brick facades to give the station a Colonial-style accent. SEPTA applied for the grant last year, but wasn't among the winners. SEPTA is seeking the grant money again this year.