Say Hello: PATCO's Franklin Square Station

From 1979 to 2018, if you rode PATCO between PA and NJ, you'd always pass by a dimly lit station with a dirty but graffiti-less wall saying "Franklin Square" every 20 meters/65 Feet or so before crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge. In 2018, PATCO decided it was time to call Ghostbusters and revive Franklin Square from the dead. Of course, the Pandemic has caused significant delays in rebuilding the station. It finally opened on April 3rd, 2025. Franklin Square has had a comical number of openings and closings over the past 8 decades. It opened in 1936 as part of the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Bridge Line (which connected to Broad Ridge Spur at 8th St) and closed in 1939 due to low ridership. It reopened in 1952 after the discontinuation of the Delaware River Ferries. It closed 6 months later for low ridership. In 1969, when the line was extended to Lindenwold and became part of the PATCO System, Franklin Square reopened for a SINGLE DAY to celebrate the opening of PATCO. It was then renovated throughout the early 1970s, with the station covered in (tacky) orange walls in preparation for the Bi-Centennial. It reopened in 1976 to much fanfare. Though the second the festivities were over, the station (and the square above it) struggled. So, in 1979, the station closed again for....you guessed it, low ridership. This leads us to today. Where all of the tacky 1970s orange is gone and the station is restored to its 1936 appearance in time for opening day in 2025. Check Out My: Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/nicholettecaseystrains (and support the channel!) Music Channel:    / @nicholettecasey   Soundcloud:   / trizz-1