US-based passenger railroad service Amtrak has reached financial close on a lease and development agreement with Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia (PIP) for the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station redevelopment project.
Under the terms of the agreement, PIP will be responsible for the refurbishment and upgrade of the historic station building in Philadelphia. It will also finance the improvements and maintain the station for a period of 50 years.
The scope of work on the project also includes renovation of the corporate office spaces in the upper levels of the station as well as reconfiguration and upgrade of back-of-house facilities.
Additionally, PIP will be in charge of operations and maintenance services for the existing building starting this month.
Amtrak stated that the redevelopment project will help in enhancing the customer experience by adding new amenities, improving and expanding existing office space and enhancing transit and pedestrian traffic flows.
Amtrak Planning and Asset Development executive vice-president Dennis Newman said: “This important milestone in the Gray 30th Street Station Redevelopment Project is part of Amtrak’s overall strategy to enhance the customer experience and operations at our major stations.
“The scope of this work will transform this historic Philadelphia landmark into a modern world-class station with superior amenities, better intermodal connectivity and new customer-facing improvements over the next five years.”
Renovation works are expected to commence in 2022 with completion planned in 2025.
Key PIP members working on the project include Gilbane Building Company as design-build lead; Vantage Airport Group for concessions development and management; Plenary Americas as lead developer; and Johnson Controls for facility operations and maintenance.
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Rendering of the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Credit: National Railroad Passenger Corporation.
