The Broad Street Subway: The Phillies and Post-Game Revelry (Forget the Car!)

Suburban Station is a grand, early 20th Century train terminal. As its name implies, SEPTA commuter rail brings in those from the suburbs (although it also has train lines that don’t leave the city limits). All commuter rail lines stop there.

Its original name was Broad Street Suburban Station – although it is not located directly on Broad Street, it replaced the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Broad Street Station.

It opened in 1930, and has a magnificent exterior appearance – black with art-deco gold lighting (see the photo).

For those of you familiar with Monopoly, the Pennsylvania Railroad constructed “Suburban” as its flagship facility. Eventually, after its bankruptcy, it combined with its one-time rival, the Reading Railroad, to form the current Regional Rail Division of SEPTA.

After you disembark from your train at “Suburban”, simply follow the signs through the underground concourse for the Broad Street Subway (known also as the “Orange Line”, although it is always just referred to as “the Subway”.)

Before embarking on the Subway, make sure that you stop at the SEPTA office and buy a return train ticket, as well as a pair of subway tokens for each person.

After you’ve bought your tokens, leave Suburban and walk south on 16th Street until you reach its intersection with Walnut Street, where you turn left (i.e., going east). Sure, City Hall Station is closer to Suburban, but it’s a nice walk and you can use the exercise. Walk the two blocks toward Broad and Walnut. When you see the signs for the Walnut-Locust Station (pictured above), head down the steps, tokens all ready. Drop one per person through the turnstile slots, and descend to the Subway.

During major events at the Sports Complex (such as Phillies games), SEPTA runs Special Trains (lit with blue lights, as opposed to white or green), that read “SPECIAL” on the side. (IMPORTANT: Make sure that you are on the side of the platform that says “Southbound to Pattison”.)

Also, ensure that you board one of the “SPECIAL” trains. It means that you will be heading expressly from Walnut-Locust to Pattison Avenue, the end of the line and where the ballpark is located. (Sure, you could take the “LOCAL”, and it would still get you there, but what fun is that?) The SPECIAL trains not only save you time, they’re actually fun (you’re going so fast that you can’t even see the names of the stations through which the train is hurtling. It’s the best fun you can have for $1.45.) Plus, these trains are crammed with hordes of Phillies fans, giving you a ballpark atmosphere before you even arrive at the ballpark.