Franklin Sq. returning to rail world?

ANOTHER LOOK is being taken at re-opening a Depression-era commuter train station beneath Philadelphia's Franklin Square.

The Delaware River Port Authority board yesterday approved $500,000 to examine the PATCO station.

No date is set for reopening the station, according to reports, although the long-range DRPA budget puts the cost to reopen it at $12 million.

Chief engineer Mike Venuto said a revised cost estimate and a ridership study should be complete in the coming weeks. The station would be the first stop in Philadelphia after traveling over the Ben Franklin Bridge from New Jersey.

The Franklin Square station opened in 1936 and was last closed in 1979 due to low ridership. But the rebirth of the once-seedy Franklin Square park has renewed interest in recent years.

- Associated Press