North Philadelphia - (SEPTA Chestnut Hill West Line)

Chestnut Hill West Line trains stop at North Philadelphia has two low-level curving side platforms for the two-track line just after they diverge from the Northeast Corridor (and SEPTA Trenton Line) at Lehigh Junction. This station is located just south of the main Northeast Corridor Station.

Passengers enter the station via a single sidewalk at the southwest corner of the large parking lot, just north of the main station. This parking lot is accessible to vehicles from Indiana Avenue along its northern side at a single entrance. Pedestrians can access the parking lot pretty much anywhere along Indiana Avenue or Broad Street with just bollards separating the sidewalk from the parking lot. A couple blocks of row houses (forming a loop off of Indiana Avenue via Sydenham, Stella and Hicks Streets) run along the side of the parking lot closest to these platforms but a concrete wall prohibits access to these homes except via looping around via Indiana Avenue.

A large totem entrance sign faces the parking lot by one platform entrance. It reads Chestnut Hill West Line: North Philadelphia Station. The sidewalk goes gradually uphill ending at the southern end of the Outbound platform. There is a short set of steps closer to this area to provide a shortcut. These lead to a wider area that once contained a larger shelter, but these have been replaced by single bus stop-style shelter on each platform. When I visited in 2013 they were missing all the glass where the windscreens should be.

To get from the only station entrance on the Outbound platform to the Inbound platform when I visited in 2013 a pedestrian tunnel was used. This tunnel had staircases down to an arched roof tunnel with painted bricks at the southern end of each platform. Around 2016 (See this Miles In Transit Video for the current configuration) the tunnel was replaced by a simple pedestrian grade-crossing at the northern end of the platforms. I assume this was done to improve passenger safety and security. The former staircases have now been sealed off down to into the tunnel.
Photos 1-3: October 19, 2012; 4-29: April 10, 2013;

Amtrak &
SEPTA Trenton Line

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Looking across from the SEPTA Trenton Line platform (over just grass) at the Chestnut Hill West Line station

The parking lot and Chestnut Hill West Line in the distance

The entrance to the Chestnut Hill West Line platform at the southern end of the shared parking lot

The fenced off grassy berm between the edge of the parking lot and entrance to the Chestnut Hill West Line station

The entrance to the North Philadelphia - Chestnut Hill West Line station

Approaching the ramp or steps up to the Chestnut Hill West Station, the only entrance

Looking across to the Trenton Line platforms (there is a platform edge with no track) and down the ramp to leave the Chestnut Hill West Station

Looking down to the one exit through a creepily empty large parking lot (no one finds this station safe enough to park at) from the Chestnut Hill West Line Station