Description
This project addressed accessibility issues at the platforms and 1953 station building. The work also improved passenger safety and operational flexibility for trains. Parking on the north side of the tracks was expanded and reconfigured to accommodate station improvements, provide ADA accessibility, and improve traffic flow.
This $36 million project was the first of three proposed phases of major improvements to develop Paoli Station into a fully ADA-compliant, modernized, intermodal passenger station. Phase 1 work included:
- A new high-level (accessible) platform between the eastbound and westboundd tracks, replacing the existing platforms;
- Elevators and ramps;
- A pedestrian overpass;
- ADA improvements to the existing station building; and
- Upgrades to the station’s rail infrastructure.
As part of the Phase 1 High-Level Platforms project, the parking areas on the north (westbound) side of the tracks on either side of North Valley Road were improved. The north lot (on the east side of North Valley Road) now provides short-term parking and a drop-off/pick-up loop close to the new ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge to the new high-level center platform and existing station building. The northwest parking lot provides expanded long-term ADA parking, approximately 50 new parking spaces, a drop-off/pick-up lane for jitneys and shuttle buses, and an ADA-accessible route to the passenger bridge. Improvements include new lighting and landscaping as well as new signage to improve vehicular flow and direct pedestrians through the expanded facilities.
The historic passenger shelter at the north lot–constructed as part of the 1883 Paoli Station–was reconstructed as the north lot bicycle rack canopy.
