Frankford Junction, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Frankford Junction is a railroad junction
, and former junction station
, located on the border between the Kensington
and Port Richmond
neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. At the junction, the 4-track Northeast Corridor
line from Trenton connects with the 2-track Atlantic City Line
from Atlantic City in the northeastern portion of Philadelphia about 2.9 miles (4.7 km) northeast of North Philadelphia station
. It lies near the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Butler Street, to the west of where New Jersey Route 90 meets Interstate 95
after crossing the Betsy Ross Bridge
. It has been used for rail transportation since 1832 but has not served as a station
since the 1990s.
(P&T) was formed and started service with a small yard. The line extended southwest of the junction and on to destinations north. In 1871 the railroad was leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR). During this time a new branch was formed, namely the Tioga Street Branch, consisting of trackage running down the middle of Tioga Street. The branch was later sold to the Kensington and Tacony Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated the Connecting Railway
(part of today's Northeast Corridor
) that carried trains to the south.
Through time the junction passed from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Penn Central and finally to Amtrak
. During the era of the PRR they operated the Congressional, which passed through the junction. Amtrak now operates the Acela Express
and Northeast Regional through the junction, although the 4° turn through it imposes the lowest speed limit along the Northeast Corridor line of 50 miles per hour (80.5 km/h).
The junction started to dwindle as a station in its older years, with the last service coming from Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) in the 1990s along the Trenton Line (formerly known as the R7 Line). The junction still sees many trains, both freight and passenger, none of which serve the station platforms that still exist. Today the original P&T line still stretches for a few city blocks, terminating abruptly at Ann Street. It is still used for local freight service. A Conrail freight line splits from the Northeast Corridor at this location and continues to New Jersey via the Delair Bridge
. NJ Transit
maintains the Atlantic City Line
through the junction that serves 30th Street Station
to Atlantic City Rail Terminal
with local service daily. Also, the Atlantic City Express Service
express service from New York Penn Station to Atlantic City Rail Terminal
runs through here on weekends only. Amtrak and SEPTA pass through on the Northeast Corridor. There is an abandoned track that used to be for local freight on the north side of the junction. The switching yard is still maintained with continuously decreasing service.
occurred when an axle detached from a train, causing it to derail. 79 people were killed and more were injured.
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
, and former junction station
Junction station
Junction station usually refers to a railway station situated or close to a junction where lines to several destinations diverge. The usual minimum is three incoming lines...
, located on the border between the Kensington
Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kensington is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is between the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia and North Philadelphia. Not to be confused with the former Kensington District, now commonly referred to as Fishtown, the area modernly referred to as...
and Port Richmond
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Port Richmond, also referred to as simply Richmond, is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as...
neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At the junction, the 4-track Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
line from Trenton connects with the 2-track Atlantic City Line
Atlantic City Line
The Atlantic City Line is a rail line operated by New Jersey Transit between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pennsylvania-Reading...
from Atlantic City in the northeastern portion of Philadelphia about 2.9 miles (4.7 km) northeast of North Philadelphia station
North Philadelphia (SEPTA Regional Rail station)
North Philadelphia, formerly Germantown Junction Station, is a railroad station on the Northeast Corridor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is an above-ground station at 2900 North Broad Street in the city's North Philadelphia section...
. It lies near the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Butler Street, to the west of where New Jersey Route 90 meets Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania
Interstate 95 is an Interstate highway running from Miami, Florida north to Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the route is known by many as the Delaware Expressway, but is officially named The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. and locally known as "95"...
after crossing the Betsy Ross Bridge
Betsy Ross Bridge
The Betsy Ross Bridge is a continuous truss bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Pennsauken, New Jersey. It was originally planned as the Delair Bridge, after a paralleling vertical lift bridge owned by Pennsylvania Railroad , but was instead named for Betsy Ross, reputed creator...
. It has been used for rail transportation since 1832 but has not served as a station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
since the 1990s.
Overview
The junction has seen a mass of freight and passenger service throughout its existence. In 1832 the Philadelphia and Trenton RailroadPhiladelphia and Trenton Railroad
The Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad was a railroad from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Trenton, New Jersey that became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. The majority of it is now part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.-History:...
(P&T) was formed and started service with a small yard. The line extended southwest of the junction and on to destinations north. In 1871 the railroad was leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR). During this time a new branch was formed, namely the Tioga Street Branch, consisting of trackage running down the middle of Tioga Street. The branch was later sold to the Kensington and Tacony Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad operated the Connecting Railway
Connecting Railway
The Connecting Railway was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, incorporated to build a connection between the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and the PRR in the city of Philadelphia.-Connecting railway:...
(part of today's Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
) that carried trains to the south.
Through time the junction passed from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Penn Central and finally to Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
. During the era of the PRR they operated the Congressional, which passed through the junction. Amtrak now operates the Acela Express
Acela Express
The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...
and Northeast Regional through the junction, although the 4° turn through it imposes the lowest speed limit along the Northeast Corridor line of 50 miles per hour (80.5 km/h).
The junction started to dwindle as a station in its older years, with the last service coming from Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
(SEPTA) in the 1990s along the Trenton Line (formerly known as the R7 Line). The junction still sees many trains, both freight and passenger, none of which serve the station platforms that still exist. Today the original P&T line still stretches for a few city blocks, terminating abruptly at Ann Street. It is still used for local freight service. A Conrail freight line splits from the Northeast Corridor at this location and continues to New Jersey via the Delair Bridge
Delair Bridge
The Delair Bridge is a lift bridge carrying the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line and a former Conrail line, now a shared asset between Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation. It crosses the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, just...
. NJ Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...
maintains the Atlantic City Line
Atlantic City Line
The Atlantic City Line is a rail line operated by New Jersey Transit between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Atlantic City, New Jersey, operating along the corridor of the White Horse Pike. It runs over trackage that was controlled by both the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Pennsylvania-Reading...
through the junction that serves 30th Street Station
30th Street Station
30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the five stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors...
to Atlantic City Rail Terminal
Atlantic City Rail Terminal
The Atlantic City Rail Terminal is Atlantic City, New Jersey's train station. It is the easternmost stop on the Atlantic City Line to and from Philadelphia and the Atlantic City Express Service to and from New York City and Newark. The Atlantic City terminal is a 5-track, 3-platform terminal...
with local service daily. Also, the Atlantic City Express Service
Atlantic City Express Service
ACES is an inter-city train service offered by the Borgata, Caesars Atlantic City, and Harrah's Entertainment. It is operated by New Jersey Transit under contract, and funded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority...
express service from New York Penn Station to Atlantic City Rail Terminal
Atlantic City Rail Terminal
The Atlantic City Rail Terminal is Atlantic City, New Jersey's train station. It is the easternmost stop on the Atlantic City Line to and from Philadelphia and the Atlantic City Express Service to and from New York City and Newark. The Atlantic City terminal is a 5-track, 3-platform terminal...
runs through here on weekends only. Amtrak and SEPTA pass through on the Northeast Corridor. There is an abandoned track that used to be for local freight on the north side of the junction. The switching yard is still maintained with continuously decreasing service.
Accident
On September 6, 1943, a deadly accidentFrankford Junction train wreck
The Frankford Junction train wreck occurred on September 6, 1943 when Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train, the Congressional Limited crashed at Frankford Junction in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States, killing 79 people and injuring 117...
occurred when an axle detached from a train, causing it to derail. 79 people were killed and more were injured.
See also
- Delair BridgeDelair BridgeThe Delair Bridge is a lift bridge carrying the New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line and a former Conrail line, now a shared asset between Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation. It crosses the Delaware River between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, just...
along the Atlantic City Line is just southeast of Frankford Junction - Frankford ArsenalFrankford ArsenalThe Frankford Arsenal was a United States Army ammunition plant located adjacent to the Bridesburg neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, north of the original course of Frankford Creek.-History:...
was 1.4 miles (2.3 km) east-northeast of the junction starting in 1816 - Frankford Junction train wreckFrankford Junction train wreckThe Frankford Junction train wreck occurred on September 6, 1943 when Pennsylvania Railroad's premier train, the Congressional Limited crashed at Frankford Junction in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States, killing 79 people and injuring 117...
details the September 6, 1943 accident - Lists of rail accidents