PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA said it has made “tremendous progress” to Somerset Station along the Market-Frankford Line and plans to reopen it on Monday at 5 a.m.
The station closed indefinitely on March 21 due to necessary safety improvements and infrastructure issues. Neighbors said they had to walk from Somerset to the Huntington or Allegheny stops to catch the El, which can be dangerous.
Since the closure, drug use and homelessness have spiked. The area is ground zero of Kensington’s opioid epidemic.
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“We aggressively approached this," SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said. "We invested over a million dollars in repairs and reconstructions and we are really happy to get it opened sooner than we had anticipated.”
SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards said closing a station is a last resort, but it was necessary. The station needed emergency maintenance and repair work, SEPTA said in a statement, to “mitigate damage from urination, human waste, discarded needles and other debris.”
“By working around the clock, crews have made tremendous progress with maintenance and repairs,” Richards said. “We will reopen with a new security plan, and continue working with the City, community groups and other organizations on ways to connect members of the vulnerable population with the resources that they need.”
The two elevators have yet to be restored. Work will likely continue after the reopening.
SEPTA will also increase its police presence. SEPTA Transit Police officers will work at Somerset Station throughout the day and be able to connect people with treatment services for substance abuse or similar matters.
Sixty security guards will be added to the Market-Frankford Line, and there will be a new street-level police booth at Somerset Station.
Work to restore station elevators will likely continue past Monday’s reopening.