Jodie Walton on Unsplash)" width="616" height="372"/> Amtrak's 30th Street Station, Philadelphia (Photo by Jodie Walton on Unsplash)
PHILADELPHIA, PA—As part of the ongoing work to enhance the customer experience at the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, Amtrak narrowed the list to four teams that will compete to be selected as Master Developer to update the historic station.
The firms that responded to Amtrak's Request for Qualification are:
- Brandywine Realty Trust: Brandywine, Pelli Clarke, Pelli Architects, WSP, CBRE
- G30 Collaborative: Meridiam, Gensler, Gannett Fleming, Turner Construction, Aramark, MarketPlace, WeWork
- PHL 30 Vision: JLL, FXCollaborative, AKF, Pennoni, ARUP, Jingoli, JLL
- Plenary Infrastructure PHL: Plenary, SOM, Pennoni, Arora, Urban, AKRF, Gilbane Building, Johnson Controls, Vantage, Republic
The announcement of the four teams is part of the process that will result in the selection of a preferred developer who will assist in: introducing new customer amenities, reinvigorating the retail and commercial potential of the station, enhancing transit and pedestrian traffic flow, and expanding the station's concourses to accommodate anticipated increases in ridership.
“The selection of the four teams is a significant milestone, as it represents the next step in realizing the future vision of the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station,” says Amtrak director Natalie Shieh. “By partnering with the right development team, Amtrak will update this major transportation hub as a world-class gateway for the traveling public and Philadelphia.”
The nearly 100-year-old facility is the third busiest station in Amtrak's national system, serving more than four million Amtrak customers and more than eight million combined SEPTA and NJ TRANSIT rail commuters annually. Amtrak recently made more than $100 million in capital investments at the station, including refurbishment of the building facade, improvements to the public restrooms, replacement of the passenger elevators and escalators and restoration of the historic bronze entrance doors.
The next step in the process will be a Request for Proposals from the four teams, with a Master Developer decision by Amtrak in 2019.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Steve Lubetkin
Steve Lubetkin is the New Jersey and Philadelphia editor for GlobeSt.com. He is currently filling in covering Chicago and Midwest markets until a new permanent editor is named. He previously filled in covering Atlanta. Steve’s journalism background includes print and broadcast reporting for NJ news organizations. His audio and video work for GlobeSt.com has been honored by the Garden State Journalists Association, and he has also been recognized for video by the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He has produced audio podcasts on CRE topics for the NAR Commercial Division and the CCIM Institute. Steve has also served (from August 2017 to March 2018) as national broadcast news correspondent for CEOReport.com, a news website focused on practical advice for senior executives in small- and medium-sized companies. Steve also reports on-camera and covers conferences for NJSpotlight.com, a public policy news coverage website focused on New Jersey government and industry; and for clients of StateBroadcastNews.com, a division of The Lubetkin Media Companies LLC. Steve has been the computer columnist for the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey, since 1996. Steve is co-author, with Toronto-based podcasting pioneer Donna Papacosta, of the book, The Business of Podcasting: How to Take Your Podcasting Passion from the Personal to the Professional. You can email Steve at [email protected].
