Allen Lane station
Allen Lane station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Philadelphia. It is located at 200 West Allens Lane in the Mount Airy neighborhood and serves the Chestnut Hill West Line. The station building was built circa 1880, according to the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings project. Like many in Philadelphia, it retains much of its Victorian/Edwardian appearance.
Allen Lane  | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Allen Lane station during construction of the high-level platforms | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 200 West Allens Lane Mount Airy, Philadelphia, PA | |||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 40.0575°N 75.1950°W | |||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | SEPTA | |||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Parking | 6 spaces | |||||||||||||||||
| Disabled access | Yes | |||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1880 | |||||||||||||||||
| Electrified | 1918 | |||||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||||
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The former station building now houses a coffee shop, the High Point Cafe.
The station is in zone 2 on the Chestnut Hill West Line, on former Pennsylvania Railroad tracks, and is 10.1 track miles from Suburban Station. In fiscal 2012, this station saw 307 boardings on an average weekday.
The name: "Allen" vs "Allen’s" vs "Allens"
Allen Lane station got its name from the adjoining street, Allens Lane, which was named for William Allen, a prominent man of colonial-era Pennsylvania. His estate, Mount Airy (from which the surrounding Mount Airy neighborhood got its name), was at the top of the hill where Allens Lane meets Germantown Avenue. (The site is now the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia). Since at least the 19th century, there has been variation in the lane's name between "Allen", "Allen’s", and "Allens". Today, through maps and signage, the names have reached a level of written codification that leaves the lane's name written consistently as "Allens" and the station's name written consistently as "Allen". Colloquially, the Allen/Allen's/Allens variation persists in local speech, such as when train conductors sometimes announce the stop with the genitive inflection. The non-genitive variation that became the codified station name may have been reinforced by a timetable printer's error—the Pennsylvania Railroad's timetables were printed by the firm of Allen, Lane & Scott.
Restoration and renovation
Allen Lane station underwent a two-phase restoration and renovation project in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The first phase of work on the historic station building and shelters was completed in September 1999. The second phase, which included the construction of high level platforms, a rebuilt pedestrian overpass, and ramps for handicapped access, was completed in 2011.
In Popular Culture
Allen Lane station was featured as a filming location for the 1988 film The In Crowd.
Station layout
| G | Street level | Exit/entrance, parking, overpass |
| P Platform level |
Side platform, doors will open on the right | |
| Outbound | ← Chestnut Hill West Line toward Chestnut Hill West (St. Martins) | |
| Inbound | Chestnut Hill West Line toward Temple University (Carpenter) → | |
| Side platform, doors will open on the right | ||
External links
- SEPTA – Allen Lane Station
- Existing Railroad Stations in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
- Allens Lane entrance from Google Maps Street View
- Station House from Google Maps Street View
