Four teams will vie to be Amtrak's William H. Gray III 30th Street Station Master Developer
Amtrak has shortlisted four teams in its search for a Master Developer to update Philadelphia's historic William H. Gray III 30th Street Station.
The nearly 100-year-old facility is the third busiest station in Amtrak’s national system, serving more than 4 million Amtrak customers and more than 8 million combined Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and New Jersey Transit rail commuters annually.
“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,” Amtrak Senior Program Manager Natalie Shieh said. “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.”
Amtrak said several firms responded to a Request for Qualification and those who are on the list are the following, in alphabetical order:
- Brandywine Realty Trust: Brandywine, Pelli Clarke, Pelli Architects, WSP, CBRE
- G30 Collaborative: Meridiam, Gensler, Gannett Fleming, Turner Construction, Aramark, MarketPlace, WeWork
- PHL 30 Vision LLC: JLL, FXCollaborative, AKF, Pennoni, ARUP, Jingoli, JLL
- Plenary Infrastructure PHL: Plenary, SOM, Pennoni, Arora, Urban, AKRF, Gilbane Building, Johnson Controls, Vantage, Republic
Once selected, the preferred developer 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 next step in the process will be a Request for Proposals from the four teams, with a Master Developer decision by Amtrak in 2019.
Amtrak recently made capital investments at the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station totaling more than $100 million, including the current refurbishment of the building facade, improvements to the public restrooms, replacement of the customer elevators and escalators and restoration of the historic bronze entrance doors.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
