SEPTA Secures $80 Million Federal Grant for ADA Trolley Modernization as Parker Administration Marks 16K Home Milestones

SEPTA Awarded $80 Million Federal Grant for Subterranean Trolley Station ADA Overhaul

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Securing transformative federal capital to make Philadelphia's historic public transit network universally accessible, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) was awarded an $80 million federal grant from the Federal Transit Administration's All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) in October 2026. The major capital award finances comprehensive ADA modernizations across three of SEPTA’s busiest underground trolley stations: 22nd Street Station, 33rd Street Station, and 36th Street Station along the Center City and University City subway-surface trolley tunnel.

Engineers will install high-capacity street-to-platform passenger elevators, reconstruct boarding platforms to accommodate next-generation low-floor ADA-accessible trolleys, install tactile platform edge warning tiles, and implement upgraded digital visual-audio passenger arrival displays. The modernizations ensure that seniors, parents with strollers, and passengers with mobility disabilities can navigate the core trolley spine safely and independently.

Mayor Cherelle Parker's H.O.M.E. Initiative Celebrates 16,394 Preserved Properties

Parallel to transit accessibility gains, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and the Division of Housing and Community Development marked a major milestone in community stabilization, verifying that the administration’s Housing Opportunities Made Easy (H.O.M.E.) initiative has officially surpassed the halfway mark toward its five-year goal, with 16,394 homes constructed, preserved, and repaired across all ten councilmanic districts.

More than 70 percent of the completed units represent urgent systems repairs—including new roofs, structural heaters, plumbing upgrades, and electrical rewiring—delivered free of charge to low-income senior homeowners and working-class families. By preventing code decay and structural condemnation, the program preserves generational homeownership equity while stabilizing historic rowhouse neighborhoods throughout North, West, and South Philadelphia.

Clean and Green Task Forces and Regional Airport Forum Elevate City Economy

Mayor Parker further expanded frontline municipal services by deploying specialized enforcement teams under the Illegal Dumping Task Force, targeting industrial dumping corridors with surveillance cameras and steep municipal penalties. On October 2, Mayor Parker also addressed regional executives at the 14th Annual Airport Business Opportunity Forum, highlighting Philadelphia International Airport’s ongoing capital expansions.

Civic advocates and transit leaders commended Philadelphia’s tandem investments in universally accessible mass transit and neighborhood housing preservation, demonstrating how compassionate urban governance creates a dignified, resilient city for all residents.