U. City rail station to open Monday

As of Monday, students trying to get to the airport will have another option over just cabbing it or taking an airport shuttle. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's new $9 million University City Rail Station -- located next to Franklin Field at South Street and Convention Avenue -- will provide direct train access to the airport in addition to area suburbs. To celebrate the opening of the station, SEPTA has planned a week of festivities, including performances by University groups Chord on Blues, Penny Loafers, Penn Dance and Quaker Notes. The city will hold an official dedication ceremony next Friday, with Mayor Edward Rendell, Councilwomen Jannie Blackwell and Happy Fernandez and SEPTA General Manager Louis Gambaccini on hand to cut the ribbon. According to SEPTA Manager of Communications Peter Hanlon, the trip to the airport will take approximately 16 minutes and will cost $5. During peak hours, four trains are scheduled to operate each hour, he added. The station is a state of the art, bi-level structure consisting of a mezzanine and a platform. It has a spacious design with skylights, a glass-enclosed lobby and is wheelchair accessible. "We tried to make the station as wide open with as much light as possible," a SEPTA spokesperson said. Director of Engineering and Construction Zia Khan said the long-delayed station has been under construction for two years. The aim of the new station is to "connect the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel [University], the hospital and other businesses to the SEPTA system," he said. The station will serve the R1 Airport line, the R2 Marcus Hook-Wilmington/Warminster line and the R3 Media-Elwyn/West Trenton line.