SEPTA’s AT&T station getting renamed

The popular AT&T station at the end of SEPTA’s Broad Street Line (BSL) is getting renamed thanks to a partnership SEPTA struck with New Jersey-based company, NRG Energy.

The station, which is well known for its spot outside the sports stadiums in South Philly, will be renamed “NRG Station,” with new signage, maps, and screens coming to the building in August, according to a statement from SEPTA. Fitting with the nature of the new partnership, the station will also have NRG Go portable power packs, which passers-by can rent to charge their phones in the station or during games.

The deal is the result of a $5.3 million contract NRG made with SEPTA, replacing the transportation authority’s previous contract with AT&T, according to BillyPenn.

For SEPTA, the partnership is beneficial because of the new revenue it brings in. It’s thanks in part to Act 44, which was passed by state lawmakers ten years ago, urging transit agencies to seek non-fare revenue.

“The income this generates will go directly toward the everyday costs of running the transit system,” SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon said in a statement.

The name change may be jarring for Philadelphians—after all, many BSL commuters are used to north being Fern Rock, and south being AT&T—but it’s not new. The station was originally named Pattison Station, and only changed when AT&T signed a contract with SEPTA in 2010.

• See ya, AT&T Station [BillyPenn]