Urban Assisted Center City District with Mapping for Underground Concourse and Rail Station Cleaning Initiative

On August 1, the Center City District (CCD), began providing comprehensive cleaning services at Market East Station, Suburban Station, and SEPTA-owned sections of the city’s underground concourse. Urban worked with SEPTA, the Department of Public Property, and PATCO to develop an accurate map identifying ownership of the Concourse Cleaning/222 Underground, including private sections.

This is the first time since 1987 that an agreed upon reference map details which entity owns each part of the concourse system. Urban’s work to map ownership and custodial service limits were essential to drafting the CCD’s scope. Reaching consensus among these agencies in a 988,000 square foot concourse proved a challenge.

The consolidated cleaning services will cover 3½ miles of interconnected, underground walkways under South Broad Street, City Hall, JFK Boulevard, and East Market Street. CCD’s crews will remove litter, manually and mechanically sweep, pressure wash, clean walls and remove graffiti to keep the designated areas inviting and free of debris, dirt, streaks, smears, and odors. The train stations and concourse are heavily used by commuters, shoppers, and pedestrians.

Seventy percent of downtown office workers use public transit to commute to Center City. The CCD believes that transit needs to be reliable and passenger-friendly to remain one of Center City’s most important assets. It is essential that these facilities are well-maintained so that the downtown area is inviting.