What to Know
- Wawa and SEPTA will celebrate the opening of the new Wawa Station on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2021.
- A "hoagie-wrapped" train fuel of Wawa ads took the inaugural ride on the extension of the Media/Elwyn line to the new station.
- The Regional Rail line known as the Media/Elwyn Line will now be known as the Media/Wawa Line. Service on the newly-minted Media/Wawa Regional Rail Line starts on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022.
How is the opening of SEPTA's new Wawa Regional Rail station being celebrated? With a "hoagie" train, of course.
SEPTA and Wawa leadership gathered Thursday to cut the ribbon on the recently completed Wawa Station – the new final stop of the newly-named Media/Wawa Regional Rail Line. The event featured Wawa breakfast and history.
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"Immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a 'hoagie-wrapped' train will take an inaugural trip from Wawa to Elwyn," SEPTA said in a news release ahead of the event.
That train didn't look like a massive Shorti, but rather was covered in ads for the new line and Wawa.
So how did two of southeastern Pennsylvania's biggest brands come together on this naming deal?
The new "Wawa Station" is being added to the end of the existing Media/Elwyn Line which previously terminated in Elwyn, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The new station - the first extension of a SEPTA Regional Rail line since 1985 -- will officially open to passengers on Sunday, Aug. 21. It is located about 3.5 miles west of the Elwyn station stop.
Wawa is paying $5.4 million to have the station name for the next 10 years, a SEPTA spokesperson told PBJ.com last month.
The new station has been under renovations since 2018. The station building is ADA-accessible and includes a 600-space parking lot. SEPTA bus routes 111 and 114 will connect at the station.
SEPTA said it will offer early-morning, late-night and express service at the Wawa Station. SEPTA hasn't served the area since 1986.
“Restoring service to Wawa has long been part of SEPTA’s service plans,” SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale T. Deon Sr. said Thursday. “We are grateful to Wawa for their partnership and for supporting our vision for service to this vibrant part of Delaware County.”
This is the fifth naming rights for a station sold by SEPTA in the last 10 years. The first was AT&T Station at the Sports Complex terminus of the Broad Street line. Since then, that station has been renamed for NRG Energy while the former Market East station in Center City is now Jefferson Station and the former University City Regional Rail station in West Philadelphia is now the Penn Medicine Station.
The new Wawa Station at 1490 W. Baltimore Pike is across from a recognizable Wawa Dairy facility that has been a big part of the convenience store chain's local ties for a century.
“We are proud to partner with our friends at SEPTA on the return of the line located just across from the same Wawa Dairy that has continued to bottle and distribute trusted quality products for more than 100 years and counting,” Wawa President and CEO Chris Gheysens said. “The new Wawa Station features elements that connect the rail and the surrounding area to our rich history, as well as some fun, brand elements that will greet commuters entering and exiting the station. We look forward to hosting a Community Day on August 22 to celebrate commuters and commemorate the first trains to once again depart from the Wawa station!”
Wawa is headquartered in Delaware County, with its name lending to a community in Middletown Township and Chester Heights Borough. The new station has a mailing address of Media.
