Flip board at 30th Street Station is expected to return, but not anytime soon, U.S. Rep. Boyle says

The much-loved clickety-clack flip board at 30th Street Station is expected to return — but not anytime soon, and only for decoration.

Amtrak removed the 1970s-era electromechanical information board in 2019, causing a small uproar from fans of the analog display that provided travelers with details about train arrivals, departures, and delays. It was replaced by a digital display that is integrated with current software and the station’s public-address system, as well as being compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle said Friday that he expected the flip board to make a comeback, but the return is likely years off. An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed the agency was working to bring back the board as a design element in the station’s ongoing redevelopment project.

In late 2018, Boyle, a Democrat who represents part of Northeast Philadelphia and rides Amtrak back and forth to Washington, spoke with the agency’s then-CEO, Richard H. Anderson, about retaining the sign in some form. Boyle said the CEO was “very receptive” to having the flip board returned or replaced by something similar, but that wasn’t going to happen immediately.

Then the pandemic hit, throwing off an already vague timetable.

On Friday, Brendan McPhillips, the former campaign manager for Sen.-elect John Fetterman, complained on Twitter about the old flip board being removed, then excitedly posted an update saying the sign was coming back.

“FOLKS! I’ve been informed that due to the tireless efforts of @RepBrendanBoyle our beloved clickety-clack sign will be returning to 30th St upon completion of the remodel. Digital billboards will also remain to better support our ADA community. That’s constituent services, folks!” McPhillips wrote.

In a phone interview, Boyle said that was largely correct, but the sign’s return could be several years away. Boyle said he expects the sign, which was originally made by an Italian company called Solari, to return when a major renovation project is completed for the historic station, which is officially named the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station.

In 2021, Amtrak said the project was expected to be completed in 2025.

Boyle said he has continued to press the issue about the flip board with current Amtrak CEO Stephen J. Gardner.

“They have absolutely committed to that,” Boyle said.

In an emailed statement, Amtrak spokesperson Beth K. Toll said: “As part of the ongoing master development at Gray 30th Street Station, Amtrak continues to work with our developer partner to reincorporate the [S]olari board into the station as a design element (not as a functioning train information board) for everyone to enjoy.”

As for the station’s renovation project, Toll said it was underway but in its early stages.

The flip board sign is being kept at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Lancaster County.

The plan for the sign’s return, Boyle said, is to have it used for general messages and greetings, not for time-sensitive announcements about trains. That would continue to be handled by the digital display.

“Every time I’m there, I miss the old sign,” said Boyle, who spoke by phone from his Washington office and was about to take an Amtrak train home Friday evening.

The station, which he calls “the most beautiful” in the country, is “missing something without the sign.”