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Public urination has damaged an elevator just repaired at SEPTA’s Somerset Station

Progress against problems on the Market Frankford El has been difficult, as the tale of the elevators shows.

Somerset Station was closed for two weeks in March 2021 for cleaning and repairs.
Somerset Station was closed for two weeks in March 2021 for cleaning and repairs.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

SEPTA shuttered Somerset Station in Kensington for a two-week makeover in March 2021 after damage from urine knocked out the elevators.

Now transit agency officials report that the new elevator flooring at the Market-Frankford Line stop has detached and warped because urine loosened the epoxy adhesive that kept it in place.

They plan to repair the floors soon to prevent possible seepage of urine into elevator gears and motors, which is what caused the shutdown last year, spokesman Andrew Busch said.

Public urination has long been a challenge for transit agencies around the country. It reeks, and because urine is highly acidic, also causes damage, especially to the inner workings of elevators and, sometimes, escalators.

SEPTA CEO and general manager Leslie S. Richards disclosed the damage during a City Hall hearing earlier this week that centered on crime and disorder on the city’s subway lines. It was a sign, she said, of the intractability of some of the issues the agency faces.

“We’re losing ground there,” Richards told lawmakers. “We’re trying to make, you know, 10 steps forward, but we have to take two to three steps backward all the time.”

On Thursday, SEPTA officials highlighted a new $6.1 million program that is deploying dozens of security officers to patrol the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines, taking aim at quality-of-life violations.

For months, riders have complained of disorder, including smoking on trains and platforms, open use of IV drugs, public urination, feces, garbage, and fare-jumping — particularly on the El.

The Somerset elevator work last year cost $47,866, including labor, Busch said. The new flooring material was $7,857.

“Those materials that we expected to last for years already need to be replaced,” Richards said.

SEPTA crews also swept through the station while it was closed for two weeks in March 2021, deep cleaning, painting, making structural repairs, and installing new lighting.

This year, they’ll do some routine touch-ups and maintenance, Busch said.