Ardmore's Train Station Is Finally Open. Here's What That Means for Lower Merion Home Buyers

By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team

After more than six years of construction, Ardmore's SEPTA station on the Main Line reopened on March 23. The project, which started with a $62 million budget and a two-and-a-half-year timeline, ran into a hidden oil tank, crumbling walls, a pandemic, and supply chain problems that stretched the work into 2026. The new station is fully ADA-compliant, with ramp and elevator access to the platforms. For the businesses along Lancaster Avenue that lost foot traffic and parking for years, the reopening is a relief. For buyers thinking about Ardmore and the surrounding Main Line communities, the timing matters.

Why Transit Access Moves the Needle on Home Values

The connection between walkable train access and home prices on the Main Line is not theory. It is baked into every listing conversation in this area. Homes within walking distance of a regional rail stop command a premium in Lower Merion Township, and Ardmore is one of the most accessible stations on the R5 line to Center City Philadelphia. Buyers who commute to Philadelphia, or who want the option to, filter specifically for walkability to SEPTA. When a station is under construction and the surrounding streetscape is disrupted, that filter gets harder to satisfy. Now it is not.

According to Zillow, the average home value in Ardmore is currently $516,244, up 2.4% over the past year. That modest year-over-year gain reflects a market that has been absorbing six years of construction disruption around one of its main commercial corridors. With the station open and Lancaster Avenue businesses stabilizing, there is a reasonable case that demand in walkable North Ardmore and the streets surrounding Suburban Square will tick up.

What the Reopening Means for the Surrounding Market

The renovation is not just a train platform upgrade. The ADA improvements mean the station is genuinely accessible for the first time for a portion of commuters who previously had no good option. That expands the pool of buyers who can realistically call Ardmore home.

Lancaster Avenue took the hardest hit during construction. Parking was reduced, road closures rerouted traffic, and some businesses did not survive the disruption. The businesses that did survive now have a cleaner, more accessible streetscape to work with. A more functional commercial corridor makes the neighborhood more attractive to buyers who weight walkability heavily. In a market like this one, that matters.

There is also a longer-term signal here. Lower Merion Township investing the time and resources to complete a $62 million infrastructure project, despite every obstacle that project encountered, says something about how seriously this community takes its public assets. That kind of institutional follow-through is not something you find everywhere.

What This Means for You

If you are a buyer targeting the Main Line and Ardmore specifically has felt inaccessible during the construction years, now is the right moment to look again. Inventory here moves fast. Homes in Ardmore sell in about 19 days on average, according to Redfin data. You want to be ready before you find the right property, not after.

If you are a seller near the Ardmore station corridor, the reopening removes a genuine objection that has been sitting in buyer conversations for years. That matters for how you price and position your home.

The McKnight Team works with buyers and sellers across Lower Merion Township and the Main Line. If you want to know what the Ardmore market looks like right now, visit us at TheMcKnightTeam.com.

Thinking about buying or selling in Ardmore or Lower Merion? Let's talk.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer