Amtrak, owners of 30th Street Station, needed to replace the board for many reasons, primarily because it failed to be accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The letterforms were too small and light, they used all upper-case, which is difficult to scan, and the sign was not highly legible at any great distance.

A large digital display will replace the board, and nearly all the reaction on social media has been negative, anticipating something garish and out of place.

Amtrak removed their analog board at New York Penn Station in the past couple of years as well. As a part of the reviled Penn Station, it didn’t have the same nostalgic value for New Yorkers as 30th Street’s sign does for Philadelphians, but what they replaced it with probably gives a good indication of what’s to come for Philly: