In 2005, Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trust asked Amtrak to change the name of 30th Street Station to “Ben Franklin Station” as part of the celebration of Ben Franklin’s 300th birthday in January 2006. The cost of replacing signs at the station was estimated at $3 million.

In January, Philadelphia Mayor John Street threw his support behind the name change, but others had mixed reactions to the proposal. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a former mayor of Philadelphia, was lukewarm, while Amtrak officials worried that a “Ben” station could be confused with its other three “Penn” stations. On January 25, 2006, Pew abandoned the campaign, giving no reason.

In August 2014, Congress passed a law to rename the station to William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in honor of the late congressman. At the time, the change was to occur “in the next few months”. In 2019, signs were installed outside the station with the new name and plans were announced for a statue of Gray and a memorial plaque. The name change officially took effect on February 6, 2020.

The building is owned by Amtrak and houses many Amtrak corporate offices, although Amtrak is officially headquartered near Union Station in Washington, D.C. The 562,000-foot facility features a cavernous main passenger concourse with ornate Art Deco decor.