How far does your evening dog walk on the Rail Park actually go? The Inquirer has described Phase One as a one-quarter-mile green space on the old Reading Railroad Viaduct. It opened in 2018. Friends of the Rail Park's published vision covers three miles of historic rail lines from Northern Liberties to Brewerytown, connecting more than ten neighborhoods.
On Saturday, October 24, a guide and her dog will walk the full three miles at street level, and you can bring your dog too. It's the one Rail Park tour on this fall's calendar that does that. The rest of the late-October and November events on Noble Street fill in the picture, from Yappy Hour to a Halloween salsa night to a picnic where dogs are welcome.
A quarter mile of park inside a three-mile plan
The size of the gap explains why this fall's calendar matters. The park you use today is the first finished piece of something about twelve times its length.
| Segment | Length | Status as of mid-October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Phase One, Noble Street to Callowhill Street | About one-quarter mile | Open since 2018; free daily, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Viaduct Greenway, Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue | 0.6 mile per CCD's project page; Paul Levy called it seven-tenths of a mile in May | Bid documents targeted for fall 2026; no construction start date announced |
| Full Three Mile Vision | About three miles in three sections | Running underground, between streets and overhead |
You can reach Phase One through the accessible entrance on Noble Street just east of Broad. From there the park runs along Noble and arcs over 13th Street onto the viaduct. The second entrance is a staircase on Callowhill Street between 11th and 12th. The park's FAQ lists just two dog rules: pets are welcome throughout the open park, and owners should clean up after them and keep them out of the planting beds.
Saturday's tour is the one that takes the dog
The Furry Friends Tour runs Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, and tickets are $20. The listing invites you to bring your dog on a small-group walk led by an expert guide and her own dog. The tour follows the park's Three Mile Vision route through the past, present and future of the rail line.
The route matters for anyone who knows the park only from the Noble Street deck. It covers about three miles at street level, starting at 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue and ending at Phase One, 1100 Callowhill Street. You finish where your usual walk begins, after following on foot the stretch that the rest of the plan is meant to turn into park.
Some logistics are worth sorting out before Saturday morning:
- The walk is one way. The listing says the tour does not loop back to the start, so plan your trip to 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue and your trip home from Callowhill Street separately.
- Your dog walks all of it. About three miles of sidewalk is a long outing for some dogs, and the whole route is on the street.
- The ticket goes to the park. Friends of the Rail Park says ticket fees support Phase One and planning for future growth.
If you skip this one, the next tour is less flexible. The regular Tour the Rail Park! on Saturday, November 14, follows the same three-mile, one-way route from 2700 Pennsylvania Avenue to 12th and Callowhill for the same $20. The general tour guidance asks people to leave pets other than service animals at home. If you want to walk the route with your dog this fall, October 24 is the date.
What the walk passes, on paper
Center City District leads the next phase, which it calls the Viaduct Greenway. Its project page describes it as converting 6.8 acres of brownfields along the abandoned viaduct, running from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue, into an elevated park with an active transportation trail. CCD says construction bid documents will be done by fall 2026 and that fundraising for construction is underway. The page doesn't give a construction start date.
That fall 2026 target is a revised schedule. When CCD announced a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant in January 2025, it said the money would let it finish bid documents by April 2025. That same month, WHYY reported a $475,000 award from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, funded from the City's share of gaming revenues.
The most recent funding news came on May 28, 2026. Congressman Brendan Boyle announced $2 million in new Community Project Funding for phase two, adding to $2 million he had previously secured through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. At that event, CCD Board Chair Paul Levy said CCD expected "any day now" to sign an agreement with the federal government for another $2 million Reconnecting Communities grant. No signed agreement has been announced since that release.
Land control is the other open question. On September 24, 2025, the federal Surface Transportation Board issued a decision finding that the former Ninth Street Branch had been abandoned and was outside the board's jurisdiction. The ruling said it did not decide who holds title to the land. Two days later, The Inquirer reported that Councilmember Mark Squilla had introduced legislation letting the City accept a donation of the viaduct land, buy it or condemn it, between Vine Street, Fairmount Avenue, Eighth Street and 12th Street. In the same article, Levy said he hoped a negotiated deal with the owner, Reading International, could avoid condemnation.
Callowhill has a seat at the table. CCD's steering committee for the project includes the Callowhill Neighbors Association, Friends of the Rail Park, West Poplar Neighborhood Association, 14th Community Organization RCO and Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. Together they produced a Statement of Values to guide the design, which is led by Urban Engineers and Studio Bryan Hanes.
The other dog dates on Noble Street
The rest of the fall calendar stays on the quarter mile that's already built, and much of it is planned with dogs in mind.
- October Yappy Hour, Thursday, October 29, 5:30 to 7 p.m. It's free at the 1300 block of Noble Street, and Love City Vet is sponsoring. Dogs can meet each other and get pets and treats. You don't need a Furry Friend Membership to attend, but active members who stop by get a free gift. Registration is optional, and organizers use it to send weather or schedule updates. The listing also suggests that if your dog gets overwhelmed meeting others, a phone photo is a fine substitute.
- Dance on the Park with Siempre Salsa, Saturday, October 31, 5 to 8 p.m. This free Halloween evening starts with basic salsa and bachata steps, then opens up to free dancing, and costumes are welcome. Organizers ask you to register so they know you're coming. Cerveau at 990 Spring Garden Street is nearby for dinner afterward. City Cast Philly's September roundup listed it as recently opened, serving pizza, pasta and tramezzini.
- November Picnic on the Park, Tuesday, November 3, 5:30 to 7 p.m. It's free on the 1300 block of Noble Street. Bring your own dinner and, if you like, something to share. Kids and dogs are welcome, and registration is encouraged but not required.
On Yappy Hour and picnic evenings you can bring your dog to the elevated park itself. On October 24, you can walk it along the street-level route the park hopes to cover someday. Both feed the same project, and the October 24 tickets fund it directly.
To share what you learn on the October 24 walk, or to talk through how the Viaduct Greenway's progress fits into your plans for a Callowhill home, Robin and the team at The Robin Gordon Group follow the project closely and are glad to compare notes. Contact Robin.
