Is SEPTA’s Market East becoming ‘Jefferson Station’?

A tipster sent us the above photo of a printed-up SEPTA transit map.

What’s new? Market East has been replaced with “Jefferson Station,” complete with the new logo of nearby Thomas Jefferson University.

“It’s nothing we are ready or able to talk about publicly,” SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams told Technical.ly Philly.

It wouldn’t be the transit agency’s first foray into selling station naming-rights. And it might not be the last.

“We’re definitely open to those discussions,” Williams said, adding that selling naming rights is a revenue stream benefiting SEPTA’s bottom line.

A five-year, $5 million deal that turned Pattison Station into AT&T Station netted SEPTA $3.4 million, with the remainder going to transit advertising firm Titan, according to news reports in 2010. That deal is up for renewal next year.

Of course, “Jefferson Station” could be another false alarm. Whether a deal has been finalized or these maps are merely mockups is unclear.

In June, Philadelphia City Paper reported that Suburban Station might soon become “Verizon Station.”

A Thomas Jefferson University spokeswoman declined to comment, referring our questions to SEPTA. Scooping up the naming rights to Market East now would seem to make sense for the medical college and hospital system. Jefferson recently announced a major rebranding effort and organizational restructuring.