Somerset is part of the Frankford Elevated section of the line, which began service on November 5, 1922.

[6] In 2007, Philadelphia Weekly named intersection underneath the station as one of the top ten "drug corners" in the city.

The station experiences high drug use from patrons, with several people falling onto the tracks and the elevators broken because of human waste and needles.

[10] Somerset station reopened on April 5, 2021, and will have additional SEPTA Transit Police presence.

West of the station, the tracks traverse a truss bridge over a Conrail freight line.