The incident happened around 1:25 a.m. at the SEPTA station located near the intersection of North Broad and West Glenwood Avenue.
Officials believe the man got on an out of service SEPTA train at South Broad Street, heading toward the Fern Rock Station.
They believe he panicked and tried to jump off the moving train to switch when he hit the pillar.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The train was moving about 30 miles per hour.
The man's name has not been released and police continue to investigate.
