B767-200 AND A-321 CAME WITHIN 25 FT OF EACH OTHER AFTER THE B767 WAS CLRED FOR TKOF ON 9L AT PHL. THE A-321 TAIL WAS OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE ON TXWY N.

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WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF ON RWY 9L AT PHL. APCHING V1 WE BOTH SAW AN A-321 LOCATED AT TXWY N AND RWY 9L. THE AIRBUS 321 WAS CLR OF THE RWY BUT THE ACFT'S TAIL WAS NOT CLR OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE. WHEN WE SAW THE POSITION OF THE AIRBUS IT WAS TOO LATE TO ABORT OUR TKOF. WE KNEW WE WOULD NOT HIT THE AIRBUS BUT WE ALSO KNEW WITH OUR WING SPAN IT WOULD BE VERY CLOSE. WE ESTIMATED OUR WINGTIP TO HIS TAIL CLRNC AT APPROX 25 FT. WE ADVISED THE TWR AND WERE TOLD THE AIRBUS WAS CLR AND TO CONTACT DEPARTURE. TWR WAS DOING A QUICK 'CYA'. WE FELT LIKE THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS THAT AS USUAL; PHL RAMP WAS OVER CROWDED. THE AIRBUS HAD ANOTHER ACFT IN FRONT OF HIM WAITING FOR A GATE. HE COULD NOT MOVE FROM THE TWR'S POINT OF VIEW. HE HAD CROSSED THE AIRBUS AND TURNED HIM OVER TO RAMP CTL; NOT HIS PROBLEM ANYMORE. ATC AND RAMP CTL NEED TO BE MORE AWARE OF ACFT VISIBILITY TO COMPLETELY CLR THE RWY DURING TIMES OF HIGH RAMP CONGESTION. PHL ARPT CANNOT SAFELY HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF TFC USING THE ARPT. BAD WX AND DELAYS ONLY MAKE THINGS WORSE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: PLT RPTS THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT NIGHT; IN THE RAIN. THERE WAS SOME RESTRICTED VIS ON THE WINDSHIELD CAUSED BY THE RAIN. IT WASN'T UNTIL WELL INTO THE TKOF ROLL THAT THEY SPOTTED THE INTRUDING A-321 ACFT. PLT RPTS THAT ANY OP THAT IS N OF RWY 9L-27R IS CTLED BY RAMP CTL. PHL GND CTL DOES NOT CTL TFC THERE. THE AREA ACROSS FROM THE ACR GATES GETS JAMMED UP WITH TFC. PLTS PLAN THEIR TURNOFF THERE BECAUSE OF THE SHORT TAXI. THE TWR DOES NOT KEEP TFC CONGESTION TO A MINIMUM BECAUSE THEY HAVE RELINQUISHED CTL TO RAMP CTL PERSONNEL. PLT THINKS THAT ONLY TFC N OF TXWY J SHOULD BE ON RAMP CTL. THE TWR SHOULD RETAIN RESPONSIBILITY FOR OP ON TXWY J AND SOUTH.