{p class=”krtHeadline”}PITTSBURGH (TNS) — The state announced Monday that a deal had been reached to expand passenger access to railroads in Western Pennsylvania and add a second daily route between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
{p class=”krtText”}But don’t buy your tickets just yet.
{p class=”krtText”}The agreement between the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern should be finalized by the end of the year, but infrastructure improvements must be made before the new trip can be added to the railway. Because of that work, the additional rail service could be as many as three years away, according to PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell.
{p class=”krtText”}Still, Gov. Tom Wolf, PennDOT and Norfolk Southern hailed the agreement that they said will eliminate chokepoints and improve Pennsylvania’s rail system to better permit freight and passenger trains to operate together.
{p class=”krtText”}”Rail is critical in Pennsylvania and I’m pleased that we’re moving quickly to deliver these long-needed improvements,” Mr. Wolf said. “This is another example of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and our strong state-funding position ensuring we can bring more mobility and economic benefits to these communities.”
{p class=”krtText”}The Pennsylvanian Amtrak service now travels roundtrip between New York City and Pittsburgh via Harrisburg once daily, but the deal would increase those passenger services to twice a day. Eastbound service would depart Pittsburgh at 7 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and westbound service would depart Harrisburg at 9:41 a.m. and 4:40 p.m.
{p class=”krtText”}The state said it would invest more than $200 million in infrastructure and safety improvements that will be constructed and maintained by Norfolk Southern to support the expanded passenger operation. The improvements and construction, including upgraded rail lines, passenger platforms, sidings and communication signals, following recommendations from a Norfolk Southern operational feasibility study.
{p class=”krtText”}PennDOT said it would redirect state Multimodal Transportation Fund dollars to help pay for the project, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s funding is intended to replace train sets on the Amtrak passenger-rail network. In addition, the department said it anticipates applying for additional federal funds to support station and platform improvements along the route.
{p class=”krtText”}Several local groups, including the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail and the seven towns with stations between Pittsburghand Harrisburg, have been lobbying for additional rail service for more than a decade.
{p class=”krtText”}The state announced that a deal was in the works in February, and the parties have been working since then to finalize the framework.
{p class=”krtText”}”This is an excellent example of the positive solutions that government and business can engineer by working side-by-side toward the same goal,” said Mike McClellan, Norfolk Southern’s chief strategy officer. “Together, we are able to expand passenger rail access, while preserving a critical artery of our nation’s supply chain.”
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