A second daily train between Pittsburgh and New York City is expected to begin service in November, following infrastructure investments funded by federal grants.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 24, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed<\/a> the additional daily Pennsylvanian<\/a> line after years of collaboration<\/a> between the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation,<\/a> Amtrak<\/a> and Norfolk Southern<\/a> to expand passenger rail infrastructure throughout the route<\/a>.<\/p>\n Angela Watson, the bureau director of rail, freight, ports and waterways at PennDOT, said the investment is a result of more than a decade of advocacy<\/a> for increased passenger rail service and strong ridership among western Pennsylvanian riders.<\/p>\n In 2021, Norfolk Southern completed an evaluation<\/a> of the Keystone West<\/a> \u2014 the corridor between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg owned and operated by the company \u2014 to determine infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate a second passenger train.<\/p>\n \u201cNorfolk Southern is one of, if not the busiest line, and it\u2019s a transcontinental line, so that corridor is heavily traveled by freight traffic,\u201d Watson said. \u201cFor us to find a way to bring two passenger trains, we had to find ways that we could make some investments in the line that would allow for the additional train traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n The railway has plans for eleven projects<\/a> along the Keystone West corridor to improve reliability for passenger and freight trains. While the second Pennsylvanian train is expected to begin service in November, the projects are not expected to be completed until 2030.<\/p>\n According to Watson, the projects are primarily funded through two federal grant programs<\/a> administered by the Federal Railroad Administration<\/a> \u2014 the Corridor Identification and Development Program<\/a> and the Federal-State Partnership Grant Program<\/a> \u2014 alongside several other upcoming PA rail projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been an infusion of federal funds in the last administration for additional or new passenger rail service,\u201d Watson said. \u201cWe received federal funding from the FRA to support the projects, and so that\u2019s a real big help for us to make the financial investment.\u201d<\/p>\n Rory Wilson, a junior psychology major from Rockland County, New York, said the duration of the trip is her main deterrent from taking the train between school and home.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes a little over nine hours with no delay, and I\u2019ve seen it could go up to like 13,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cBeing that I have the opportunity to either drive for about six hours or fly home, I would much rather do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson said she doesn\u2019t believe there is typically much of a price difference between a train ticket and a much shorter plane ride, except during periods of high holiday demand.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes there are crazy [flight] prices during holidays when everyone\u2019s going home, so if it was significantly cheaper, I could definitely see that being an option,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cIt\u2019s just not the first thing I look for \u2014 simply because it\u2019s nine hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Aleksandar Stevanovic, associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said the second daily train will primarily benefit people who already rely on passenger rail and residents of communities along the route.<\/p>\n \u201cThe benefits that this service provides are probably higher to all of those folks in these small towns than to [people in] Pittsburgh or New York because if you live in Pittsburgh, you probably have an option to take a plane \u2014 and the same is for New York,\u201d Stevanovic said. \u201cBut if you live in Altoona or Greensburg or Johnstown, that train is way more important for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Stevanovic said though the addition of a second daily train is an improvement for current passengers, he does not see many other benefits. As far as public transport alternatives go, he said U.S. train services are still \u201cnot where we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not going to have a huge impact on congestion or an environmental impact,\u201d Stevanovic said. \u201cIf we had [high speed trains], then it would become a very competitive transportation mode, and many people who are traveling in that direction would honestly consider traveling by train.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Stevanovic said implementing such a high speed train would require significant new infrastructure.<\/p>\n