By 2025, second daily Amtrak train should run from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — If you've ever been to Harrisburg, how did you get there?
If you're like most people, the answer is probably not by train. But KDKA-TV's Seth Kaplan reports that could change.
"From Philly to Harrisburg, it's about a dozen a day," said Dan Cupper, a retired railroad engineer.
Amtrak trains run frequently and fast. But between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg? Just one each way.
"Many people in Pittsburgh have been concerned that just a once-a-day frequency is not enough," Cupper said. "It always means if you have to go to Harrisburg on business, that there's an overnight. Whereas, if there are two trains, that'll make it much easier. It will free up the ability of people to travel."
Right now, most people drive. In speaking with investors this week, Norfolk Southern's Mike McClellan said "one of the most important areas on this corridor is Pittsburgh."
Norfolk Southern carries freight. So what does it have to do with Amtrak, which carries people? Plenty, because they share the same crowded tracks.
"They wanted to add another passenger train pair between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg," McClellan told investors. "We had some improvements we wanted to make to accommodate that, and we came to this deal."
That deal is the commonwealth, which is chipping in $200 million of federal infrastructure money to make improvements like double-tracking the whole route.
By 2025, a second daily train should run from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and through to Philadelphia and New York.