PENNSYLVANIA — Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced an investment of over $140 million in passenger rail networks across the state. The funding comes through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program and the Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) program.
Pennsylvania is set to receive $143 million through the FSP-National program. This significant funding will support the expansion of passenger rail along the Keystone West corridor between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Currently, the Pennsylvanian Amtrak service provides a roundtrip between New York City and Pittsburgh via Harrisburg once daily. In a bid to increase these services to twice a day, Norfolk Southern and PennDOT have entered into an agreement. To accommodate these expanded operations, the Commonwealth plans to invest more than $200 million in infrastructure and safety improvements.
In addition, the Corridor ID program has identified three passenger rail corridors in Pennsylvania for study and development. These are the Scranton to New York Penn Station (NYP) Passenger Rail Corridor project, the Keystone Corridor: Pittsburgh to Philadelphia project, and the Reading-Philadelphia-New York Corridor. Each corridor is slated to receive up to $500,000 in Corridor ID grant funds.
The Scranton to NYP project aims to restore intercity passenger rail service between Scranton and NYP. This service will provide access to New York City, northwestern New Jersey, and Scranton for various purposes, including employment, business, leisure trips, tourism, recreation, and higher education.
The Keystone Corridor: Pittsburgh to Philadelphia project seeks to expand, modernize, and improve the two state-supported Amtrak services – the Pennsylvanian and the Keystone Service. The goal is to meet the demands of intercity passenger rail in the Corridor and enhance operations for intercity, commuter, and freight trains.
Lastly, the Reading-Philadelphia-New York Corridor will connect Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties with Philadelphia and New York City, as well as other communities along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor and beyond. This corridor has not seen passenger trains since 1983 and will feature new stops in Pottstown, Phoenixville, and potentially Norristown.
These ambitious projects aim to improve transportation options for Pennsylvanians and contribute to the economic growth of the region. With these investments, the state is poised to meet the growing demand for intercity passenger rail service, offering more efficient and reliable travel options for commuters across the state. More information on passenger rail in Pennsylvania can be found on PennDOT’s website.
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