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Pennsylvanian (train)

The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile (715 km) daily daytime Amtrak train running between New York City and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel across the Appalachian Mountains, through Pennsylvania's capital Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and New Jersey en route to New York. The entire train ride takes about 9 hours total: 1.5 hours between New York and Philadelphia, 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, and 5.5 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

Pennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 2021
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
First serviceApril 27, 1980
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Annual ridership192,728 (FY23) 9.4%[a][1]
Route
TerminiNew York City, New York
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Stops17
Distance travelled444 miles (715 km)
Average journey time
  • 9 hours, 15 minutes (westbound)
  • 9 hours, 20 minutes (eastbound)[2]
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)42, 43
On-board services
Class(es)Coach Class
Business Class
Disabled accessAll cars, most stations
Catering facilitiesCafé
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stockAmfleet cars
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line, 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Philadelphia)
Operating speed
  • 48 mph (77 km/h) (avg.)
  • 110 mph (180 km/h) (top, Keystone Corridor)[3]
  • 125 mph (201 km/h) (top, Northeast Corridor)
Track owner(s)Amtrak, NS
Route map
0 mi
0 km
New York City
10 mi
16 km
Newark Penn
58 mi
93 km
Trenton
91 mi
146 km
Philadelphia
110 mi
177 km
Paoli
112 mi
180 km
Exton
159 mi
256 km
Lancaster
177 mi
285 km
Elizabethtown
195 mi
314 km
Harrisburg
256 mi
412 km
Lewistown
293 mi
472 km
Huntingdon
313 mi
504 km
Tyrone
327 mi
526 km
Altoona
366 mi
589 km
Johnstown
403 mi
649 km
Latrobe
413 mi
665 km
Greensburg
444 mi
715 km
Pittsburgh

All stations except Latrobe are accessible
= flag stop

The Pennsylvanian uses the same Amtrak-owned Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line as the Keystone Service trains, but continues further west via the Pittsburgh Line through Altoona and the Allegheny Mountains, eventually terminating its run in Pittsburgh. The Main Line and Pittsburgh Line collectively make up the Keystone Corridor, a federally-designated corridor for high-speed rail service.

History edit

20th century edit

 
The first eastbound run of the Pennsylvanian in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1980
 
The Pennsylvanian passing Rosemont, Pennsylvania

Prior to Amtrak's founding, the Pennsylvanian route was covered by the Duquesne, named after Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh, and by the Juniata. Both trains operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and from 1968 to 1971 by the PRR's successor, the Penn Central.[4] The Duquesne had a long history, finally becoming a daily New York–Pittsburgh train on October 25, 1959, numbered 16 eastbound and 25 westbound. When the Pennsylvania Railroad's successor, Penn Central, was formed in 1968, it continued to operate the Duquesne and the Juniata.[5]

With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1, 1971, the Duquesne was renamed the Keystone and renumbered 42 westbound and 43 eastbound with the first Amtrak timetable on November 14, 1971. The Keystone was discontinued on April 30, 1972.[6]

The immediate impetus for the Pennsylvanian was the discontinuance of the National Limited, a New York–Kansas City train which had provided service over the corridor. That train, in turn, was the successor of the famed Spirit of St Louis. [7]: 75  The Pennsylvanian began on April 27, 1980, as a state-supported daylight train between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with connecting service to New York City via the Philadelphian, a Clocker train westbound and the Montrealer eastbound.

At the time the Pennsylvanian was inaugurated, the Broadway Limited was departing Pittsburgh at an inconvenient early morning hour. The new train ran with Amfleet equipment, including a cafe car.[8][9] Pennsylvania agreed to pay 20% of the train's costs for the first year, or $580,000, with the state and Amtrak eventually splitting the costs 50/50 by the third year.[10]

Between 1981 and 1983, Pennsylvanian equipment was turned every night to operate a second state-supported train, the Fort Pitt, which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona.[11] Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation. At the time the Fort Pitt carried 30 passengers per day.[12] On October 30, 1983, the Pennsylvanian was extended to New York City, eliminating the transfer at Philadelphia.[13]

After significant ridership gains in 1984, PennDOT proposed that a second train be added to the route. PennDOT and Amtrak would have split the costs evenly. Amtrak officials were favorable, but budget problems stalled the plan.[14]

In the late 1980s, passenger rail groups urged Amtrak to extend the Pennsylvanian to Cleveland, Ohio. Proposals included new stations in Sewickley and Beaver Falls.[15] Pressure increased in 1989 when Amtrak announced the re-routing of the Broadway Limited and Capitol Limited over that same route as part of a restructuring of routes in Indiana. As part of this change, the Capitol Limited began serving the Cleveland–Pittsburgh route, albeit in the middle of the night.[16] Amtrak and PennDOT considered two routes for an extended Pennsylvanian: one via Alliance, Ohio, following the route of the Capitol Limited, and one via Youngstown, Ohio, partially following the Broadway Limited, with a new stop in New Castle, Pennsylvania.[17]

On November 7, 1998, Amtrak extended the Pennsylvanian through to Chicago along the route of the Capitol Limited via Toledo, finally bringing a daylight connection to Cleveland. The Three Rivers continued to run over a different schedule via Akron, Ohio and Fostoria. As part of the change Amtrak truncated the eastern end to Philadelphia, enabling the train to complete the run within a single day.[18][19]

The change was driven by Amtrak's growing mail and express business; Pittsburgh–Philadelphia ridership suffered.[20]

21st century edit

Amtrak returned the Pennsylvanian to the New York–Pittsburgh route on January 27, 2003, citing low ridership and Amtrak's withdrawal from the express freight business.[21]

On November 1, 2004, Amtrak merged the Pennsylvanian and Three Rivers, keeping the latter name with a western terminus in Chicago. Amtrak had sought $2.5 million in assistance from Pennsylvania to keep both trains running. On March 8, 2005, Amtrak truncated service to Pittsburgh-New York City, and restored the Pennsylvanian name to the route.[22][23]

The train has been primarily financed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation since October 1, 2013, when the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 took effect.[24] This federal law eliminated federal subsidies for Amtrak routes less than 750 miles (1,210 km) in length.[25][26]

In late 2019, the train began operating with a baggage car for checked baggage and bicycle handling at New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Altoona, Johnstown and Pittsburgh.[27]

In March 2020, service on the Pennsylvanian was suspended as part of a round of service reduction in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[28] Service resumed on June 1, 2020.[29]

Proposed expansion edit

Increased frequency edit

The Pennsylvania State Rail Plan 2020 called for a second round-trip Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and New York City, with one trip beginning and terminating in Cleveland. The second trip was then projected to begin during the fiscal year running from October 2023 to September 2024. The feasibility, schedule, and cost of adding a second train were underway as of November 2020.[30]

In June 2022, the state and Norfolk Southern announced an agreement for a $200 million capacity improvement, with a second Pennsylvanian round trip to be added by 2025.[31] By August 2023, the opening date had slipped to 2026, with construction on the necessary infrastructure planned to start in 2024.[32] In September 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement on making the necessary $200 million worth of improvements to the line for a second daily service.[33]

In December 2023, the project was awarded $143.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with PennDOT providing 20% in matching funds. The Pennsylvanian route was also selected into the FRA's Corridor Identification and Development Program, granting $500,000 to study further service increases.[34]

Westward extension edit

There is currently no through service west of Pittsburgh, though the Capitol Limited continues to provide service to Chicago. As part of its federally mandated analysis of the worst-performing long-distance routes, Amtrak determined that reinstating a through-car connection with the Pennsylvanian would result in the highest gain in monetary and customer service measurements of possible options.[35] To implement this, Amtrak plans to operate a Viewliner sleeper car, an Amfleet cafe car and two Amfleet coaches between Chicago and New York approximating the historic Broadway Limited, via the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian. This would begin when funding and equipment is available.[35] On January 28, 2011, it was announced that Pennsylvania had received a $750,000 grant from the federal government to study expanding service westwards from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh along the route of the Pennsylvanian, including higher speeds and additional frequencies.[36]

Operation edit

Equipment edit

 
The eastbound Pennsylvanian passing through Cassandra, Pennsylvania

A typical Pennsylvanian consists of a locomotive, a Viewliner baggage car, an Amfleet Business Class coach, Amfleet Café car, and four or five Amfleet coaches.[37]

Between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, trains are pulled by a GE Genesis diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h). Between Philadelphia and New York, the service operates over the Northeast Corridor which has overhead electric wires and trains are pulled by Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives at speeds up to 125 mph (201 km/h)

In the coming years all equipment will be replaced with Amtrak Airo trainsets, the railroad's branding of its combination of Siemens Venture passenger cars and a Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive.[38] The trainsets for the Pennsylvanian will have six passenger cars, which will include a food service area and a mix of 2x2 Coach Class and 2x1 Business Class seating.[39] The car closest to the locomotive will be a specialized "Auxiliary Power Vehicle" which will include a pantograph to collect power from overhead lines and will feed it to four traction motors in the car, and via a DC link cable, to the four traction motors in the locomotive.[40] The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources, a process that currently requires a time-consuming locomotive change in Philadelphia.

Classes of service edit

All classes of service include complimentary WiFi, an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables. Reservations are required on all trains, tickets may be purchased online, from an agent at some stations, a ticketing machine at most stations, or, at a higher cost, from the conductor on the train.[41]

  • Coach Class: 2x2 seating. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.[42]
  • Business Class: 2x1 seating with more legroom than coach. Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks.

Ridership edit

Over fiscal years 2009–2016, ridership grew from 199,484 to 223,114, an increase of 10.6%. Ridership peaked at 231,720 in FY 2015. Ticket revenue grew from $7,819,404 to $11,555,451, an increase of 47.8%.[b] Starting in 2017 Amtrak stopped reporting their revenue data alongside ridership data. as such it was excluded.

Starting in fiscal year 2020, Amtrak revised how it calculates ridership, causing a small but noticeable drop in the 2019 numbers. It was chosen to report the revised metrics below.[53]

COVID-19 edit

The impact of COVID-19 was split across FY2020 and FY2021, as reflected in the lower then average passenger numbers across those two years. The pandemic caused an initial drop of ridership in FY2020 of 39% on the route as compared to FY2019. The drop remained throughout FY2021, with a relative drop of 40.3% compared to FY2019, the last fiscal year pre-covid data exists.[c]

50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000
30,000,000
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
  •   Annual ridership
  •   Annual revenue

Route edit

 
A map of the Pennsylvanian train route

The Pennsylvanian follows the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line over the following tracks:[63]

Station stops edit

State Town/City Station Connections
NY New York City Penn Station   Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star
  Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Vermonter
  Long Island Rail Road:  Main Line,  Port Washington Branch
  NJ Transit:  North Jersey Coast Line,  Northeast Corridor Line,  Gladstone Branch,  Montclair-Boonton Line,  Morristown Line
  NYC Subway:       
  PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB)
  Local bus: MTA Bus
NJ Newark Newark Penn Station   Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter
  Newark Light Rail
  NJ Transit:  North Jersey Coast Line,  Northeast Corridor Line,  Raritan Valley Line
  PATH: NWK-WTC
  Local bus: NJ Transit Bus
  Intercity bus:   Greyhound, Coach USA, Fullington Trailways
Trenton Trenton   Amtrak: Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Vermonter
  NJ Transit:  Northeast Corridor Line,  River Line
  SEPTA Regional Rail:  Trenton Line
  Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus, NJ Transit Bus
PA Philadelphia 30th Street Station   Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter
  SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines
  NJ Transit:  Atlantic City Line
  SEPTA City Transit: Market-Frankford Subway-Surface
  Local bus: SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus, NJ Transit Bus
  Intercity bus:   Megabus, Martz Trailways
Paoli Paoli   Amtrak: Keystone Service
  SEPTA Regional Rail:  Paoli/​Thorndale Line
  Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus
Exton Exton   Amtrak: Keystone Service
  SEPTA Regional Rail:  Paoli/​Thorndale Line
  Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus, West Chester University shuttle
Lancaster Lancaster   Amtrak: Keystone Service
  Local bus: Red Rose Transit Authority
Elizabethtown Elizabethtown   Amtrak: Keystone Service
  Local bus: Red Rose Transit Authority
Harrisburg Harrisburg Transportation Center   Amtrak: Keystone Service
  Local bus: Capital Area Transit, rabbittransit
  Intercity bus:   Greyhound, Fullington Trailways
Lewistown Lewistown
Huntingdon Huntingdon
Tyrone Tyrone   Intercity bus:   Greyhound
Altoona Altoona Transportation Center   Local bus: AMTRAN
  Intercity bus:   Greyhound
Johnstown Johnstown   Local bus: CamTran
  Intercity bus:   Greyhound
Latrobe Latrobe   Local bus: Westmoreland County Transit Authority
Greensburg Greensburg   Local bus: Westmoreland County Transit Authority
Pittsburgh Union Station   Amtrak: Capitol Limited
  Local bus: Pittsburgh Regional Transit
  Intercity bus:   Greyhound, Fullington Trailways

References edit

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Pennsylvanian Timetable" (PDF). Amtrak. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  3. ^ Cupper, Dan (September 27, 2021). "Amtrak aims to add routes, frequencies; raise speeds in Pennsylvania". Trains. trains.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Pennsylvania timetable, August 1950, Table 39
  5. ^ Penn Central East-West timetable, October 1968
  6. ^ Goldberg, Bruce (1981). Amtrak--the first decade. Silver Spring, MD: Alan Books. OCLC 7925036.
  7. ^ Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34705-3.
  8. ^ Fisher, Ken (April 28, 1980). "Amtrak Train Begins Daylight State Crossing". Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  9. ^ Amtrak (August 3, 1980). "National Train Timetable". Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  10. ^ McCann, Tom (April 23, 1980). "Amtrak, PennDOT expand service". Daily Collegian. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  11. ^ McCann, Tom (April 15, 1981). "Amtrak expands service: Western Pa. to get Three full runs". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  12. ^ "Train serving Latrobe, Greensburg finished". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 24, 1982. Retrieved August 9, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ National Train Timetables. Amtrak. October 30, 1983. p. 34 – via Museum of Railway Timetables.
  14. ^ Fisher, Ken (January 7, 1986). "Second train to New York put on hold". Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  15. ^ Sterling, Joe (March 15, 1989). "Amtrak may OK area stop for route". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  16. ^ Utterback, Debra (November 14, 1989). "Amtrak train heads for Beaver Falls, but it won't be stopping". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  17. ^ Moore, Lori (September 28, 1990). "Group continues call for trains stop". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
  18. ^ "All Aboard: Amtrak schedule changes are what it has to do". Post-Gazette. September 9, 1998. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  19. ^ Amtrak (October 25, 1998). "National Timetable". Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  20. ^ Johnston, Bob (May 2000). "Under a new strategy, Amtrak to add trains, routes". Trains. Vol. 60, no. 5. p. 16.  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  21. ^ Patch, David (December 11, 2002). "Amtrak trims Toledo service". Toledo Blade. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  22. ^ Ritchie, Jim (October 1, 2004). "PennDOT won't chip in for cross-state train". Tribune-Review. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  23. ^ Ritchie, Jim (March 6, 2005). "Pittsburgh to be end of the line for train". Tribune-Review. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  24. ^ Bumsted, Brad (August 30, 2013). "State, Amtrak hope to fast-track passenger rail service deal". TribLive. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  25. ^ Vock, Daniel C. (June 24, 2015). "States Take Larger Role in Passenger Rail". www.governing.com. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  26. ^ "North Carolina and Amtrak Reach Agreement to Continue Passenger Rail Service" (Press release). Amtrak. September 27, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  27. ^ "Amtrak Launches Bicycle Service and Baggage Check on Pennsylvanian Trains". Amtrak Media. October 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  28. ^ "Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus" (Press release). Amtrak. March 24, 2020. from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  29. ^ "Amtrak announces re-opening of some Pa. service, with new safety guidelines". The Patriot-News (PennLive). May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  30. ^ Napsha, Joe (November 16, 2020). "State seeks to add Pittsburgh-to-New York City Amtrak train". TribLive. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  31. ^ (Press release). Office of Governor Tom Wolf. June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  32. ^ Sutor, Dave (August 2, 2023). "Passenger rail plans on track for 2nd train through Johnstown by 2026". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  33. ^ Blazina, Ed (September 22, 2023). "PennDOT, Norfolk Southern sign agreement to enable a second passenger train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg". Pittsburgh Union-Progress. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  34. ^ "Pittsburgh-Harrisburg route improvements to receive $143.6 million federal grant". Trains. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  35. ^ a b "PRIIA Section 210 FY10 Performance Improvement Plan Capitol Limited". Trains Magazine. Amtrak. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  36. ^ "Feds pledge $750G for rail study". Johnstown Tribune Democrat. January 28, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  37. ^ "Amtrak – Pennsylvanian". TrainWeb. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  38. ^ "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  39. ^ "Amtrak FY 2022–2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  40. ^ Worrell, Carolina (December 19, 2022). "First Look: Amtrak Airo". Railway Age. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  41. ^ "Travel Guide to Train Fares". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  42. ^ "Reserved Coach Class Seat". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  43. ^ "Amtrak FY16 Ridership and Revenue Fact Sheet" (PDF). Amtrak. April 17, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  44. ^ "Amtrak FY15 Ridership & Revenue" (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  45. ^ (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  46. ^ "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2013 Ridership and Revenue" (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  47. ^ (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  48. ^ (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  49. ^ (PDF) (PDF). Amtrak. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 10, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  50. ^ "Amtrak® FY17 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  51. ^ "Amtrak® FY18 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  52. ^ "Amtrak FY19 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  53. ^ a b c "Amtrak FY20 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  54. ^ a b "Amtrak FY21 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  55. ^ "Amtrak FY22 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  56. ^ "Amtrak FY19 Non-Adjusted Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  57. ^ "Amtrak FY20 Non-Adjusted Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  58. ^ "Amtrak FY21 Non-Adjusted Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  59. ^ "Amtrak FY23 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  60. ^ "Amtrak FY22 Non-Adjusted Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  61. ^ "Amtrak FY23 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  62. ^ "Amtrak FY23 Non-Adjusted Revenue" (PDF). Amtrak Media. Amtrak. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  63. ^ Amtrak (June 2, 2013). "Pennsylvanian On-Time Performance". Retrieved June 2, 2013.

Notes edit

  1. ^ Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.
  2. ^ Compiled from Amtrak's annual ridership and revenue reports.[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55]
  3. ^ Compiled from Amtrak's annual ridership and revenue reports and PennDOT Annual Report.[56] [53] [57] [54] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62]

External links edit

KML is from Wikidata
  • Pennsylvanian – Amtrak

pennsylvanian, train, pennsylvanian, mile, daily, daytime, amtrak, train, running, between, york, city, pittsburgh, philadelphia, trains, travel, across, appalachian, mountains, through, pennsylvania, capital, harrisburg, pennsylvania, dutch, country, suburban. The Pennsylvanian is a 444 mile 715 km daily daytime Amtrak train running between New York City and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia The trains travel across the Appalachian Mountains through Pennsylvania s capital Harrisburg the Pennsylvania Dutch Country suburban and central Philadelphia and New Jersey en route to New York The entire train ride takes about 9 hours total 1 5 hours between New York and Philadelphia 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg and 5 5 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh PennsylvanianThe Pennsylvanian in Altoona Pennsylvania in 2021OverviewService typeInter city railFirst serviceApril 27 1980Current operator s AmtrakAnnual ridership192 728 FY23 9 4 a 1 RouteTerminiNew York City New YorkPittsburgh PennsylvaniaStops17Distance travelled444 miles 715 km Average journey time9 hours 15 minutes westbound 9 hours 20 minutes eastbound 2 Service frequencyDailyTrain number s 42 43On board servicesClass es Coach ClassBusiness ClassDisabled accessAll cars most stationsCatering facilitiesCafeBaggage facilitiesOverhead racks checked baggage available at selected stationsTechnicalRolling stockAmfleet carsTrack gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeElectrificationOverhead line 12 kV AC at 25 Hz New York Philadelphia Operating speed48 mph 77 km h avg 110 mph 180 km h top Keystone Corridor 3 125 mph 201 km h top Northeast Corridor Track owner s Amtrak NSRoute mapLegend 0 mi0 km New York City Hudson River NYNJ North River Tunnels 10 mi16 km Newark Penn 58 mi93 km Trenton Morrisville TrentonBridge NJPA 91 mi146 km Philadelphia Northeast Corridorto Washington D C 110 mi177 km Paoli 112 mi180 km Exton 159 mi256 km Lancaster 177 mi285 km Elizabethtown 195 mi314 km Harrisburg 256 mi412 km Lewistown 293 mi472 km Huntingdon 313 mi504 km Tyrone 327 mi526 km Altoona 366 mi589 km Johnstown 403 mi649 km Latrobe 413 mi665 km Greensburg 444 mi715 km Pittsburgh All stations except Latrobe are accessible flag stop This diagram viewtalkedit The Pennsylvanian uses the same Amtrak owned Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line as the Keystone Service trains but continues further west via the Pittsburgh Line through Altoona and the Allegheny Mountains eventually terminating its run in Pittsburgh The Main Line and Pittsburgh Line collectively make up the Keystone Corridor a federally designated corridor for high speed rail service Contents 1 History 1 1 20th century 1 2 21st century 2 Proposed expansion 2 1 Increased frequency 2 2 Westward extension 3 Operation 3 1 Equipment 3 2 Classes of service 3 3 Ridership 3 3 1 COVID 19 3 4 Route 3 5 Station stops 4 References 5 Notes 6 External linksHistory edit20th century edit nbsp The first eastbound run of the Pennsylvanian in Latrobe Pennsylvania April 28 1980 nbsp The Pennsylvanian passing Rosemont Pennsylvania Prior to Amtrak s founding the Pennsylvanian route was covered by the Duquesne named after Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh and by the Juniata Both trains operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and from 1968 to 1971 by the PRR s successor the Penn Central 4 The Duquesne had a long history finally becoming a daily New York Pittsburgh train on October 25 1959 numbered 16 eastbound and 25 westbound When the Pennsylvania Railroad s successor Penn Central was formed in 1968 it continued to operate the Duquesne and the Juniata 5 With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1 1971 the Duquesne was renamed the Keystone and renumbered 42 westbound and 43 eastbound with the first Amtrak timetable on November 14 1971 The Keystone was discontinued on April 30 1972 6 The immediate impetus for the Pennsylvanian was the discontinuance of the National Limited a New York Kansas City train which had provided service over the corridor That train in turn was the successor of the famed Spirit of St Louis 7 75 The Pennsylvanian began on April 27 1980 as a state supported daylight train between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with connecting service to New York City via the Philadelphian a Clocker train westbound and the Montrealer eastbound At the time the Pennsylvanian was inaugurated the Broadway Limited was departing Pittsburgh at an inconvenient early morning hour The new train ran with Amfleet equipment including a cafe car 8 9 Pennsylvania agreed to pay 20 of the train s costs for the first year or 580 000 with the state and Amtrak eventually splitting the costs 50 50 by the third year 10 Between 1981 and 1983 Pennsylvanian equipment was turned every night to operate a second state supported train the Fort Pitt which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona 11 Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation PennDOT declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation At the time the Fort Pitt carried 30 passengers per day 12 On October 30 1983 the Pennsylvanian was extended to New York City eliminating the transfer at Philadelphia 13 After significant ridership gains in 1984 PennDOT proposed that a second train be added to the route PennDOT and Amtrak would have split the costs evenly Amtrak officials were favorable but budget problems stalled the plan 14 In the late 1980s passenger rail groups urged Amtrak to extend the Pennsylvanian to Cleveland Ohio Proposals included new stations in Sewickley and Beaver Falls 15 Pressure increased in 1989 when Amtrak announced the re routing of the Broadway Limited and Capitol Limited over that same route as part of a restructuring of routes in Indiana As part of this change the Capitol Limited began serving the Cleveland Pittsburgh route albeit in the middle of the night 16 Amtrak and PennDOT considered two routes for an extended Pennsylvanian one via Alliance Ohio following the route of the Capitol Limited and one via Youngstown Ohio partially following the Broadway Limited with a new stop in New Castle Pennsylvania 17 On November 7 1998 Amtrak extended the Pennsylvanian through to Chicago along the route of the Capitol Limited via Toledo finally bringing a daylight connection to Cleveland The Three Rivers continued to run over a different schedule via Akron Ohio and Fostoria As part of the change Amtrak truncated the eastern end to Philadelphia enabling the train to complete the run within a single day 18 19 The change was driven by Amtrak s growing mail and express business Pittsburgh Philadelphia ridership suffered 20 21st century edit Amtrak returned the Pennsylvanian to the New York Pittsburgh route on January 27 2003 citing low ridership and Amtrak s withdrawal from the express freight business 21 On November 1 2004 Amtrak merged the Pennsylvanian and Three Rivers keeping the latter name with a western terminus in Chicago Amtrak had sought 2 5 million in assistance from Pennsylvania to keep both trains running On March 8 2005 Amtrak truncated service to Pittsburgh New York City and restored the Pennsylvanian name to the route 22 23 The train has been primarily financed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation since October 1 2013 when the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 took effect 24 This federal law eliminated federal subsidies for Amtrak routes less than 750 miles 1 210 km in length 25 26 In late 2019 the train began operating with a baggage car for checked baggage and bicycle handling at New York Newark Philadelphia Lancaster Harrisburg Altoona Johnstown and Pittsburgh 27 In March 2020 service on the Pennsylvanian was suspended as part of a round of service reduction in response to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic 28 Service resumed on June 1 2020 29 Proposed expansion editIncreased frequency edit The Pennsylvania State Rail Plan 2020 called for a second round trip Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and New York City with one trip beginning and terminating in Cleveland The second trip was then projected to begin during the fiscal year running from October 2023 to September 2024 The feasibility schedule and cost of adding a second train were underway as of November 2020 30 In June 2022 the state and Norfolk Southern announced an agreement for a 200 million capacity improvement with a second Pennsylvanian round trip to be added by 2025 31 By August 2023 the opening date had slipped to 2026 with construction on the necessary infrastructure planned to start in 2024 32 In September 2023 the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement on making the necessary 200 million worth of improvements to the line for a second daily service 33 In December 2023 the project was awarded 143 6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration FRA with PennDOT providing 20 in matching funds The Pennsylvanian route was also selected into the FRA s Corridor Identification and Development Program granting 500 000 to study further service increases 34 Westward extension edit There is currently no through service west of Pittsburgh though the Capitol Limited continues to provide service to Chicago As part of its federally mandated analysis of the worst performing long distance routes Amtrak determined that reinstating a through car connection with the Pennsylvanian would result in the highest gain in monetary and customer service measurements of possible options 35 To implement this Amtrak plans to operate a Viewliner sleeper car an Amfleet cafe car and two Amfleet coaches between Chicago and New York approximating the historic Broadway Limited via the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian This would begin when funding and equipment is available 35 On January 28 2011 it was announced that Pennsylvania had received a 750 000 grant from the federal government to study expanding service westwards from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh along the route of the Pennsylvanian including higher speeds and additional frequencies 36 Operation editEquipment edit nbsp The eastbound Pennsylvanian passing through Cassandra Pennsylvania A typical Pennsylvanian consists of a locomotive a Viewliner baggage car an Amfleet Business Class coach Amfleet Cafe car and four or five Amfleet coaches 37 Between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia trains are pulled by a GE Genesis diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph 177 km h Between Philadelphia and New York the service operates over the Northeast Corridor which has overhead electric wires and trains are pulled by Siemens ACS 64 electric locomotives at speeds up to 125 mph 201 km h In the coming years all equipment will be replaced with Amtrak Airo trainsets the railroad s branding of its combination of Siemens Venture passenger cars and a Siemens Charger diesel electric locomotive 38 The trainsets for the Pennsylvanian will have six passenger cars which will include a food service area and a mix of 2x2 Coach Class and 2x1 Business Class seating 39 The car closest to the locomotive will be a specialized Auxiliary Power Vehicle which will include a pantograph to collect power from overhead lines and will feed it to four traction motors in the car and via a DC link cable to the four traction motors in the locomotive 40 The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources a process that currently requires a time consuming locomotive change in Philadelphia Classes of service edit All classes of service include complimentary WiFi an electric outlet 120 V 60 Hz AC at each seat reading lamps fold out tray tables Reservations are required on all trains tickets may be purchased online from an agent at some stations a ticketing machine at most stations or at a higher cost from the conductor on the train 41 Coach Class 2x2 seating Passengers self select seats on a first come first served basis 42 Business Class 2x1 seating with more legroom than coach Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks Ridership edit Over fiscal years 2009 2016 ridership grew from 199 484 to 223 114 an increase of 10 6 Ridership peaked at 231 720 in FY 2015 Ticket revenue grew from 7 819 404 to 11 555 451 an increase of 47 8 b Starting in 2017 Amtrak stopped reporting their revenue data alongside ridership data as such it was excluded Starting in fiscal year 2020 Amtrak revised how it calculates ridership causing a small but noticeable drop in the 2019 numbers It was chosen to report the revised metrics below 53 COVID 19 edit The impact of COVID 19 was split across FY2020 and FY2021 as reflected in the lower then average passenger numbers across those two years The pandemic caused an initial drop of ridership in FY2020 of 39 on the route as compared to FY2019 The drop remained throughout FY2021 with a relative drop of 40 3 compared to FY2019 the last fiscal year pre covid data exists c 50 000 100 000 150 000 200 000 250 000 300 000 5 000 000 10 000 000 15 000 000 20 000 000 25 000 000 30 000 000 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Annual ridership Annual revenue Route edit nbsp A map of the Pennsylvanian train route The Pennsylvanian follows the Pennsylvania Railroad s Main Line over the following tracks 63 Amtrak Penn Station New York City to 30th Station Philadelphia to Harrisburg Northeast Corridor New York City to Philadelphia Keystone Corridor Philadelphia to Harrisburg Norfolk Southern Railway Harrisburg to Union Station Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Line Station stops edit State Town City Station Connections NY New York City Penn Station nbsp Amtrak long distance Cardinal Crescent Lake Shore Limited Palmetto Silver Meteor Silver Star nbsp Amtrak intercity Acela Adirondack Berkshire Flyer Carolinian Empire Service Ethan Allen Express Keystone Service Maple Leaf Northeast Regional Vermonter nbsp Long Island Rail Road Main Line Port Washington Branch nbsp NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line Northeast Corridor Line Gladstone Branch Montclair Boonton Line Morristown Line nbsp NYC Subway nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp PATH HOB 33 JSQ 33 JSQ 33 via HOB nbsp Local bus MTA Bus NJ Newark Newark Penn Station nbsp Amtrak Acela Cardinal Carolinian Crescent Keystone Service Northeast Regional Palmetto Silver Meteor Silver Star Vermonter nbsp Newark Light Rail nbsp NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line Northeast Corridor Line Raritan Valley Line nbsp PATH NWK WTC nbsp Local bus NJ Transit Bus nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Coach USA Fullington Trailways Trenton Trenton nbsp Amtrak Cardinal Carolinian Crescent Keystone Service Northeast Regional Palmetto Silver Star Silver Meteor Vermonter nbsp NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line River Line nbsp SEPTA Regional Rail Trenton Line nbsp Local bus SEPTA Suburban Bus NJ Transit Bus PA Philadelphia 30th Street Station nbsp Amtrak Acela Cardinal Carolinian Crescent Keystone Service Northeast Regional Palmetto Silver Meteor Silver Star Vermonter nbsp SEPTA Regional Rail all lines nbsp NJ Transit Atlantic City Line nbsp SEPTA City Transit Market Frankford Subway Surface nbsp Local bus SEPTA City Bus SEPTA Suburban Bus NJ Transit Bus nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Megabus Martz Trailways Paoli Paoli nbsp Amtrak Keystone Service nbsp SEPTA Regional Rail Paoli Thorndale Line nbsp Local bus SEPTA Suburban Bus Exton Exton nbsp Amtrak Keystone Service nbsp SEPTA Regional Rail Paoli Thorndale Line nbsp Local bus SEPTA Suburban Bus West Chester University shuttle Lancaster Lancaster nbsp Amtrak Keystone Service nbsp Local bus Red Rose Transit Authority Elizabethtown Elizabethtown nbsp Amtrak Keystone Service nbsp Local bus Red Rose Transit Authority Harrisburg Harrisburg Transportation Center nbsp Amtrak Keystone Service nbsp Local bus Capital Area Transit rabbittransit nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Fullington Trailways Lewistown Lewistown Huntingdon Huntingdon Tyrone Tyrone nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Altoona Altoona Transportation Center nbsp Local bus AMTRAN nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Johnstown Johnstown nbsp Local bus CamTran nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Latrobe Latrobe nbsp Local bus Westmoreland County Transit Authority Greensburg Greensburg nbsp Local bus Westmoreland County Transit Authority Pittsburgh Union Station nbsp Amtrak Capitol Limited nbsp Local bus Pittsburgh Regional Transit nbsp Intercity bus nbsp Greyhound Fullington TrailwaysReferences edit Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership PDF Amtrak November 27 2023 Retrieved November 30 2023 Pennsylvanian Timetable PDF Amtrak January 8 2018 Retrieved January 25 2018 Cupper Dan September 27 2021 Amtrak aims to add routes frequencies raise speeds in Pennsylvania Trains trains com Retrieved December 18 2021 Pennsylvania timetable August 1950 Table 39 Penn Central East West timetable October 1968 Goldberg Bruce 1981 Amtrak the first decade Silver Spring MD Alan Books OCLC 7925036 Sanders Craig 2006 Amtrak in the Heartland Bloomington Indiana Indiana University Press ISBN 978 0 253 34705 3 Fisher Ken April 28 1980 Amtrak Train Begins Daylight State Crossing Post Gazette Retrieved August 17 2010 Amtrak August 3 1980 National Train Timetable Retrieved August 17 2010 McCann Tom April 23 1980 Amtrak PennDOT expand service Daily Collegian Retrieved August 17 2010 McCann Tom April 15 1981 Amtrak expands service Western Pa to get Three full runs The Daily Collegian Retrieved August 9 2009 Train serving Latrobe Greensburg finished Pittsburgh Post Gazette December 24 1982 Retrieved August 9 2009 permanent dead link National Train Timetables Amtrak October 30 1983 p 34 via Museum of Railway Timetables Fisher Ken January 7 1986 Second train to New York put on hold Post Gazette Retrieved August 21 2010 Sterling Joe March 15 1989 Amtrak may OK area stop for route Pittsburgh Press Retrieved August 21 2010 Utterback Debra November 14 1989 Amtrak train heads for Beaver Falls but it won t be stopping The Beaver County Times Retrieved August 21 2010 Moore Lori September 28 1990 Group continues call for trains stop The Beaver County Times Retrieved August 21 2010 All Aboard Amtrak schedule changes are what it has to do Post Gazette September 9 1998 Retrieved August 17 2010 Amtrak October 25 1998 National Timetable Retrieved August 17 2010 Johnston Bob May 2000 Under a new strategy Amtrak to add trains routes Trains Vol 60 no 5 p 16 via EBSCO s Academic Search Complete subscription required Patch David December 11 2002 Amtrak trims Toledo service Toledo Blade Retrieved August 17 2010 Ritchie Jim October 1 2004 PennDOT won t chip in for cross state train Tribune Review Retrieved August 17 2010 Ritchie Jim March 6 2005 Pittsburgh to be end of the line for train Tribune Review Retrieved August 17 2010 Bumsted Brad August 30 2013 State Amtrak hope to fast track passenger rail service deal TribLive Retrieved February 21 2018 Vock Daniel C June 24 2015 States Take Larger Role in Passenger Rail www governing com Retrieved February 21 2018 North Carolina and Amtrak Reach Agreement to Continue Passenger Rail Service Press release Amtrak September 27 2013 Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Launches Bicycle Service and Baggage Check on Pennsylvanian Trains Amtrak Media October 14 2019 Retrieved January 14 2022 Service Adjustments Due to Coronavirus Press release Amtrak March 24 2020 Archived from the original on March 25 2020 Retrieved March 25 2020 Amtrak announces re opening of some Pa service with new safety guidelines The Patriot News PennLive May 21 2020 Retrieved May 22 2020 Napsha Joe November 16 2020 State seeks to add Pittsburgh to New York City Amtrak train TribLive Retrieved November 21 2020 Governor Wolf Announces Commonwealth Norfolk Southern Operating Agreement to Expand Western Pa Passenger Rail Access Press release Office of Governor Tom Wolf June 27 2022 Archived from the original on January 16 2023 Retrieved June 27 2022 Sutor Dave August 2 2023 Passenger rail plans on track for 2nd train through Johnstown by 2026 The Tribune Democrat Retrieved August 3 2023 Blazina Ed September 22 2023 PennDOT Norfolk Southern sign agreement to enable a second passenger train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Pittsburgh Union Progress Retrieved September 24 2023 Pittsburgh Harrisburg route improvements to receive 143 6 million federal grant Trains December 7 2023 Retrieved December 7 2023 a b PRIIA Section 210 FY10 Performance Improvement Plan Capitol Limited Trains Magazine Amtrak Retrieved November 13 2010 Feds pledge 750G for rail study Johnstown Tribune Democrat January 28 2011 Retrieved January 29 2011 Amtrak Pennsylvanian TrainWeb Retrieved December 27 2022 Introducing Our New Trains Amtrak Airo Amtrak December 15 2022 Retrieved December 15 2022 Amtrak FY 2022 2027 Asset Line Plan PDF Amtrak p 132 Retrieved April 11 2022 Worrell Carolina December 19 2022 First Look Amtrak Airo Railway Age Retrieved December 21 2022 Travel Guide to Train Fares Amtrak Retrieved April 8 2018 Reserved Coach Class Seat Amtrak Retrieved April 8 2018 Amtrak FY16 Ridership and Revenue Fact Sheet PDF Amtrak April 17 2017 Retrieved January 25 2018 Amtrak FY15 Ridership amp Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Fiscal Year 2014 Ridership and Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Archived from the original PDF on March 10 2016 Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Fiscal Year 2013 Ridership and Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Fiscal Year 2012 Ridership and Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Archived from the original PDF on March 10 2016 Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Fiscal Year 2011 Ridership and Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Archived from the original PDF on March 10 2016 Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak Fiscal Year 2010 Ridership and Revenue PDF PDF Amtrak Archived from the original PDF on March 10 2016 Retrieved February 21 2018 Amtrak FY17 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 Amtrak FY18 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 Amtrak FY19 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 a b c Amtrak FY20 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 a b Amtrak FY21 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 Amtrak FY22 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved May 28 2023 Amtrak FY19 Non Adjusted Revenue PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY20 Non Adjusted Revenue PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY21 Non Adjusted Revenue PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY23 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY22 Non Adjusted Revenue PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY23 Ridership PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak FY23 Non Adjusted Revenue PDF Amtrak Media Amtrak Retrieved December 12 2023 Amtrak June 2 2013 Pennsylvanian On Time Performance Retrieved June 2 2013 Notes edit Amtrak s Fiscal Year FY runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year Compiled from Amtrak s annual ridership and revenue reports 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Compiled from Amtrak s annual ridership and revenue reports and PennDOT Annual Report 56 53 57 54 58 59 60 61 62 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pennsylvanian train KML file edit help Template Attached KML Pennsylvanian train KML is from Wikidata Pennsylvanian Amtrak Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pennsylvanian train amp oldid 1226439674, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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