2015 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan - PA Railfan

I'm going to cross-post this topic in a few forums; this will be the "seed" post. It will be posted in Amtrak, SEPTA, Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Pennsylvania Railfan as it covers more than just one area of interest. I'll tag each topic appropriately. Each topic will serve as the discussion point for that railroad.

Thanks!

Plan the Keystone

Herald Mail Media

Among the states, Pennsylvania is the fifth highest in total miles of railroad tracks, with more than 5,000 route miles of tracks served by 55 companies. It is a leader in the number of carloads and tons originating and terminating within the state.

Amtrak, already in the midst of a $151 billion improvement program, projects its Pennsylvania ridership will grow by 36 percent by 2035, according to the plan.

Passenger-rail growth is predicted to grow because of its on-time performance, frequency of trains on the schedule, reduced travel time by rail and ongoing traffic-congestion issues in Philadelphia and New York City, Kirkpatrick said.

Large-scale transportation investments in the early discussion stages include new passenger-rail service from Scranton to New York City; new commuter-rail systems in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Reading; extensive improvements in the corridor between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh; and second main tracks and dedicated freight tracks along high-volume and high-density freight-rail corridors.

There are presently no commuter rail projects anywhere close to happening, or even under discussion, in Pittsburgh. The project with the most near-term possibility is adding service to Pittsburgh along the route of the Pennsylvanian. PennDOT said at the State Rail Plan open house this week in Pittsburgh that they have asked Amtrak to look at the costs, equipment availability, etc. of adding a train to Pittsburgh. Visit Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail's (WPPR) website, http://www.wpprrail.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, for more information about our efforts to get more service to Pittsburgh and the other towns west of Harrisburg. Posted on the website is WPPR's study, On Track to Accessibility, that discusses the benefits and costs of adding two Pittsburgh-NYC trains.