by Jeff Smith
Site Admin Note: I did some topic consolidation of some older topics, including two titled "All things Pennsylvanian". Gives some interesting progression.
(More) talk of a second frequency: ABC 27
(More) talk of a second frequency: ABC 27
PennDOT asks about adding 2nd Harrisburg-Pittsburgh trainTribLive
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has asked Amtrak about adding a second daily round-trip train between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
PennDOT project manager Jennie Granger tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (http://bit.ly/1Ljyma4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) that Amtrak is looking into what it would take to make an additional round-trip each day for the Amtrak Pennsylvanian.
Jennie Granger, project manager for PennDOT's state rail plan, said Amtrak is looking into what it would take to make an additional round-trip each day. The next step is checking with Norfolk Southern, which owns the line, to see whether time and space allow for a new passenger trip among frequent freight routes.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvanian_(train" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
“With our existing funding, we can't afford billions of dollars of improvements, but we might be able to afford this,” Granger said. “Part of it is the negotiations with Amtrak and Norfolk Southern, and part of it is seeing what that subsidy is and gaining that support and maximizing the available dollars.”
The Pennsylvanian is one of 29 short-distance Amtrak lines receiving state funding when passenger revenue doesn't cover the costs, a setup that in 2012 almost caused the line to disappear when federal regulations began requiring state subsidies on short-distance trips. In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, PennDOT paid Amtrak $14.5 million for the cross-state Pennsylvanian and the Keystone Service from Harrisburg to Philadelphia.
Amtrak data show about 149,000 people boarded and departed trains in Pittsburgh in 2014. Spokesman Craig Schulz said even if there's a new train and Norfolk Southern can work it into the schedule, PennDOT must decide whether to add service, because it must subsidize costs that exceed revenues.
“It's a popular route,” Schulz said. “If there's an opportunity to provide more service to Pittsburgh, we're always willing and able to look at that.”
In 2011, the state's Keystone West High Speed Rail study found new infrastructure to increase speed and capacity on the mountainous 250-mile route would cost $1.5 billion to $38 billion. But that didn't stop the calls for additional service along the existing tracks.
Read more: http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/9102 ... z3m6FcNCDg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
YouTube Instagram Facebook
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
YouTube Instagram Facebook