Station Developments

Roadgeek Adam wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:45 pm Middletown opening just leaves Parkesburg & Downingtown for Amtrak needed high-level platforms between Philly and Harrisburg. (Coatesville is under construction).

I've heard rumours on Parkesburg, but not Downingtown.

Downingtown... property has been acquired and preliminary engineering is occurring.
http://www.planthekeystone.com/Pages/Do ... oject.aspx

Parkesburg has some activity as well: https://vista.today/2019/12/major-upgra ... n-station/

Pensyfan19 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:08 pm If SEPTA originally used Parkersburg as a terminus, how come they never went to Lancaster? I believed they had to go there to turn around when they terminated at Parkersburg.

Lancaster is in Lancaster County and is not one of the counties that funds SEPTA.

When S.E.P.T.A. ran to Parkesburg, the crews sometimes had to be qualified to Cork, just West of Lancaster station, in case there was a problem with crossover switches closer to Parkesburg.

rcthompson04 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:41 pm

Roadgeek Adam wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:45 pm Middletown opening just leaves Parkesburg & Downingtown for Amtrak needed high-level platforms between Philly and Harrisburg. (Coatesville is under construction).

I've heard rumours on Parkesburg, but not Downingtown.

Downingtown... property has been acquired and preliminary engineering is occurring.
http://www.planthekeystone.com/Pages/Do ... oject.aspx

Parkesburg has some activity as well: https://vista.today/2019/12/major-upgra ... n-station/

For Parkesburg, that was what I knew, just hasn't been any updates since COVID began, which is understandable.

Well, Middletown took a while. PennDOT put together a nice booklet on the history of stations in Middletown: http://www.planthekeystone.com/Document ... tation.pdf Booklets on some of the other Keystone stops are available at the same station.

I was up there in the early fall and it was still under construction. It'll be a longer walk if you're planning to transfer to the M&H.

Also stopped by the new station in Mount Joy, which I thought was pretty well designed for what it is, although not sure how sheltered you'd be in really inclement weather. The station in Elizabethtown (renovated a few years back and now with hi-level platforms) seemed to be in very good shape and appeared to be a more pleasant place to wait for a train.

njtmnrrbuff wrote: ↑Wed Dec 29, 2021 9:48 pm I remember that something used to stop in Suffolk, in terms of passenger rail. Yes I know that the station still stands and its present location is centrally located. Not only would it serve the City of Suffolk. It would serve other nearby cities west of the James River like Smithfield and even some of the towns in the Northeastern part of NC like Murfreesboro.

I agree that there should be a stop in Suffolk or at least one more stop in the 85 miles between Norfolk and Petersburg but to be honest, those small towns along the N&W: Waverly, Disputanta, etc. don't really justify a stop.
I've seen one solitary source (so I'm not sure of it's credibility) state that Virginia wanted to switch to the abandoned Virginia right of way (which parallels the CSX ex-SAL line for a stretch) just west of Suffolk for the last leg so they didn't want to invest in a Suffolk station that would need to be moved.
This would of course require relaying all the rail and adding signals to the RoW. It has the advantage of bypassing Portlock Yard and a lot of the coal traffic but still rejoins the main line closer to the coal docks. Honestly, since the main line is so straight, they'd be better off dropping funds on building a third pax-only track in segments when funds allow along the RoW and signalling it for 90+ mph.

WhartonAndNorthern wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:45 pm

njtmnrrbuff wrote: ↑Wed Dec 29, 2021 9:48 pm I remember that something used to stop in Suffolk, in terms of passenger rail. Yes I know that the station still stands and its present location is centrally located. Not only would it serve the City of Suffolk. It would serve other nearby cities west of the James River like Smithfield and even some of the towns in the Northeastern part of NC like Murfreesboro.

I agree that there should be a stop in Suffolk or at least one more stop in the 85 miles between Norfolk and Petersburg but to be honest, those small towns along the N&W: Waverly, Disputanta, etc. don't really justify a stop.
I've seen one solitary source (so I'm not sure of it's credibility) state that Virginia wanted to switch to the abandoned Virginia right of way (which parallels the CSX ex-SAL line for a stretch) just west of Suffolk for the last leg so they didn't want to invest in a Suffolk station that would need to be moved.
This would of course require relaying all the rail and adding signals to the RoW. It has the advantage of bypassing Portlock Yard and a lot of the coal traffic but still rejoins the main line closer to the coal docks. Honestly, since the main line is so straight, they'd be better off dropping funds on building a third pax-only track in segments when funds allow along the RoW and signalling it for 90+ mph.

Honestly, the state would be better off making a flyover from the Ex VGN near a "kangaroo express" (which used to be a grade crossing, and paying to lay a 2nd track on the northside of the former SAL, which is passenger only.
It looks like it was graded for 2 tracks, and one was ripped out.
Maybe switch to VGN for the bridge over a marsh and under the Commonwealth railway, but the back to SAL , as the ROW is now a trail, and part of a street after that.
The station location needs to be kept, the Bus hub is across the street. If anything make it part of a transit center, which covered the bus hub.
I guess negotiate with CSX for the northern siding, so a high level platform could go in. If the either switch to the VGN, or stay on SAL, a new flyover will be needed to connect to the NS norfolk district. I assume that there won't be so much passenger service to require double tracks.
I thought the reason they can't go to 90+ from 79, is there are too many level grade crossings to beef up?

scratchyX1 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:45 pm Honestly, the state would be better off making a flyover from the Ex VGN near a "kangaroo express" (which used to be a grade crossing, and paying to lay a 2nd track on the northside of the former SAL, which is passenger only.
It looks like it was graded for 2 tracks, and one was ripped out.
Maybe switch to VGN for the bridge over a marsh and under the Commonwealth railway, but the back to SAL , as the ROW is now a trail, and part of a street after that.
The station location needs to be kept, the Bus hub is across the street. If anything make it part of a transit center, which covered the bus hub.
I guess negotiate with CSX for the northern siding, so a high level platform could go in. If the either switch to the VGN, or stay on SAL, a new flyover will be needed to connect to the NS norfolk district. I assume that there won't be so much passenger service to require double tracks.

I have no objections to an extra track on the SAL. Heck, CSX hardly uses that line. A pair of intermodals in/out, local switchers, one manifest pair coded as a regional/local, and the occasional bulk train are all it sees.

I thought the reason they can't go to 90+ from 79, is there are too many level grade crossings to beef up?

I hadn't heard that and I doubt that since VA is clearing willing to pay money, witness all of the RoW acquisitions elsewhere in the state. I had heard that NS felt that freight trains and >80 mph pax trains just don't play nicely together and felt that the line would essentially need to be re-signalled as the signal block spacing would need to change to accommodate the needed stopping lengths and provide advanced warnings (three/four block signalling system vs an existing two/three block system). Hence my suggestion for a third track.

Waverly could be a possibility but on the low end. I wouldn’t count on Disputanta needing one. For every station built, that adds time to the schedule and west of Suffolk, it’s not worth the extra money to add stations in the majority of those towns.

As for the high level platforms on the Keystone Corridor, now that’s worth the money. They continue to get built. Yes while the low level Middletown Station was much closer to the M&H RR, it was time that Middletown got their brand new high level platform where the airport is. It will help reduce dwell times at stations. There are probably many business centers in the immediate neighborhood of the station and those people traveling to them by train will be dropped off by train a little closer than before.

Ardmore Station certainly serves as one of the suburban Philly stations for people living in the Eastern Main Line suburbs. Those people using the Keystones heading westward help generate ridership figures at Ardmore. There are people who live in Manayunk who probably use Ardmore when heading on a westbound Keystone. Ardmore sees healthy Amtrak Keystone ridership so a high level platform there is a must. It’s been on a straight section of track ever since the PRR began. Ardmore Station is in a downtown area.

Coatesville Station is under construction. Hopefully that once it’s built, it will help improve the economically challenged neighborhood. The current station has seen better days, I think. Given that it’s located on a slant, you really can’t build high level platforms there.

I was in Elizabethtown a few years ago and enjoyed their high level platform. That station sees good ridership and it helps that Elizabethtown College is there.

njtmnrrbuff wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:03 am

As for the high level platforms on the Keystone Corridor, now that’s worth the money. They continue to get built. Yes while the low level Middletown Station was much closer to the M&H RR, it was time that Middletown got their brand new high level platform where the airport is. It will help reduce dwell times at stations. There are probably many business centers in the immediate neighborhood of the station and those people traveling to them by train will be dropped off by train a little closer than before.

Realistically, Did anyone really walk to M&H from middletown station?
It occurs to me that the M&H interchange is at the station. It's possible M&H could have excursions pick up passengers from the new station, then use the street track through town, to start the trip.

Baltimore Penn Station reconstruction and expansion started construction.
https://www.masstransitmag.com/technolo ... nstruction

Construction has commenced at Baltimore Penn Station with Amtrak and Penn Station Partners, the Baltimore-based global development team leading the transformation of the city’s main transportation hub, installing scaffolding, fencing and materials around the station exterior...

Essential core and shell improvements, tentatively scheduled to start in Summer 2022, include masonry repairs, existing window refurbishment, a new roof, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as updated elevators, stairs and ramps.

I'm going to summarize:

• Track 2/3 platform rebuilt to high-platform and new platform built (unconfirmed)
• Current building exterior being rehabbed now.
• Inside to start Summer 2022, finish summer 2023
• New station building on Landvale to start fall 2022

I was at Baltimore Penn last Friday and took the below photo of the development, which I believe is the new platform.

How was the track 2/3 platform doing? Did they even repair the stairs?

There was a MARC in the way =[

I am not suggesting this will bear anymore fruit than any of the other dozens of new Atlanta station discussions but an Atlanta city councilperson is pushing for the developer of Centennial Yards at the Gulch to include an Amtrak station as part of the development.

The article is paywalled but it appears the city has already payed out subsidies for this project and this council member would like the station to be added to the developers to do list retroactively.

https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/a ... UXGEVJYQE/