Amtrak NYC Lehigh Valley service (Reading - Lebanon - Harrisburg)

[ThirdRail7]

Am I correct in surmising that the only way to get a train from Philadelphia to Allentown these days is the long way around through Reading? As though Lehigh Valley-NYC service wouldn't raise eyebrows at NS headquarters on its own.

NS is against providing service or capacity. They just want compensation. Money talks, liability walks!

[jp1822]

Am I correct in surmising that the only way to get a train from Philadelphia to Allentown these days is the long way around through Reading? As though Lehigh Valley-NYC service wouldn't raise eyebrows at NS headquarters on its own.

NS is against providing service or capacity. They just want compensation. Money talks, liability walks!

The old double tracked Reading RR bring SEPTA up to Lansdale (electrified territory ends in Lansdale), and then the line continues freight only to Quakertown. From Quakertown to Bethlehem, the line was still double tracked (for most part), but SEPTA and the freight RR's abandoned the line just as Bethlehem Steel was going out of business. So the line is abandoned north of Quakertown, with part of it made into a rail trail, sort of cementing the fate of SEPTA ever returning to Bethlehem as far as I am concerned. Even though that conversation or "restoration" of service comes up about every five years and even becomes a political debate.

Frankly, if ANY passenger service is to be restored, I can only see this happening between Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and on into NJ to Newark/NYC metro area (east-west, as opposed to north-south). And going the other way to Harrisburg, I think that is less attractive, plus you have LOTS of NS traffic to deal with. Although I think a service from Bethlehem to Philly would kinda "work" in present atmosphere (and out to Allentown), it would have only worked if the Reading's tracks were still being used. That train long departed. And its too bad that SEPTA pulled out of the Bethlehem market.

But in order to maintain solvency - or maintain some face with the State and who they were getting funds from - I think they had to abandon passenger train service to Bethlehem, Reading, and Pottsville (e.g. non-electrified territory). However, most of the trains running to these terminuses were largely Budd railiners anyway at the end......and could have just terminated at some point near or outside of Philly. I don't think they would have let a Budd railiners into the new underground Reading Market station and tunnel over to Suburban Station etc. Gunn was at the helm of SEPTA when this all went down I believe. But as mentioned there was tremendous pressure to scale back the SEPTA system to just "electrified" territory.

[Jeff Smith]

Not going to happen: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-allent ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Allentown train ride to New York derailed

Running a one-day train excursion from Allentown to New York seemed like such a good idea that when an Amtrak official suggested it in December, people from three states began inquiring about tickets.

Apparently, the idea was better in concept than execution, because the train ride Amtrak executive Joe McHugh said could happen by April not only hasn't happened, it probably won't — at least not any time soon.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has made no plans to allow the one-time passenger trip on its tracks, and Lehigh Valley planners aren't eager to raise the hopes of rail enthusiasts when, under the best circumstances, a regular route would be at least a decade away and might never happen.

"If people are expecting a train excursion this year, they're going to be very disappointed," said Rudy Husband, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks and uses them to carry freight. "As of now, we have no plans for any excursion and we have no intention of doing one."

[CNJ Fan 4evr]

Caught part of story on WFMZ news. NOT HAPPENING. Told ya so. Sure glad I didn't turn bluish-purple holding my breath.

[BigDell]

Alas!! It would have been a lot of fun, though.
Nice to dream...
The LV mainline is a busy place lately, though. I love it.

[Jeff Smith]

bump

[Jeff Smith]

According to this older article, not anytime soon: mcall.com

our Call: Will the Lehigh Valley ever see passenger train service?

The Lehigh Valley is the largest metropolitan area on the East Coast without rail service. Will we ever see trains from Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton again to New York and/or points west?

While interest remains high among Lehigh Valley commuters, it seems unlikely the region will see passenger rail anytime soon. To get people out of the region on rail, local leaders would need to partner with one of three commuter rail services — Amtrak, SEPTA or NJ Transit.
...
Amtrak has been more interested in bringing service to the Lehigh Valley, but it faces the same constraints as NJ Transit. In 2016, Amtrak drew significant interest when it discussed offering a one-time only train ride between New York City and Allentown using a diesel train. Those plans were quashed when Norfolk Southern balked at letting Amtrak use its lines. Beth K. Toll, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said the rail service has not pursued bringing rail service to the Lehigh Valley since then.
...

[gokeefe]

Corridors to New York ... the irresistible opportunities that Amtrak will never ignore ...

There isn't even a commuter agency to compete with ...

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[mtuandrew]

Corridors to New York ... the irresistible opportunities that Amtrak will never ignore ...

There isn't even a commuter agency to compete with ...

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

One has to ask, why isn’t there a commuter agency to compete with? It isn’t like this is a new or invisible population center.

Perhaps the real reason is that the Lehigh-NYC market (and the Lehigh-PHL market) isn’t the powerhouse that valley boosters say it is

[Rockingham Racer]

Corridors to New York ... the irresistible opportunities that Amtrak will never ignore ...

There isn't even a commuter agency to compete with ...

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

One has to ask, why isn’t there a commuter agency to compete with? It isn’t like this is a new or invisible population center.

Perhaps the real reason is that the Lehigh-NYC market (and the Lehigh-PHL market) isn’t the powerhouse that valley boosters say it is

Agreed. To get to NYC from the Allentown area, the route cuts right throught New Jersey, NJT territory. I do not think this is a long enough run to call it intercity. Then again, there is Chicago to Milwaukee, which is about the same distance. I wonder if the Commonwealth of Pennsyvlvania has ever studied the route.

[Jeff Smith]

https://lebtown.com/2021/04/29/amtrak-s ... rent-true/

NOPE. No Lebanon.

The recent announcement that Amtrak, the national passenger railroad, may restart passenger service from Allentown to New York has spawned rumors that passenger trains could once again run through Lebanon on the existing Norfolk Southern tracks.

Passenger trains last rolled through the city in 1963, and Amtrak says a resumption is not in the cards.
...
Rumors, apparently originating with Norfolk Southern employees, have since been circulating that a passenger run through Lebanon could be coming back, too.

Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll told LebTown yesterday that it’s not going to happen.
...

[R36 Combine Coach]

NJT ended at Pburg until 1983 I believe it had something to do with the I-78 extension wiping out a segment
of the CNJ main line (the new I-78 bridge over the Delaware was completed and opened late 1989 and
bypassed 22 though Easton/Phillipsburg).