Additional Amtrak passenger train service to and from Pittsburgh to begin in mid-November

Amtrak will operate a second daily passenger train between Pittsburgh and New York via Harrisburg and Philadelphia starting in mid-November, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office announced Monday. 

The expanded service is the result of nearly three years of planning and more than $80 million invested in the project, in cooperation with Amtrak and freight railroad Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the tracks between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

The second daily trip will give Pennsylvanians better access “to modern, safe, reliable passenger rail service,” connecting the commonwealth’s communities and creating jobs, economic development and infrastructure investment, the Shapiro administration said in a statement.

“Railroads transformed our commonwealth into a powerhouse of the industrial age and my administration is focused on continuing that legacy while responding to our communities’ needs and helping them grow,” Shapiro said. “The people of western Pennsylvania have waited a long time for more passenger rail service and my administration has chased every opportunity to get this done.”

Amtrak anticipates beginning ticket sales for the second Pennsylvanian train in October, the administration said. The trip from Pittsburgh to New York currently takes more than nine hours.

The administration announced in September 2023 that PennDOT and Norfolk Southern had reached an agreement that would allow Amtrak to operate a second Pennsylvanian passenger service.

The Pennsylvanian carried about 212,000 passengers in 2019 before ridership dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, ridership exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time with nearly 234,000 passengers, according to the Rail Passengers Association.

Norfolk Southern had determined in a 2020 study that adding a second daily Pennsylvanian service on its Pittsburgh line would result in unacceptable delays for freight and intermodal trains. It said, however, a second passenger train could be supported with the construction of a new mainline track, passing sidings, switches and other infrastructure.

The commonwealth put the cost of the project at $200 million. In December 2023, former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and U.S. Sen John Fetterman (D-Pa.) announced a $144 million Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant under the Biden-era Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) was responsible for about 20% of the project’s cost, Casey’s office said at the time.

“This momentous milestone was made possible by the department successfully securing federal infrastructure funding and this Administration’s nonstop coordination with Amtrak and Norfolk Southern,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “Combined with the relentless advocacy of elected officials and community members along this corridor, this tireless work is making this long-awaited service expansion a reality.”

The administration noted PennDOT has been a national leader in using funds from the bipartisan infrastructure act, including FRA grants to study the resumption of passenger rail service from Scranton to New York and from Reading to Philadelphia.

While Amtrak’s service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh now runs only once a day, the national passenger rail company operates 13 weekday Keystone Service trains in each direction between New York and Harrisburg via Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. That’s because Amtrak owns the Keystone Corridor line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg and controls which trains operate on it and when.

Amtrak Board Member Robert Gleason said the expanded Pennsylvanian service highlights the strong partnership between Amtrak, PennDOT and Norfolk Southern.

“The expansion of Pennsylvanian service demonstrates what is possible when public and private partners work together toward a shared vision for rail transportation,” said Norfolk Southern Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan, according to the release.