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Pittsburgh could roll with more Amtrak service


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#11 KevinKorell

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Posted 14 December 2016 - 01:29 AM

Sam, welcome back.  I agree with most of your points.   An overnight New York-Pittsburgh train might have some success, much as the Washington-New York-Boston Northeast Regionals (65-66-67) that run overnight do.  They call at poor times at most stations including New York, but ultimately could use sleepers for the longer distance travelers.    Maybe a sleeper on an overnight train as well New York-Pittsburgh.... and even a set-out sleeper originating from Philadelphia that would be quickly coupled to the train along with the obligatory engine change at 30th Street Station.

 

As far as slots are concerned, as you mention with decreased freight traffic I don't think this should be an issue. East of Harrisburg, a new train could run in place of one of the Keystones, and in the case of an overnight train, with Amtrak as the owner of the property, time slots are not an issue except maybe in the early morning when an eastbound would be travelling the Northeast Corridor into New York. 



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#12 Sloan

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Posted 02 March 2017 - 09:27 AM

 

 

Vision 2017 | On track? Area leaders push for expanded passenger rail service

One of the key pieces to connect the Johnstown region with the city of Pittsburgh is expanding passenger rail service in the western part of the state – an issue local, state and federal representatives continue to push. 

 

http://www.tribdem.c...a0abffd31c.html



#13 KevinKorell

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Posted 12 May 2017 - 11:42 AM

WITF Radio, Harrisburg, PA, 5/11/17:

 


 

Lawmakers look to expand Amtrak service in western PA

 

Amtrak trains between Harrisburg and Philadelphia have proven their worth, and now Pennsylvania lawmakers say it's time to look at the other side of the state.

 

 

Story



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#14 Sloan

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Posted 22 May 2017 - 12:31 PM

 

 

Additional rail service between Harrisburg, Pittsburgh under review

http://www.post-gaze...ines-Newsletter

 

 

SNIP: 

But the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also is looking into the possibility of supplementing train service with bus service, something Amtrak has done in other regions.

No more bus service!  Buses are good for feeders; not for long haul, says yours truly who has done the Greyhound ride to Pittsburgh. People expect amenities that are unique to train—comfortable seating, on-board food service, decent toilets (instead of a hole in the floor), extra space overhead luggage racks, and room to walk freely.   <_<  Sloan



#15 KevinKorell

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Posted 21 June 2017 - 12:44 AM

Pittsburgh, PA Tribune-Review, 6/20/17:

 


 

Additional Pittsburgh-Harrisburg rail service subject of study

 

Greensburg's stately but normally sleepy train station bustles for a few minutes twice a day as passengers board and disembark Amtrak trains during brief stops.

 

The state Senate wants to see what it would take to triple that activity by adding two daily passenger trains to the route linking Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

 

Entire article is here.  I think they are wrong about "triple that activity".  By two daily passenger trains that would be one more run eastbound and one more run westbound, or one extra round trip.  That would double the activity, not triple it.   I don't think Pennsylvania would fund two extra round trips off the bat.  

 

And I think that if a third round trip is possible further into the future, the market would be there for a sleeper equipped overnight train, in order to allow one to do business in Pittsburgh and perhaps even spend an evening there before boarding a train to Philly or New York.



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#16 KevinKorell

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Posted 18 January 2019 - 07:05 PM

The Incline, Pittsburgh, PA, 1/18/19:

 


 

Will there ever be high-speed rail service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia?

 

 

If you’ve ever taken a train from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, or vice versa, there are plenty of adjectives you might use to describe the experience. High-speed probably isn’t one of them.

 

 

Read

 

Oh please stop this obsession with high speed rail.  Knowing the topography of Pennsylvania, that simply isn't going to happen.  While we can hope for increased frequencies west of Harrisburg, things aren't going to move much faster given the sharing with freight trains and crossing the Appalachian Mountains.   Anyone here for rounding the Horseshoe Curve at 110 mph ???



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#17 KevinKorell

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Posted 19 August 2019 - 10:59 AM

Pittsburgh, PA Tribune-Review, 8/18/19:

 


 

Amtrak considers more Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg trains

 

 

Riders of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg have long been limited to one morning and one evening train, but a hearing in Altoona on Aug. 28 is expected to explore the possibility of adding another train to the daily schedule.

 

 

Update

 

They mention a new frequency along the Pennsylvanian route, and also there is reference to commuters oriented to Pittsburgh travelling from as far away as Altoona.  This would either be the Fort Pitt concept (which used the Pennsylvanian's equipment overnight as far east as Altoona) or else it could be an overnight train running the full route between Pittsburgh and New York City.



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#18 KevinKorell

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Posted 29 August 2019 - 12:32 AM

Pittsburgh PA Tribune-Review, 8/28/19:

 


 

Freight trains, costs are hurdles for Pittsburgh increasing Amtrak service to Harrisburg

 

 

If Amtrak added a commuter train into Pittsburgh on the route between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, more than one-half of the passengers would board at the Greensburg Train Station, according to a state official overseeing multimodal transportation.

 

 

This story



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#19 KevinKorell

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Posted 27 September 2020 - 12:34 AM

Editorial in Johnstown, PA Tribune-Democrat,  9/26/20:


 

     Amtrak ridership boost spotlights need for more passenger rail service  

 

 

 

The news that Johnstown is among the most popular stops along Amtrak’s cross-Pennsylvania line should add fuel to the push to increase opportunities to ride trains to and from Pittsburgh.

 

Entire editorial



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#20 KevinKorell

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Posted 16 November 2020 - 10:49 AM

Pittsburgh, PA Tribune, 11/16/20:


 

   State seeks to add Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Amtrak train    

 

 

Amtrak’s proposal to add another Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg daily round-trip train in about three years is good news to Sharon Calloway of Uniontown, a frequent traveler on the Pennsylvanian train from Greensburg to New York City, where she works.

 

Article



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