Norfolk Southern Corp. and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) recently finalized an agreement to expand passenger rail service on the Pennsylvanian Amtrak line in Western Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvanian Amtrak service travels roundtrip between New York City and Pittsburgh via Harrisburg once daily. The Pennsylvanian travels along Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line, which is part of the Premier Corridor between Chicago and metropolitan New York.
Under the agreement, service would increase to twice daily. PennDOT will invest more than $200 million in infrastructure and safety improvements that will be constructed and maintained by Norfolk Southern.
PennDOT has applied for Federal Railroad Administration grant funds.
Work will include upgraded rail lines, sidings, and necessary communications signals infrastructure.
“Norfolk Southern is excited to build upon our partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by increasing passenger rail options for the citizens of Pennsylvania while improving the resilience of our infrastructure for the shippers in the commonwealth,” Mike McClellan, Norfolk Southern senior vice president and chief strategy officer, said. “This is a win-win agreement that would not be possible without the dedication and collaboration of our state officials, who share our vision for enhanced rail service across the Keystone State.”
The Pennsylvanian is one of the busiest and fastest links on Norfolk Southern’s network