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The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile (715 km) daily daytime Amtrak train running between New York and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel across the Appalachian Mountains, through Pennsylvania's capital Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and New Jersey en route to New York. The entire train ride takes about 9 hours total, with 1.5 hours between New York and Philadelphia, 2 hours between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, and 5.5 hours between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.[2]

Pennsylvanian

The Pennsylvanian in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 2021
Overview
First service	April 27, 1980
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Annual ridership	128,451 (FY21) −40.3%[1][lower-alpha 1]
Route
Termini	New York City, New York Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Stops	17
Distance travelled	444 miles (715 km)
Average journey time	9 hours, 15 minutes (westbound), 9 hours, 20 minutes (eastbound)[2]
Service frequency	1 daily trip in each direction[2]
Train number(s)	42, 43
On-board services
Class(es)	Reserved Coach and Business Class
Seating arrangements	Airline-style coach seating
Catering facilities	On board café
Baggage facilities	Checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet coaches
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	Up to 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) (Keystone Corridor) Up to 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) (Northeast Corridor)
Track owner(s)	Norfolk Southern Railway Amtrak
Route map Legend 0 mi 0 km New York City Hudson River NY NJ North River Tunnels 10 mi 16 km Newark Penn 25 mi 40 km Metropark (discontinued) 33 mi 53 km New Brunswick (discontinued) 49 mi 79 km Princeton Junction (discontinued) 58 mi 93 km Trenton Morrisville–Trenton Bridge NJ PA 91 mi 146 km Philadelphia Northeast Corridor to Washington, D.C. 99 mi 159 km Ardmore (discontinued) 110 mi 177 km Paoli 112 mi 180 km Exton 123 mi 198 km Downingtown (discontinued) 129 mi 208 km Coatesville (discontinued) 133 mi 214 km Parkesburg (discontinued) 159 mi 256 km Lancaster 171 mi 275 km Mount Joy (discontinued) 177 mi 285 km Elizabethtown 185 mi 298 km Middletown (discontinued) 195 mi 314 km Harrisburg 256 mi 412 km Lewistown 293 mi 472 km Huntingdon 313 mi 504 km Tyrone 327 mi 526 km Altoona 366 mi 589 km Johnstown 403 mi 649 km Latrobe 413 mi 665 km Greensburg 444 mi 715 km Pittsburgh = flag stop This diagram: view talk edit

The Pennsylvanian uses the same Amtrak-owned Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line as the Keystone Service trains, but continues further west via the Pittsburgh Line through Altoona and the Allegheny Mountains, eventually terminating its run in Pittsburgh.[2] The Main Line and Pittsburgh Line collectively make up the Keystone Corridor, a federally-designated corridor for high speed rail service.

During fiscal year 2016, the Pennsylvanian carried 223,114 passengers, a 3.7% decrease over FY2015. The train had a total revenue of $11,555,451 during FY2016, up 0.2% from FY2015.

History

Prior to Amtrak, the Pennsylvanian route was covered by the Duquesne, named after Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh, and by the Juniata, both trains operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and from 1968 to 1971 by the PRR's successor, the Penn Central.[3] The Duquesne had a long history, finally becoming a daily New York–Pittsburgh train on October 25, 1959, numbered 16 eastbound and 25 westbound. When the Pennsylvania Railroad's successor, Penn Central, was formed in 1968, it continued to operate the Duquesne and the Juniata.[4]

With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1, 1971, the Duquesne was renamed the Keystone and renumbered 42 westbound and 43 eastbound with the first Amtrak timetable on November 14, 1971. The Keystone was discontinued on April 30, 1972.[5]

The immediate impetus for the Pennsylvanian was the discontinuance of the National Limited, a New York–Kansas City train which had provided service over the corridor. That train, in turn, was the successor of the famed Spirit of St Louis. [6]^: 75 The Pennsylvanian began on April 27, 1980, as a state-supported daylight train between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with connecting service to New York via the Philadelphian (a Clocker) westbound and the Montrealer eastbound.

At the time the Pennsylvanian was inaugurated, the Broadway Limited was departing Pittsburgh at an inconvenient early morning hour. The new train ran with Amfleet equipment, including a cafe car.[7][8] Pennsylvania agreed to pay 20% of the train's costs for the first year, or $580,000, with the state and Amtrak eventually splitting the costs 50/50 by the third year.[9]

Between 1981 and 1983, Pennsylvanian equipment was turned every night to operate a second state-supported train, the Fort Pitt, which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona.[10] Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation. At the time the Fort Pitt carried 30 passengers per day.[11] On October 30, 1983, the Pennsylvanian was extended to New York City, eliminating the transfer at Philadelphia.[12]

After significant ridership gains in 1984, PennDOT proposed that a second train be added to the route. PennDOT and Amtrak would have split the costs evenly. Amtrak officials were favorable, but budget problems stalled the plan.[13]

In the late 1980s passenger-rail groups urged Amtrak to extend the Pennsylvanian to Cleveland, Ohio. Proposals included new stations in Sewickley and Beaver Falls.[14] Pressure increased in 1989 when Amtrak announced the re-routing of the Broadway Limited and Capitol Limited over that same route as part of a restructuring of routes in Indiana. As part of this change, the Capitol Limited began serving the Cleveland–Pittsburgh route, albeit in the middle of the night.[15] Amtrak and PennDOT considered two routes for an extended Pennsylvanian: one via Alliance, Ohio (following the route of the Capitol Limited) and one via Youngstown, Ohio (partially following the Broadway Limited) with a new stop in New Castle, Pennsylvania.[16]

On November 7, 1998, Amtrak extended the Pennsylvanian through to Chicago along the route of the Capitol Limited via Toledo, finally bringing a daylight connection to Cleveland. The Three Rivers continued to run over a different schedule via Akron and Fostoria. As part of the change Amtrak truncated the eastern end to Philadelphia, enabling the train to complete the run within a single day.[17][18] The change was driven by Amtrak's growing mail and express business; Pittsburgh–Philadelphia ridership suffered.[19] Amtrak returned the Pennsylvanian to the New York–Pittsburgh route on January 27, 2003, citing low ridership and Amtrak's withdrawal from the express freight business.[20] On November 1, 2004, Amtrak merged the Pennsylvanian and Three Rivers, keeping the latter name with a western terminus in Chicago. Amtrak had sought $2.5 million in assistance from Pennsylvania to keep both trains running. On March 8, 2005, Amtrak truncated service to Pittsburgh–New York and restored the Pennsylvanian name to the route.[21][22]

The train has been primarily financed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation since October 1, 2013, when the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 took effect.[23] This federal law eliminated federal subsidies for Amtrak routes less than 750 miles (1,210 km) in length.[24][25] In late 2019, the train began operating with a baggage car for checked baggage and bicycle handling at New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Altoona, Johnstown and Pittsburgh.[26] In March 2020, service on the Pennsylvanian was suspended as part of a round of service reduction in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[27] Service resumed on June 1, 2020.[28]

Expansion

There is currently no through service west of Pittsburgh, though the Capitol Limited continues to provide service to Chicago. As part of its federally mandated analysis of the worst-performing long-distance routes, Amtrak determined that reinstating a through-car connection with the Pennsylvanian would result in the highest gain in monetary and customer service measurements of possible options.[29] To implement this, Amtrak plans to operate a Viewliner sleeper car, an Amfleet cafe car and two Amfleet coaches between Chicago and New York approximating the historic Broadway Limited, via the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian. This would begin when funding and equipment is available.[29] On January 28, 2011, it was announced that Pennsylvania had received a $750,000 grant from the federal government to study expanding service westwards from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh along the route of the Pennsylvanian, including higher speeds and additional frequencies.[30]

The Pennsylvania State Rail Plan 2020 calls for a second round-trip Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and New York City with one trip beginning and terminating in Cleveland. The second trip was then projected to begin during the fiscal year running from October 2023 to September 2024. The feasibility, schedule, and cost of adding a second train are underway.[31] In June 2022, the state and Norfolk Southern announced an agreement for a $200 million capacity improvement, with a second Pennsylvanian round trip added by 2025.[32]

Ridership

Over fiscal years 2009–2016, ridership grew from 199,484 to 223,114, an increase of 10.6%. Ridership peaked at 231,720 in FY 2015. Ticket revenue grew from $7,819,404 to $11,555,451, an increase of 47.8%.[lower-alpha 2]

Equipment

Sample consist

June 26, 2006
Location	Pittsburgh
Train	Eastbound #42
Locomotive: GE P42DC #139 Amfleet I coach #82559 Amfleet II coach #25056 Amfleet II coach #25117 Amfleet II coach #25001 Amfleet I business/cafe #48179 [40]

On its inauguration the Pennsylvanian ran with then-new Amfleet equipment: two coaches and a cafe.[7] Today the Pennsylvanian continues to use an all-Amfleet consist although the number of coaches has grown to six. The train consists of an Amfleet I business class car, an Amfleet I cafe car, and four Amfleet II long-distance coach cars. Motive power is usually a Genesis diesel-electric locomotive west of Philadelphia. East of Philadelphia, the motive power is a Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive; an engine swap is made at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.[40] A Viewliner II baggage car was added to the train in October 2019.[41]

Route

The Pennsylvanian follows the Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line over the following trackage:[42]

• Amtrak: New York–Philadelphia–Harrisburg
  • Northeast Corridor, New York to Philadelphia
  • Keystone Corridor, Philadelphia to Harrisburg
• Norfolk Southern Railway: Harrisburg–Pittsburgh
  • Pittsburgh Line

Station stops

State	Town/City	Station	Connections
NY	New York City	Penn Station	Amtrak (long-distance): Adirondack, Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Berkshire Flyer, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Vermonter Long Island Rail Road: ■ Main Line, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway: ​​​​ PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB) Local bus: MTA Bus
NJ	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter Newark Light Rail NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Raritan Valley Line PATH: NWK-WTC Local bus: NJ Transit Bus Intercity bus: Greyhound, Coach USA, Fullington Trailways
	Trenton	Trenton	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Vermonter NJ Transit: ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ River Line SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Trenton Line Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus, NJ Transit Bus
PA	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines NJ Transit: ■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA City Transit: Market-Frankford Subway-Surface Local bus: SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus, NJ Transit Bus Intercity bus: Megabus, Martz Trailways
	Paoli	Paoli	Amtrak: Keystone Service SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Paoli/​Thorndale Line Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus
	Exton	Exton	Amtrak: Keystone Service SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Paoli/​Thorndale Line Local bus: SEPTA Suburban Bus, West Chester University shuttle
	Lancaster	Lancaster	Amtrak: Keystone Service Local bus: Red Rose Transit Authority
	Elizabethtown	Elizabethtown	Amtrak: Keystone Service Local bus: Red Rose Transit Authority
	Harrisburg	Harrisburg Transportation Center	Amtrak: Keystone Service Local bus: Capital Area Transit, rabbittransit Intercity bus: Greyhound, Fullington Trailways
	Lewistown	Lewistown
	Huntingdon	Huntingdon
	Tyrone	Tyrone	Intercity bus: Greyhound
	Altoona	Altoona Transportation Center	Local bus: AMTRAN Intercity bus: Greyhound
	Johnstown	Johnstown	Local bus: CamTran Intercity bus: Greyhound
	Latrobe	Latrobe	Local bus: Westmoreland County Transit Authority
	Greensburg	Greensburg	Local bus: Westmoreland County Transit Authority
	Pittsburgh	Union Station	Amtrak: Capitol Limited Local bus: Pittsburgh Regional Transit Intercity bus: Greyhound, Fullington Trailways

References

Notes

External links

• Pennsylvanian – Amtrak

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