Pennsylvanian (Amtrak)
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile (715 km) daytime Amtrak
train running between New York and Pittsburgh
via Philadelphia
. The trains travel through Pennsylvania
's capital, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country
, suburban and central Philadelphia, and pass through New Jersey
up to New York. Trains run once daily in each direction. 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.
During fiscal year 2010, the Pennsylvanian carried a total of 203,392 passengers, a 2% increase over FY 2009's total of 199,484 passengers. The train had a total revenue of $8,453,934 during FY 2010, up 8.1% from FY 2009's total of $7,819,404.
) westbound and the Montrealer eastbound. It was the first daylight service over the route since the discontinuance of the Keystone
in 1972. 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. 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.
Between 1981 and 1983 the Pennsylvanians equipment was turned every night to operate a second state-supported train, the Fort Pitt
, which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona
. Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after PennDOT declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation. At the time the Fort Pitt carried 30 passengers per day.
After significant ridership gains in 1984 PennDOT proposed to Amtrak that a second frequency be added to the route. This train would also have its operating costs split 50/50. Amtrak officials were favorable, but budget problems stalled the plan and in the end nothing was done.
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
. Pressure increased when in 1989 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. 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
.
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. Amtrak returned the Pennsylvanian to New York—Pittsburgh route on January 27, 2003, citing low ridership and Amtrak's withdrawal from the express freight business. 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 Pennsylvanian to keep both trains running. On March 8, 2005 Amtrak cut the train back to Pittsburgh—New York and restored the Pennsylvanian name to the route.
there is no through service west of Pittsburgh; the Capitol Limited continues to provide service to Chicago, though 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. To implement this, Amtrak plans to operate a Viewliner
sleeper car, an Amfleet
cafe car and two Amfleet coaches between Chicago and New York via the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian beginning sometime in 2011.
On 28 January 2011, it was announced that the state of 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.
route, which ran from New York to Chicago
. East of Harrisburg
, the Pennsylvanian runs over Amtrak's own railroad, but between Harrisburg
and Pittsburgh
it runs over Norfolk Southern's ex-Pennsylvania Railroad
line through Horseshoe Curve
. The route east of Philadelphia is along the Northeast Corridor
(originally owned by the PRR); the rest is the old main line of the PRR, consisting of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor
east of Harrisburg. Trains running through Philadelphia require a 20-30 minute reverse move and engine change at 30th Street Station
.
Services on the Pennsylvanian includes coach, business class
(reserved deluxe seating), dinette (for food, snacks, and drinks), and Railfone for public telephone access, which is available in the food service cars.
trackage:
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
train running between New York and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
via Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The trains travel through Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's capital, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
, suburban and central Philadelphia, and pass through New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
up to New York. Trains run once daily in each direction. 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.
During fiscal year 2010, the Pennsylvanian carried a total of 203,392 passengers, a 2% increase over FY 2009's total of 199,484 passengers. The train had a total revenue of $8,453,934 during FY 2010, up 8.1% from FY 2009's total of $7,819,404.
History
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 ClockerClocker (Amtrak)
Clocker was an Amtrak rail service operating between Philadelphia and New York City on the Northeast Corridor. It was the first service to be officially operated by Amtrak, when train number 235 left New York's Penn Station at 12:05 AM on May 1, 1971 bound for Philadelphia. The last Clocker train...
) westbound and the Montrealer eastbound. It was the first daylight service over the route since the discontinuance of the Keystone
Keystone (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Keystone was a train service between New York Penn Station and Pittsburgh Penn Station. That route is now served by the Pennsylvanian. Prior to Amtrak the route was known as the Duquesne, named after Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh, and was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad...
in 1972. At the time the Pennsylvanian was inaugurated, the Broadway Limited
Broadway Limited
The Broadway Limited was the Pennsylvania Railroad's premier named passenger train, operating daily in each direction between New York City and Chicago, via North Philadelphia. It replaced its predecessors, the Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsylvania Special...
was departing Pittsburgh at an inconvenient early morning hour. The new train ran with Amfleet
Amfleet
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...
equipment, including a cafe car. 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.
Between 1981 and 1983 the Pennsylvanians equipment was turned every night to operate a second state-supported train, the Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Amtrak)
The Fort Pitt was a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Altoona, Pennsylvania. The Fort Pitt was a so-called Section 401 train, meaning that its operation was subsidized by the state of Pennsylvania....
, which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
. Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after PennDOT declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation. At the time the Fort Pitt carried 30 passengers per day.
After significant ridership gains in 1984 PennDOT proposed to Amtrak that a second frequency be added to the route. This train would also have its operating costs split 50/50. Amtrak officials were favorable, but budget problems stalled the plan and in the end nothing was done.
In the late 1980s passenger-rail groups urged Amtrak to extend the Pennsylvanian to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Proposals included new stations in Sewickley
Sewickley, Pennsylvania
Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census...
and Beaver Falls
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census. It is located 31 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, and on the Beaver River, six miles from its confluence with the Ohio River...
. Pressure increased when in 1989 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. Amtrak and PennDOT considered two routes for an extended Pennsylvanian: one via Alliance, Ohio
Alliance, Ohio
Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
(following the route of the Capitol Limited) and one via Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(partially following the Broadway Limited) with a new stop in New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
.
On November 7, 1998, Amtrak extended the Pennsylvanian through to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
along the route of the Capitol Limited
Capitol Limited (Amtrak)
Amtrak's Capitol Limited is one of the railroad's two routes connecting Washington, D.C. to Chicago, running via Cleveland, Ohio . Service began in 1981 and was named after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Capitol Limited which ended in 1971 upon the formation of Amtrak...
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. Amtrak returned the Pennsylvanian to New York—Pittsburgh route on January 27, 2003, citing low ridership and Amtrak's withdrawal from the express freight business. 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 Pennsylvanian to keep both trains running. On March 8, 2005 Amtrak cut the train back to Pittsburgh—New York and restored the Pennsylvanian name to the route.
there is no through service west of Pittsburgh; the Capitol Limited continues to provide service to Chicago, though 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
Pennsylvanian (Amtrak)
The Pennsylvanian is a 444-mile daytime Amtrak train running between New York and Pittsburgh via Philadelphia. The trains travel through Pennsylvania's capital, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, suburban and central Philadelphia, and pass through New Jersey up to New York. Trains run once daily in...
would result in the highest gain in monetary and customer service measurements of possible options. To implement this, Amtrak plans to operate a Viewliner
Viewliner
The Viewliner is a single-level car type used by Amtrak on eastern routes. With the exception of a prototype dining car named "Indianapolis" , all cars built so far are sleeping cars and are assigned names that include the word "View."- Early design :...
sleeper car, an Amfleet
Amfleet
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...
cafe car and two Amfleet coaches between Chicago and New York via the Capitol Limited and Pennsylvanian beginning sometime in 2011.
On 28 January 2011, it was announced that the state of 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.
Route
The Pennsylvanian runs a portion of the Three RiversThree Rivers (Amtrak)
The Three Rivers was a daily Amtrak train running between New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. It operated via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Akron, Ohio. The Three Rivers replaced the Broadway Limited in 1995...
route, which ran from New York to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. East of Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, the Pennsylvanian runs over Amtrak's own railroad, but between Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
it runs over Norfolk Southern's ex-Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
line through Horseshoe Curve
Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)
Horseshoe Curve is a famous railroad horseshoe curve in central Pennsylvania, near Altoona in the United States. Called an "engineering marvel", it was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad...
. The route east of Philadelphia is along the Northeast Corridor
Northeast Corridor
The Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
(originally owned by the PRR); the rest is the old main line of the PRR, consisting of the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor
Keystone Corridor
The Keystone Corridor is a Federal Railroad Administration "designated high speed corridor" with a 349-mile railroad line between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a top speed of...
east of Harrisburg. Trains running through Philadelphia require a 20-30 minute reverse move and engine change at 30th Street Station
30th Street Station
30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the five stations in SEPTA's Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone Corridors...
.
Services on the Pennsylvanian includes coach, business class
Business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between economy class and first class, but many airlines now...
(reserved deluxe seating), dinette (for food, snacks, and drinks), and Railfone for public telephone access, which is available in the food service cars.
Details
The Pennsylvanian operates over Amtrak and Norfolk Southern RailwayNorfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
trackage:
- Amtrak Northeast CorridorNortheast CorridorThe Northeast Corridor is a fully electrified railway line owned primarily by Amtrak serving the Northeast megalopolis of the United States from Boston in the north, via New York to Washington, D.C. in the south, with branches serving other cities...
, New York to Philadelphia - Amtrak Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main LinePhiladelphia to Harrisburg Main LineThe Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line is an electrified rail line owned and operated by Amtrak in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The line runs from Zoo Interlocking in Philadelphia, where it meets the Northeast Corridor, west to Harrisburg , where electrification ends, along the former...
, Philadelphia to Harrisburg - NS Pittsburgh Line, Harrisburg to Pittsburgh