A second train will soon connect Southwestern Pennsylvania with New York City, a move guaranteed to benefit Pittsburgh economically and better connect us to the rest of the state, and the Northeast Corridor.
The existing Pennsylvanian, the passenger train that runs from Union Station in Pittsburgh to the Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan, is an Amtrak stalwart. Formerly known as the Duquesne and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad, it got its new name in 1980, the year of Amtrak’s founding. Winding its way through the Alleghenies, into the state capital, across Lancaster’s farmland, then to Philadelphia and through New Jersey before ending at 34th Street, the train is a workhorse that carried over 175,000 passengers in 2022.
The Pennsylvanian carries state government employees, college students on their way to Pitt or Penn or NYU, Amish families traveling from Lancaster to Altoona, recent parolees and retirees bound for a weekend Broadway show. For many on the train, the Pennsylvanian provides their only safe, reliable means of travel across the state without a car. Others may simply appreciate the slower pace of travel and beautiful scenery.
It’s also true that the Pennsylvanian poses some inconveniences. It leaves Union Station at 7:30 in the morning, and its westbound counterpart doesn’t arrive until 8 p.m. The train is often full, especially in the less-expensive Coach Class. It can be packed on weekends and approaching holidays.
These problems have worsened since 2005, when Amtrak ceased operation of a second daily train, the Three Rivers, which ran between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before heading further west to Chicago. Since then, suggestions of a second train and other infrastructure improvements have popped up regularly, usually promising improvements a few years down the line.
What a relief, and a bit of a surprise, that an agreement between the Commonwealth and Norfolk Southern first announced in early 2022 seems to be bearing fruit. Last week, the two confirmed plans for a second passenger train running between Pittsburgh and New York. There are still details to be revealed, but one crystal clear fact is that the state is on the hook for $200 million in infrastructure and safety improvements.
But the train line is worth it. Besides providing a better connection between Pittsburgh and eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Big Apple, Amtrak is a boost to the city economy. In 2021, Amtrak riders purchased over $67 million in goods and services in Pittsburgh (and over $2.5 billion across Pennsylvania). Those numbers are sure to rise with a second train line (and robust post-pandemic ridership).
Beyond passenger rail, the project — for which the state is seeking Federal Railroad Administration funding — would improve freight traffic on one of the most important corridors in the country.
Pittsburgh has a tremendous legacy of rail travel. It’s time to put the Golden Triangle back on the (passenger) railroad map.
First Published: September 30, 2023, 9:30 a.m.