Amtrak Welcomes Back Keystone Service Customers After Restoring Weekday Trains Between Lancaster and Harrisburg

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Harrisburg Line Track Renewal Project Now Complete

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Amtrak today joined Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, State Representative Tom Jones and other partners to celebrate the full restoration of weekday Keystone Service and thank customers for their patience during the Harrisburg Line Track Renewal Project, which concluded earlier this month.

"Thank you to our customers for your patience as we expedited this important infrastructure investment between Lancaster and Harrisburg, benefitting Amtrak customers and the freight community for decades to come," said Amtrak Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery Laura Mason. "Amtrak's in-house construction crews achieved significant efficiency improvements compared with previous years, increasing production by 87% and reducing injuries by more than 80% from 2023. I am grateful to PennDOT, Norfolk Southern, and our shared customers for their support, cooperation and patience as we invested in the future of passenger rail in Pennsylvania."

While this work was estimated to take approximately two years, Amtrak developed an accelerated approach that expedited the project with a combination of single and full track outages, improving work efficiencies and reducing the duration of the project.

Over the past eight months, Amtrak crews replaced more than 43 miles of track and installed 113,000 concrete ties during this major infrastructure project on Amtrak-owned tracks between Lancaster and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Amtrak customers and freight operators in this area can now benefit from improved ride quality and comfort, and increased service reliability thanks to these upgrades.

Amtrak worked with state partner PennDOT to preserve ridership and help ensure the continued success of the partnership. Amtrak provided replacement bus transportation at all affected stations and preserved midday Pennsylvanian train service through the area. This project also involved close coordination with Norfolk Southern and many freight shippers who use these same tracks to transport raw materials and finished products on the corridor.

Continued Improvements

As Amtrak enters a new era of rail, the company has made unprecedented investments to improve Northeast Corridor (NEC) infrastructure. Due to the scope and scale of investment demands, Amtrak is implementing innovative strategies like this to promote efficient and productive infrastructure project delivery.

Given the project's success, Amtrak is actively exploring opportunities along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) to collaborate with stakeholders in developing and implementing innovative outages like the Harrisburg Line Track Renewal Project, which ultimately deliver benefits to the public more rapidly and cost-effectively.

Another example includes catenary upgrades on the south end of the NEC in Maryland, which have benefitted from expanded overnight work hours in partnership with Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA). These projects represent the importance of strong partnerships between Amtrak, state departments of transportation, freight railroads and other entities working together to advance important renewal projects and build a new era of rail in America.

Reactions

"Passenger rail is a crucial part of Pennsylvania's transportation network," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. "PennDOT is proud to support passenger rail through our state investments, and we're pleased that Amtrak riders will enjoy the benefits of an improved Keystone line."

"It's exciting to have Amtrak service fully restored for our community! I am especially impressed and thankful for the hard work and coordination that Amtrak and their partners achieved," said State Representative Tom Jones. "Together, they accomplished all the necessary improvements in just eight months, instead of the original estimate of two years."

"Reist Popcorn Company relies on Amtrak's Harrisburg Line to transport our popcorn crop and the improved service line between Lancaster and Harrisburg will allow us to receive our popcorn quickly and reliably," said Reist Popcorn Director of Operations Doug Metzler. "Reist Popcorn appreciates Amtrak's commitment to supporting local businesses like ours and making a difference for Pennsylvania's farms and communities."

"This project is Exhibit A proving that America's passengers don't need to wait for decades to see real payoffs from our taxpayers' rail investments," said Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews. "Amtrak's project delivery team and PennDOT deserve our genuine gratitude for delivering vital improvements to an important rail line, not in two years but instead in just eight months. Accepting a little short-term disruption can get America's rail passengers more and better trains faster than ever before, and Keystone riders are going to benefit right away from not just a smoother ride but also from much better reliability."

Speakers featured in the cover photo include (left to right): Reist Popcorn Director of Operations Doug Metzler; State Rep. Tom Jones; Amtrak EVP Laura Mason; RPA President & CEO Jim Mathews; PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll