Harrisburg Station Renovation Planned

Plans are in the works to renovate the Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Transportation Center, but no timeline for the project has been set.

Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said work inside the station can begin soon, but other work will not proceed until a flooding alleviation project is completed.

PennDOT said it is creating a master plan for the station, which is the western terminus of Amtrak’s Keystone Service from New York and Philadelphia and an intermediate stop for the New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian.

Officials said 90 percent of the design of the $15 million station renovation is complete and PennDOT is working with Amtrak on a construction schedule.

A public hearing has been set for March 22 at 4 p.m. at the station to discuss the proposed project.

PennDOT and the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority want to transform the transportation center and adjacent area into a new transit-oriented, mixed-use development that they say could help revitalize the city.

The plans call for improvements to Market and Cameron streets and a direct connection between the station and parking areas east of it.

However, flooding issues involving Paxton Creek need to be addressed first, including how to fund them.

By one estimate, the flood control work will cost between $60 million to $90 million with the source of that funding yet to be decided.

Some suggested sources have included the state’s Multimodal Fund and the departments of Community and Economic Development and Conservation and Natural Resources.

Once funding is secured the flood control project will require at least four or five years to complete.

Among the plans for the Harrisburg station  development project are an open-space cafe in the main lobby, new seating in the concourse area, removal of trees on Aberdeen Street to open sightlines and increase safety, a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating at the station, and a new entry plaza from the lower-level Market Street entrance.

Also being planned are new office space in the upper floors and removal of offices in the lobby, a pedestrian bridge over the tracks to the station, streetscaping and improvements, and relocating the intercity bus facility.

Fire Damages Elyria Amtrak Station

The Amtrak Station in Elyria caught fire at 12:30 a.m. on Friday morning, causing extensive damage to the building.  No word as to the cause of the fire.

The “Amshack” facility was originally used in Cleveland then moved to Elyria after Amtrak built the current Cleveland station. Since then the Elyria facility has been the occasional target of vandalism.

Obviously, the aging structure is beyond repair and hopefully this may prompt some fast action on the proposal for Amtrak to move to the recently renovated and unused former New York Central Station located in Elyria’s downtown.

The NYC Station was renovated with the hope of using it as a transportation center for not only Amtrak but bus and taxi service as well. Now it’s up to Norfolk Southern to allow work making the facility compatible for Amtrak’s use.

The original access to the trackside platforms have been removed and filled in. Amtrak has verbally committed funds for the conversion at the NYC facility when permission is given by NS.

If this does not happen its going be interesting to see what alternative Amtrak develops for Elyria, maybe something similar to Alliance or nothing at all, we’ll have to wait and see.

Article and Photographs by Dan Davidson