Amtrak announced this week that reservations will be required for travel on Keystone Service trains between Dec. 21 and Dc. 30.
This includes all trains operating between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Reservations will not be required for monthly and 10-ride ticket holders.
On Christmas Day, Keystone Service trains will operate on a Saturday schedule.
Passengers traveling on Amtrak Keystone Service trains between Nov. 21-28 will need reservations due to expected ridership increases during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.
In a service advisory Amtrak said reservations will be required for trains, including Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, service.
However, reservations will not be required for monthly and 10-ride ticket holders. On Thanksgiving Day, Keystone Service trains will operate on a Saturday schedule.
Track work will lead to schedule changes to Amtrak’s Keystone Service on weekends starting May 21 and lasting through June 26.
Train 615 will depart Philadelphia at 2 p.m. and operate five minutes later to Harrisburg, arriving at 3:47 p.m.
Train 663 will depart Philadelphia at 11 a.m, operating 10 minutes later to Harrisburg, arriving at 12:55 p.m.
Train 667 will depart Philadelphia at 5 p.m, operating five minutes later to Harrisburg, arriving at 6:50 p.m.
Train 669 will depart Philadelphia at 7 p.m., operating five minutes later to Harrisburg, arriving at 8:50 p.m.
Amtrak announced Friday afternoon widespread service cancellations ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the Northeast today and dump up to two feet of snow in some areas.
Although most of the cancellations involve Eastern corridor services, some long-distance trains are affected, including the Lake Shore Limited.
Nos. 48 and 448 did not depart Chicago on Friday night. Combined with a scheduled cancellation of the Capitol Limited, this meant that no Amtrak trains for the East Coast departed Chicago on Friday.
Through late March, the Capitol is scheduled to skip departing Chicago and Washington on Fridays and Saturdays.
Amtrak’s website shows the Lake Shore still scheduled to leave Chicago Saturday night.
However, the westbound Lake Shore Limited from New York and Boston on Saturday has been cancelled, meaning there will be no Amtrak service from the East Coast to Chicago leaving today.
In a service advisory, Amtrak said the northbound New York-Charlotte Carolinian will terminate in Washington on Saturday. The southbound Carolinian will originate in Washington on Sunday.
The same plan is in effect for the New York-Savannah, Georgia Palmetto.
The New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvania is thus far unaffected by the service cuts, but Keystone Service between New York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, via Philadelphia, will be limited. No Keystone trains will operate between Philadelphia and New York.
The Vermonter will be canceled Saturday the length of its route.
Empire Corridor service will be limited between New York and Albany-Rensselaer, New York, but the Maple Leaf and other trains to Niagara Falls, New York, are still scheduled to operate.
All service between New York and Boston, as well as the shuttle trains between Springfield, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut, are canceled on Saturday.
Also canceled are all Acela trains between Washington and New York. Four Northeast Regional trains, including two that operate into Virginia, have been scrubbed. Downeaster service between Boston and Maine will be limited.
On Sunday Northeast Regional Nos. 150 and 160 (Boston-New York) are cancelled as is Downeaster No. 690.
Northeast Regional No. 195 (Boston-Richmond, Virginia) will originate in New York as will No. 195 (Boston-Newport News, Virginia).
Amtrak brought its road show to Pennsylvania last week during a virtual round table event designed to drum up political support for federal funding that would enable Amtrak to expand service.
The passenger carrier has proposed expansions in the Keystone state that would bring new service to Scranton, Allentown and Reading, and increased service to Pittsburgh.
Some upgrades would be made to Amtrak’s existing Keystone Service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
Amtrak officials said the expanded service could begin in three years but a lot of things would need to fall in place.
Chief among those is Congress approving funding for transportation infrastructure and host railroads agreeing to allow the service.
Amtrak estimates its Pennsylvania expansion plan would attract 1.3 million passengers annually by 2035, with the services contributing $200 million in annual economic impact and $6 billion in incremental economic activity from capital investments in Pennsylvania, based on a projected capital investment needed of $2.7 billion.
Currently, there are two Amtrak services in Pennsylvania funded by the state. The Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and New York and the Keystone Service between Harrisburg and Philadelphia handled 1.8 million passengers in fiscal year 2019.
Amtrak has suggested in its Amtrak ConnectUS plan:
• New service between Reading – Philadelphia – New York (three daily round trips);
• New service between Scranton – New York (three daily round trips);
• New service between Allentown – New York (two daily round trips);
• Expand Keystone service between Harrisburg – Philadelphia – New York from 12 daily round trips to 17 daily round trips, and reduce trip times by increasing Harrisburg – Philadelphia speeds to 125 mph; and
• Expand Pennsylvanian service between Pittsburgh – Philadelphia – New York from one daily round trip to two daily round trips, with one round trip extended to Cleveland.
Participating in the round table event were Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, Amtrak President Stephen Gardner, Amtrak CEO William Flynn, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, Allentown Deputy Mayor Leonard Lightner, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, and Greater Reading Chamber Alliance President and CEO Jim Gerlach.
Flooding and other complications left by the remnants of Hurricane Ida played havoc with the operations of some Amtrak trains this week.
The storm dumped more than seven inches of rain in New York, prompting Amtrak to cancel service between Boston and Washington, and between New York and Albany-Rensselaer, New York.
Amtrak said its Moynihan Train Hall in New York remained operational, but some trains were terminated or held at intermediate stations due to safety concerns.
They included the eastbound Cardinal, which was held at Trenton, New Jersey, Tuesday night for nearly 12 hours.
The westbound Capitol Limited was held for two hours at Cumberland, Maryland. By the time it reached Pittsburgh it was almost five hours late.
No. 29 arrived in Cleveland at 8:01 a.m. Thursday, five hours and eight minutes late. It ultimately reached Chicago five hours, 43 minutes late.
The westbound Lake Shore Limited on Thursday was suspended between New York and Albany, but will operate from Albany to Chicago.
This same schedule modification will continue on Friday.
The New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian and New York-Philadelphia Keystone Corridor trains are expected to resume operating on Friday.
Amtrak said rising ridership has resulted in the restoration of some suspended services in its Keystone Corridor between New York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The trains affected operate on weekdays and provide some weekend service.
Effective Aug. 30, Trains 600, 645, 647, 650 and 654 will operate on weekdays from New York to Harrisburg.
Other weekday schedule changes include the following: Train 619 will operate from Philadelphia to Harrisburg; Train 622 will operate from Harrisburg to Philadelphia; Train 642 will operate through from Harrisburg to New York; and Train 655 will operate through from New York to Harrisburg.
On weekends Trains 661 and 667 will operate from New York to Harrisburg on Saturdays and Sundays.
Other schedule changes for weekend service are: Train 662 will operate from Harrisburg to New York on Saturdays and between Harrisburg and Philadelphia on Sundays; Trains 666 and 670 will operate from Harrisburg to New York on Saturdays and Sundays; and Trains 612 and 672 will operate to New York on Sundays.
In an unrelated schedule change, Amtrak said select trains will stop in New York between Rochester and Syracuse for the New York State Fair.
The special stops will be made between Aug. 20 and Sept. 6.
Eastbound trains stopping at the Fair include Nos. 64 and 284 while westbound trains making the stop include Nos. 63, 281 and 283.
The eastbound trains will depart from Niagara Falls, Buffalo Exchange Street, Buffalo Depew and Rochester 10 minutes earlier to accommodate the added stop.
Westbound trains will arrive 10 minutes later than normal at all stations west of the Fair stop.
Bids are being sought to construct a new passenger station in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the project seeks to revitalize the surrounding community with a modern accessible train station and improved connections to the Keystone Corridor.
The new station will improve ADA accessibility and have level boarding platforms, elevators, ramps, and improved drainage and surface parking.
Interested contractors must be registered business partners with PennDOT and submit their bid through PennDOT’s Engineering and Construction Management System.
Contractor construction-related questions must be submitted electronically through ECMS. A pre-bid meeting will take place virtually on July 27.
Coatesville is served by Amtrak’s Keystone Service and the New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian.
A winter storm on Sunday prompted Amtrak to cancel several services in the East.
Among them was the New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian. Keystone Service between New York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, via Philadelphia operated on a limited schedule.
Also operating on limited or modified schedules was Northeast Regional Service between Boston and Virginia, and Empire Service between New York and Albany-Rensselaer, New York.
All Acela service between Boston and Washington was canceled.
With little advance notice Amtrak on Monday slashed Keystone Service in Pennsylvania, citing low patronage.
The state-funded service between New York and Harrisburg via Philadelphia was cut to seven weekday roundtrips with six on weekends.
Three of the roundtrips will operate between New York and Harrisburg while other trains will operate between Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
The new schedule boosts Harrisburg-New York service by one roundtrip.
Six roundtrips plus one additional westbound train have been suspended on weekdays. On weekends, three trains have been suspended.
An Amtrak announcement said the cuts were made “in order to adapt to changing demand.”
It was not the first change to Keystone Service since the COVID-19 pandemic intensified last March.
The service had been cut last spring when the New York-Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian also was suspended. The Keystone Service cuts and the Pennsylvanian were restored last June
Weekday trains will now depart Harrisburg for Philadelphia at 5, 6:40 and 8:59 a.m. and 12:05, 3:05, 4:30 and 8:35 p.m.
The 5, 8:59 and 3:05 trains continue to New York Penn Station, which Amtrak is now referring to as the Moynihan Train Hall.
Trains leave Philadelphia for Harrisburg at 5:20, 6:20, and 8:45 a.m. and 1:35, 3:45, 5:35 and 6:42 p.m. Trains leave New York for Harrisburg at 7:17 a.m. and 4:03 and 5:10 p.m.
The schedules and services of the Pennsylvanian are unchanged.
The weekend schedule has trains leaving Harrisburg for Philadelphia at 7:20, 9:30, and 11:35 a.m. and 2:05, 5:05 and 7:05 p.m. The 7:20, 9:30 and 2:05 trains run through to New York.
From Philadelphia to Harrisburg, trains leave at 7:25, 8:30 and 10:50 a.m. and 2:45, 4:55 and 6:55 p.m. rains leave New York for Harrisburg at 9:09 a.m. and 1:05 and 5:17 p.m.
News reports from Pennsylvania media quoted Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll as saying Amtrak is experiencing ridership that is 20 percent of what it was before the pandemic.
Railway Age reported that neither Amtrak nor the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued a news release in advance of the service cuts to announce the new schedules.
Instead, the intercity passenger carrier and PennDOT cooperated in issuing a service advisory on the morning that the cuts became effective.
The Railway Age report said it remains unclear whether PennDOT or Amtrak decided to made the service cut and when the decision was made.
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