The expanded passenger rail service in Pennsylvania that Governor Wolf promised on Friday will require infrastructure improvements by Norfolk Southern Railway, and the company will also be able to double its freight service in the state. Norfolk Southern owns the rail line traveling east from Pittsburgh and will work with PennDOT to improve the tracks.
Amtrak’s Pennsylvania line would be able to add more departures and arrivals in Pittsburgh, going through Latrobe and Johnstown. Currently, the service takes one run per day, departing Pittsburgh at 7:30 AM daily and arriving back in Pittsburgh at 8 PM. A trip east takes about five hours and twenty minutes, and the expanded service would not decrease that time.
Norfolk Southern Regional Vice President Rudy Husband said Friday that construction on the improvements would begin next year or in 2024, depending on the supply line for steel and supplies.
The improvements would be paid for out of the state’s share of the federal infrastructure funds passed last year.
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