Passenger rail plans on track for 2nd train through Johnstown by 2026

Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 2—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Plans are still on schedule to expand western Pennsylvania passenger rail service through Johnstown by adding a second daily round-trip Amtrak train between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh by 2026.

Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail President Mark Spada sent an email to his organization's members late last month that provided an update on the project, which includes upgrades to rail infrastructure meant to accommodate the increased traffic.

State Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township, talked about rail service during a presentation and again in an interview on Tuesday at the Cambria Regional Chamber's State of the Commonwealth Address.

Numerous organizations — including railroad company Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks used by Amtrak's Pennsylvanian route between New York City and Pittsburgh — have been working to increase passenger rail service for years, including since a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caught fire in February in East Palestine, Ohio.

"The Norfolk Southern/PennDOT agreement is still being negotiated because the East Palestine derailment introduced new elements for consideration," Spada wrote. "However, design work is proceeding on early action projects under an existing 'letter of no prejudice.'

"These projects, which include, among others, a new connection from the Lurgan Branch (from Hagerstown, Maryland) at Lemoyne (across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg) to Enola Yard and new crossover switches around Johnstown, will need to be completed before the second Pennsylvanian can begin running.

"Construction of the early action projects is planned to start in 2024 with their completion date, and thus operation of the second train, in 2026."

Langerholc, chairman of the state Senate Transportation Committee, said, "There hasn't been anything that I've been aware of that's caused anything to change the timeline" during an interview on Tuesday.

The proposal calls for adding one new eastbound and one new westbound passenger train daily with the goal of increasing ridership in western Pennsylvania.

That, in theory, could help develop Johnstown into a bedroom community for Pittsburgh, which, Langerholc said, "if that happens, that's great."

"(But) what we want is we want people to come to this region. ... We want those disposable income dollars coming here," Langerholc said. "We have a beautiful area. Trails, festivals, I mean there's so much to do here. We want those (people) coming here."