Vision 2023 Region's rails, runways on the rise: Airport, Amtrak advance area's access to the world

Feb. 26—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — On the rails and on the runway, advocates behind two of Greater Johnstown's mass transportation providers have plans in motion to expand travel opportunities.

Efforts began to add a second daily Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg passenger train through Johnstown by 2025. The move would also allow connections to other rail routes west and east.

And in Richland Township, officials at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport are working to make their terminal building and surrounding property more enticing to lure an "ultra-low-cost" carrier to fly local passengers to vacation destinations in the South.

Authority officials hired a consultant last year to make connections with carriers such as Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Breeze Airways.

And while they aren't identifying interested parties by name, representatives of the consultant have met or scheduled meetings with at least four different carriers over the past six months.

"Nothing is certain," Airport Manager Cory Cree said of the group's efforts to bring in that carrier, "but we're optimistic."

Southern comfort

Airport officials are seeking potential revenue streams to incentivize a ultra-low-cost carrier to land at the Johnstown airport.

The authority's fixed-base operator, Nulton Aviation Services, has also been pursuing projects that would make the property more carrier-friendly, including the development of an aviation maintenance technician school in cooperation with other groups.

In January, airport officials directed their engineer to draw up plans to adapt the terminal building for an influx of additional passengers that a second carrier would bring.

The airport has already seen a boost in travelers since switching to SkyWest Airlines, which offers direct United Express flights to Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles international airports.

The number of air travel options to Florida in the region took a big hit over the past six months, in the wake of JetBlue's acquisition of Spirit. Flights to Fort Lauderdale, the Fort Myers area and other destinations were cut from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe, leaving weekly stops in Orlando as the lone direct-flight option.

Johnstown's airport officials responded by ramping up advertisements on social media, encouraging the public to try one-stop flights from Johnstown to Florida rather than dealing with the time and expense of driving to Pittsburgh and paying to park.

Rail momentum

For years, the idea of adding a second daily Amtrak rail stop in Johnstown appeared to be a long shot. Area officials and lawmakers pressed on, regardless — backing a feasibility study on the idea.

The timing ended up being right on track, with the Biden administration's infrastructure bill passing into law in late 2021, making the largest investment in passenger rail the nation has seen in decades.

"This isn't just lip service we're getting anymore," said state Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Richland Township, who pushed for the project as the state Senate Transportation Committee chairman. "It may take a few years — but now all of the pieces are in place to bring this additional service to the region."

First, more than $20 million in infrastructure upgrades are coming to the Johnstown area and Portage to improve sections of line needed to accommodate freight and passenger rail traffic — as part of a broader statewide push, state officials have said.

Langerholc said he met with Amtrak's government relations team last month about the project. Construction on the infrastructure could begin later this year, he added.

Amtrak's decision to replace the trains currently serving the Pennsylvanian route through Johnstown with brand-new, commuter-friendly Airo trains also shows the passenger rail company's commitment to the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg corridor, Langerholc said.

He said officials on the state level continue working to acquire any remaining funding to complete the broader rail project in 2025.

Nearly 19,000 people boarded or departed trains at the Johnstown station in 2019, prior to a COVID-19 slowdown across the nation, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Rail Passengers Association.

The nonprofit group Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail has worked for more than a decade to promote and increase rail service in the region.

"The biggest factor in improving service and ridership is improving the frequency that trains stop," said Mark Spada, the nonprofit's president.

He said that development will provide travelers and commuters with more opportunities to get to cities such as Harrisburg and Philadelphia — and to further-away destinations through other rail connections.

"In cities like Johnstown, one of the biggest issues is connectivity," Spada said. "For people who don't have a car or want to use mass transportation, the train is still the fastest way to get from here to Philadelphia and the state capitol, and this will increase those opportunities."