About the Keystone Corridor West Study | Frequently Asked Questions | Contact
Traveling along the Keystone Corridor West between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh can be a challenging experience. With only one round-trip each day, frequent and convenient options aren't available to travelers considering using rail as an alternative mode of transportation. A ride that typically takes about three and a half hours by automobile is nearly 60 percent longer on the Keystone Corridor West line due in part to stops in seven towns and low speeds. In comparison, the rail line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia - the Keystone Corridor East - provides hourly peak service, express trains, speeds eclipsing 100 mph and more than 1.27 million rides a year.
In an effort to explore ways to make rail travel along the West Corridor more convenient, sustainable and a viable alternative to driving, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is undertaking the Keystone Corridor West High Speed Rail Project, a range of studies to improve the rail corridor between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The central focus of this Project and its studies is to identify and evaluate ways to improve travel times and frequency of service thereby providing better connections between the central and western parts of the Commonwealth. The Project will be demanding due to a variety of challenges including physical constraints like the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, numerous at-grade crossings and the coordination of rail freight and passenger services that share the line owned by Norfolk Southern.
The first study initiated under the Project, the Keystone Corridor West Feasibility Study, is intended to identify near-term solutions for reducing travel times and increasing the number of trips between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The Feasibility Study will determine scenarios for improving the corridor's passenger rail service and assess the associated benefits and costs. Upgrades identified as part of the Study will consider the current rail right-of-way, however new, off-line alignments could also be considered.
The scenarios will be investigated to determine its ability to:
- Improve service (smoothness of ride, improved travel times, increased frequencies)
- Achieve compatible freight and passenger operations (avoid conflicts on the existing line)
- Minimize environmental impacts (limit threats to endangered species, wetlands, streams, floodplains, air quality, noise, vibration, social effects, economic impacts, and archaeological and historical effects)
- Manage costs (examine costs estimates, identify funding sources).
The improvements to the Keystone Corridor West passenger rail line that may ultimately result from the Feasibility Study will provide many benefits including:
- An alternative to the rising cost of gasoline
- Environmental sustainability
- Increased travel options (there is no direct air service between the cities)
- Rail is one of the safest modes of travel
- It's "green"
- Facilitates Transit Oriented Development (TOD), sustainability practices and smart growth trends
- Not affected by adverse weather
- Improves connectivity and access between stations, creating economic threads
- Enhances regional connectivity
The Keystone Corridor West Feasibility Study is expected to be completed in winter 2011-2012.
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1. What is the "Keystone Corridor West"?
2. What is the purpose of the Keystone Corridor West Study?
3. What is the study schedule?
4. What passenger service is currently provided between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh?
5. Is High Speed Rail (HSR) the same as Maglev?
6. Is it possible to achieve HSR within the Harrisburg to Pittsburgh corridor?
7. Do you really think people will ride a train instead of taking their cars?
8. Where would station stops be located?
9. What are the benefits of HSR in the Keystone Corridor West?
10. Given the economic conditions in the United States and Pennsylvania, what are the potential economic benefits of Keystone Corridor West High Speed Rail?
11. How will the environmental effects of HSR be considered?
12. How can I get more/updated information and provide feedback into the study?
1. What is the "Keystone Corridor West"?
Keystone Corridor West is a 250-mile rail corridor (part of Amtrak's Pennsylvanian Service) from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. It is part of a larger system that includes Keystone Corridor East, extending from Harrisburg to Philadelphia, and ties into Amtrak's Northeast Corridor to Boston, New York, Baltimore and Washington DC.
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2. What is the purpose of the Keystone Corridor West Study?
The Keystone Corridor West Study is targeted at developing a "menu of options" for improving passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. That menu will include benefits and planning level costs associated with each of the improvement options. While off-line, new alignments may be explored in specific areas, many of the improvement options may focus on improvements within or immediately adjacent to the existing rail right-of-way.
Each improvement will be investigated to determine:
- Its ability to improve service – smoothness of ride, speed/travel time improvement, safety, etc., while supporting compatible freight and passenger operations.
- Environmental effects - wetlands, streams, floodplains, threatened and endangered species, air quality, noise, vibration, social effects, economic impacts, archaeological and historical effects, etc.
- Overall benefits
- Planning level cost estimates
The information collected regarding each option will allow an assessment to be made for each proposed improvement option. Those that provide the greatest improvement for the least cost with minimal negative environmental effects and a realistic possibility of implementation will be prioritized for consideration and possible implementation, allowing for the targeted investment of limited transportation funds.
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3. What is the study schedule?
The feasibility study was initiated in February 2011 and is anticipated to be completed in winter 2011-12.
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4. What passenger service is currently provided between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh?
Currently Amtrak runs one round-trip train per day between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh which leaves Harrisburg and stops in Lewistown, Huntingdon, Tyrone, Altoona, Johnstown, Latrobe and Greensburg. It arrives in Pittsburgh approximately five-and-a-half hours later and, for further westbound travel, requires a layover of about four hours before catching a train to Chicago during late night hours. With only one round trip, rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh is not attractive for travelers, thus ridership remains relatively low. Driving time between the two cities is only three-and-a-half to four hours. Improving service through shorter trip times and increased frequency could make train travel between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh a more feasible and attractive option for business travelers and others. Time is money!
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5. Is High Speed Rail (HSR) the same as Maglev?
No. HSR is defined as passenger rail service using any technology that operates at significantly faster speeds than normal rail service. This has been defined as 110 mph or faster.
The goal of this study is to attempt to achieve higher speeds along the corridor, enough to reduce overall travel times and increase the attractiveness of the service to increase ridership.
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6. Is it possible to achieve HSR within the Harrisburg to Pittsburgh corridor?
Given the existing, historical path of the Keystone Corridor West tracks, there are physical constraints that could impede achieving true HSR speeds throughout the entire corridor. True HSR could likely only be accomplished by building several new off-line rail sections. For example, the horseshoe curve near Altoona, the shared freight/passenger use and the numerous existing at-grade crossings create challenges at HSR speeds.
While true HSR options will be analyzed and may be possible in select areas, the Keystone Corridor West Project is focusing on achieving higher speeds throughout the corridor. The feasibility study will explore options for increasing the speed and efficiency of passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
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7. Do you really think people will ride a train instead of taking their cars?
Various factors such as energy efficiency, air and road congestion and changing demographics are promoting a greater public interest in rail travel. In 2006, Amtrak, PennDOT and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) invested $145 million in track, signal upgrades and other capital improvements along the 105-mile Keystone Corridor East line from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. The line now offers approximately hourly peak service including an express train that takes travelers from Harrisburg to Philadelphia in 90 minutes. The top speed is 110 mph – one of the fastest in the nation, second only to the Northeast Corridor's Acela line. These improvements have attracted ridership to the line with over 1.2 million riders for two straight years, including 1.27 million riders last year (FY2009-10), which is a record. Train travel also allows the rider to begin working, catch up on reading, respond to emails, or just relax during the trip, all benefits that motorists cannot enjoy.
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8. Where would station stops be located?
The number and location of stops will help attract needed ridership. Current station locations include: Harrisburg, Lewistown, Huntingdon, Tyrone, Altoona, Johnstown, Latrobe, Greensburg and Pittsburgh. These stops will be considered for their fit with any proposed service changes as part of the study. The number of stops will affect travel times; offering both local and express train service can address this issue. Local trains would stop at all stations, while express service would have minimal stops. Frequency of operations will need to be coordinated with the freight service that shares the rail line. Ridership will also be influenced by station conditions including available parking and safety features (e.g., lighting, call boxes, ADA accessibility, cleanliness).
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9. What are the benefits of HSR in the Keystone Corridor West?
High Speed Rail can have a profound effect in Pennsylvania:
- Providing economic development opportunities – increased ridership that will result from the planned investment will encourage integrated private development along the corridor. Construction of the improvements will also provide manufacturing benefits to PA due to the numerous rail industry suppliers located in Pennsylvania.
- Creating multi-modal connections – improvements to passenger rail service encourage wider use of intercity passenger rail and diversion of auto and air trips to bus and rail service.
- Achieving environmental sustainability - gas prices are increasing – fast, safe and efficient rail service can attract large numbers of passengers and requires less fuel per person than cars or planes.
- Reducing congestion on our highways - by attracting ridership, improved passenger rail service means cars can be removed from roadways, reducing congestion and improving air quality in the region.
- Providing travelers with added safety and convenience - rail has an excellent safety record compared to cars and planes. Trains can operate in adverse weather conditions that hinder travel by car or plane. Direct air service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh is not currently available.
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10. Given the economic conditions in the United States and Pennsylvania, what are the potential economic benefits of Keystone Corridor West High Speed Rail?
Rail service promotes concentrated development (transit-oriented development), which is in keeping with livability and sustainability trends being promoted by the U.S. Department of Transportation agencies and others. Pennsylvania is a large supplier of rail equipment. Improvements and increases in service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh would spur the need for rail line construction materials and supplies, providing the potential for an increase in well-paying manufacturing jobs.
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11. How will the environmental effects of HSR be considered?
As options are developed, environmental effects will be examined. Features to be studied include natural resources (streams, wetlands, endangered species, etc.), cultural resources (historic structures and archaeological sites), and socioeconomic concerns (community cohesion, economic effects, environmental justice, minority and low income populations, handicapped accessibility, etc.). While new alignment options may be explored in specific areas, many of the improvement options may remain near or immediately adjacent to the existing rail right-of-way. This should help to minimize environmental impacts.
Ultimately, each improvement option will not only be evaluated based on its environmental effects, but also on its ability to improve service frequency, decrease travel times and manage costs.
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12. How can I get more/updated information and provide feedback into the study?
Current, updated information will be available electronically in the near future for public review and comment throughout the course of the Keystone Corridor West Feasibility Study via the Web at www.planthekeystone.com.
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For more information about the Keystone Corridor West High Speed Rail Study please contact the following at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation or email keystonewest@planthekeystone.com:
Toby L. Fauver, AICP, Deputy Secretary
Local and Area Transportation
Commonwealth Keystone Building | 400 North Street, 8th Floor | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717.787.8197
Robert A. Garrett, Executive Assistant
PA Department of Transportation
Commonwealth Keystone Building | 400 North Street, 8th Floor | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717.787.0800
Paul A. Gnazzo, Director
Cindy Cashman, Deputy Director
Office of Legislative Affairs
Commonwealth Keystone Building | 400 North Street, 8th Floor | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717.787.5144
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