Amtrak to Add Second Daily Pennsylvanian Starting Nov. 18

Overview

• Amtrak announced Tuesday that a second daily round trip between Pittsburgh and New York will begin on Nov. 18 and that tickets will be released this week.
• The added train will double service on the 444-mile Pennsylvanian route that runs through Harrisburg and Philadelphia and currently takes about 9 hours and 20 minutes end to end.
• PennDOT said the Shapiro administration received $143 million in federal passenger-rail funding to help pay for the work, with additional state money covering the rest of design and construction costs.
• Norfolk Southern, which owns the Pittsburgh Line, must complete the upgrades and safety work funded by the grants before the new service can operate on the full route.
• Amtrak cited a 20% ridership rise since 2019 and a projected company revenue milestone as reasons for the expansion, a change that could make daytime travel and business connections between western Pennsylvania and New York more practical.