Middletown station (Pennsylvania)

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Middletown, PA
Middletown station, June 2013.jpg
Middletown station in June 2013
LocationUnion and Mill Streets, Middletown, Pennsylvania
United States
Coordinates40°11′33.5″N 76°43′52″W / 40.192639°N 76.73111°W / 40.192639; -76.73111Coordinates: 40°11′33.5″N 76°43′52″W / 40.192639°N 76.73111°W / 40.192639; -76.73111
Owned byAmtrak
Line(s)Keystone Corridor (Main Line)
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks3
ConnectionsLocal transit CAT: 7
Construction
ParkingYes
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeMID
History
Rebuilt1990; 2022 (planned)
ElectrifiedJanuary 15, 1938[1]
Passengers
FY 201868,022 Decrease 0.2%
Services
Preceding station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak Following station
Harrisburg
Terminus
 Keystone Service Elizabethtown
toward New York
     Pennsylvanian does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Harrisburg
toward Chicago
 Main Line Elizabethtown
toward New York or Exchange Place
toward Chicago
toward New York or Exchange Place

Middletown is an Amtrak train station on the Keystone Corridor in Middletown, Dauphin County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The station is served by Amtrak's Keystone Service between New York City and Harrisburg. The current station was built in 1990, but a planned relocation of the station is expected to be completed in 2021.

Services and facilities[]

The Middletown station is located on Mill Street, off of Pennsylvania Route 441 (South Union Street). In addition to being used by residents of Middletown, the station is also popular with commuters heading to Harrisburg and Philadelphia who utilize its free parking.[2] It sees twenty-three arrivals by the Keystone Service on weekdays, thirteen from both Harrisburg and New York Penn Station, and seven from each on weekends.[3] The station is 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Harrisburg, 94 miles (151 km) west of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and 185 miles (298 km) from New York.[3] In fiscal year 2018, the station saw a ridership of 68,022 passengers, a decrease of 0.2 percent from the previous year.[4][5]

The station consists of only a platform and a shelter. As the Middletown station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, or purchased from a conductor on board the train.[6] Capital Area Transit's Route 7 transit bus passes near the station on Union Street between Middletown, Harrisburg International Airport, and downtown Harrisburg.[7]

History[]

The Broadway Limited passing through the station in 1980

A railroad was first laid through Middletown in 1836 by the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad, which was taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1850.[8] A brick station was built in 1902, but was demolished in the 1970s.[8] Prior to the introduction of the Keystone Service in 1981, Middletown was served by the Big Apple, the Silverliner Service, and the Keystone.[9] A shelter and concrete platform was built in 1990 by Amtrak.[8] From 1991 to 1995, the Atlantic City Express served the station on weekends.[10][11]

Relocation[]

The Middletown station is in need of being relocated because it is currently on a superelevated curve and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well.[12] It is to be moved to a location at Ann Street and Pennsylvania Route 230, between the current station and Harrisburg International Airport.[13] Initial plans called for the station to be moved next to the airport terminal, but this was rejected in favor of keeping the station in the downtown area. By 2013, it was expected to be completed by 2015 and estimated to cost $32 million. Funding would be provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).[13]

As of May 2016, bidding for site clearing was expected to take place in mid-2016, with the new station opening in 2018. The work includes pedestrian bridges to the platform and over Route 230, and an extension of West Emaus Street to Route 230.[14] By early 2018, the projected opening was delayed to 2022 due to delays with Norfolk Southern and Amtrak relocating their tracks.[15] As of April 2020, the work is expected to be complete in August 2021.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  2. ^ Miller, Barbara (Oct 31, 2010). "Train riders await decision on Middletown Amtrak station". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Keystone Service: New York and Harrisburg" (PDF). Amtrak. Oct 24, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2015, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. Nov 2017. Retrieved Nov 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved Nov 21, 2019.
  6. ^ "Middletown, PA (MID)". Amtrak. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  7. ^ "Route 7: Middletown" (PDF). Capital Area Transit. May 23, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Kagen, David Ira; Sunbery, Edward William (2009). Middletown Borough. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7385-6472-2.
  9. ^ Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 26 – Oct 24, 1981. pp. 22–23.
  10. ^ Amtrak System Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 7 – Oct 26, 1991. p. 29.
  11. ^ Amtrak Northeast Timetable. Amtrak. Oct 30, 1994. p. 27.
  12. ^ Zimmerman, Phyllis (Sep 4, 2011). "PennDOT creates plan to complete Middletown Amtrak station by 2013". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Jan 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Malawskey, Nick (Oct 24, 2013). "Middletown train station project moving at full steam". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Aug 11, 2014.
  14. ^ Miller, Dan (May 17, 2016). "All Aboard: PennDOT Seeks Bid on Site Preparation for Long-awaited Train Station" (PDF). Press and Journal.
  15. ^ Miller, Barbara (January 10, 2018). "New Amtrak station waiting for tracks to be moved". Penn Live.
  16. ^ Miller, Dan (April 29, 2020). "Work continues on Amtrak station, with date moved slightly later for targeted completion on West Main". Press and Journal.

External links[]

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