Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
![]() | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line | ||
---|---|---|
![]() Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail service share operations over the Main Line grade between Philadelphia and Thorndale. | ||
Overview | ||
Owner | Amtrak | |
Locale | Pennsylvania | |
Termini | Suburban Station (historic) 30th Street Station (current service) Harrisburg Transportation Center | |
Stations | 31 | |
Service | ||
Type | Higher-speed rail, commuter rail | |
Services | Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian, Paoli/Thorndale Line | |
Operator(s) | Amtrak (also SEPTA) | |
Technical | ||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | |
Operating speed | 110 mph (180 km/h) | |
|
The Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by Amtrak in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. This is the only electrified Amtrak line in the United States outside of the main line of the Northeast Corridor. The line runs from Philadelphia, where it meets the Northeast Corridor at Zoo interlocking (milepost 1.9), west to Harrisburg (MP 104.6), where electrification ends. It is part of the longer Keystone Corridor, which continues west to Pittsburgh along the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line.[1] This section is sometimes referred to as "Keystone East"[2] and is part of Amtrak's Keystone Service.
Philadelphia's Suburban Station was the original start of the line – as well as the headquarters for the Pennsylvania Railroad – and is milepost zero for the line. However, current service patterns dictate that all passenger rail service on the line begins 1 mile (1.6 km) west at 30th Street Station.
History[]
The line runs along the route of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line and passes through the Philadelphia Main Line, the suburban region named for it. The Pennsylvania Railroad had originally electrified this line in the 1930s, but it fell into disuse in the 1980s under Amtrak.[3][4]
Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation restored electrical service in October, 2006.[5] This allows speeds up to 110 miles per hour.[6]
The line received about $26 million from the 2009 Federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that was used to eliminate the last three grade crossings, which will advance the goal of 125-mph operations, reduce overall trip times, and improve service reliability. The grade crossings were located in Lancaster County and the last was closed in 2014.[7][8][9][10]
In the 2000s, there was discussion of commuter rail from Lancaster to Harrisburg (the Capital Red Rose Corridor), but the proposal has subsequently been abandoned.[11]
Current rail services[]
Amtrak's Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian operate over the entire line. SEPTA Regional Rail Paoli/Thorndale Line trains operate east of Thorndale, with the rights to continue revenue service west to Parkesburg and to run west to Cork Interlocking (just east of Amtrak's Lancaster station) to reverse direction.[1]
Freight trackage rights over the whole line are assigned to the Norfolk Southern Railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway also has rights over a small piece near Harrisburg, from the west end to Roy Interlocking in Royalton, to allow CP trains to get from the end of their Sunbury Line or Allentown to Perryville, Maryland.[1]
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides the subsidies for Amtrak for the Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian passenger routes that operate on this line.
Stations[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Amtk_Keystone_Corr_signals_01.jpg/220px-Amtk_Keystone_Corr_signals_01.jpg)
All stations are located in Pennsylvania.
Milepost (km) | Station | Location | Current station opened |
Services | Connections | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P/T | KS | PA | |||||
0.0 mi (0 km) | Suburban Station | Philadelphia | September 28, 1930 | ● | SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines SEPTA City Transit: Broad Street Line (at City Hall), Market–Frankford Line and subway–surface trolley lines (at 15th Street) SEPTA City Bus: 2, 4, 16, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, 62 SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125 | ||
1.0 mi (1.6 km) | 30th Street Station | 1933[12] | ● | ● | ● | Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines NJ Transit Rail: Atlantic City Line SEPTA City Transit: Market–Frankford Line and subway–surface trolley lines (at 30th Street) SEPTA City Bus: 9, 12, 21, 30, 31, 42, 44, 49, 62, LUCY SEPTA Suburban Bus: 124, 125 | |
5.4 mi (8.7 km) | Overbrook | 1860 | ● | SEPTA City Bus: 65, G | |||
6.0 mi (9.7 km) | Merion | Lower Merion | 1914 | ● | |||
6.8 mi (10.9 km) | Narberth | Narberth | September 11, 1915[13] | ● | SEPTA City Bus: 44 | ||
7.4 mi (11.9 km) | Wynnewood | Wynnewood | 1870[14] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105 | ||
8.5 mi (13.7 km) | Ardmore | Ardmore | 1870[14] | ● | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 103, 105, 106 | |
9.1 mi (14.6 km) | Haverford | Haverford | 1880[14] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106 | ||
10.1 mi (16.3 km) | Bryn Mawr | Bryn Mawr | 1869[14] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106 | ||
10.9 mi (17.5 km) | Rosemont | Rosemont | 1871 | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 105, 106 | ||
12.0 mi (19.3 km) | Villanova | Radnor | 1890[15] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | ||
13.0 mi (20.9 km) | Radnor | 1872[16] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | |||
13.7 mi (22.0 km) | St. Davids | 1890[15] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | |||
14.5 mi (23.3 km) | Wayne | 1884 | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | |||
15.4 mi (24.8 km) | Strafford | Tredyffrin | 1876 | ● | |||
16.4 mi (26.4 km) | Devon | Easttown | 1890[17] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | ||
17.5 mi (28.2 km) | Berwyn | 1884[17] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | |||
18.6 mi (29.9 km) | Daylesford | Tredyffrin | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 106 | |||
19.9 mi (32.0 km) | Paoli | Paoli | 1893[18] | ● | ● | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 92, 106, 204, 206 |
21.6 mi (34.8 km) | Malvern | Malvern | 1900 | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 92 | ||
27.5 mi (44.3 km) | Exton | Exton | 1981 | ● | ● | ● | Eastbound Pennsylvanian only SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135 WCU Shuttle |
28.3 mi (45.5 km) | Whitford | 1880 | ● | ||||
32.4 mi (52.1 km) | Downingtown | Downingtown | ● | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135 | ||
35.5 mi (57.1 km) | Thorndale | Thorndale | November 22, 1999[19] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135 | ||
38.4 mi (61.8 km) | Coatesville | Coatesville | 1868[18] | ● | SEPTA Suburban Bus: 135 TMACC: Coatesville Link | ||
44.2 mi (71.1 km) | Parkesburg | Parkesburg | 1905[18] | ● | TMACC: Coatesville Link | ||
68.0 mi (109.4 km) | Lancaster | Lancaster | 1929[18] | ● | ● | Red Rose Transit Authority: 3, 6, 10, 11, 19 | |
80.1 mi (128.9 km) | Mount Joy | Mount Joy | ● | Red Rose Transit Authority: 18 | |||
86.8 mi (139.7 km) | Elizabethtown | Elizabethtown | 1915 | ● | ● | Red Rose Transit Authority: 18 | |
94.7 mi (152.4 km) | Middletown | Middletown | 1990[18] | ● | Capital Area Transit: 7 | ||
104.6 mi (168.3 km) | Harrisburg Transportation Center | Harrisburg | 1887[18] | ● | ● | Capital Area Transit rabbittransit Greyhound Lines, Fullington Trailways |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Federal Railway Administration, "Appendix A: Ownership, Operating Rights and Agreements" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-27. (18.0 KiB)
- ^ "Frequently-Asked Questions". Plan the Keystone. PennDOT. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Michael, Froio (May 18, 2012). "The Pennsylvania Railroad's Harrisburg Terminal : A Historical Overview". Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Tom, Belden (January 18, 1998). "Orphan Rail Line Scorned No More Penndot And A Startup Company Have Both Made Proposals For Upgrading Amtrak's Keystone Route". Philly.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Amtrak's Northeast Corridor: FY 2010" (PDF). Amtrak. May 2011. p. 5. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Northeast Corridor State of Good Repair Spend Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. April 15, 2009. p. 7. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "NEC Projects - The Keystone Corridor". Amtrak. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "The Congressional Bicameral High - Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus" (PDF). Federal Briefing. WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff. August 14, 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/index.ssf/2010/03/americas_foray_into_high-speed.html
- ^ Harris, Bernard (July 20, 2014). "New PennDOT bridge could mean faster trains on tracks below" (PDF). Plan the Keystone. Lancaster Online. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ "Southcentral PA's Multi-Modal Transportation Efforts". Modern Transit Partnership. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ Teitelman, Edward & Longstreth, Richard W. (1981), Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN 0262700212: 186
- ^ Tatnall, Frank (Fall 2015). "A Century of Catenary". Classic Trains. 16 (3): 26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Existing Stations in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
- ^ Jump up to: a b Existing Railroad Stations in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Archived October 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Morgan's Corner P&C RR station, 1856 (Existing Railroad Stations in Delaware County, Pennsylvania)
- ^ Jump up to: a b Existing Railroad Stations in Chester County, Pennsylvania Archived 2008-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Building Great American Stations". Amtrak. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ Schogol, Marc (November 21, 1999). "SEPTA extends the R5 line to Thorndale". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Electrification of the Pennsylvania Railroad from Broad Street Terminal Philadelphia to Paoli." The Electric Journal. Vol. 12, No. 12 (December 1915). (Pittsburgh, PA: The Electric Journal.) pp. 536–541.
- Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
- Pennsylvania Railroad lines
- Electric railways in Pennsylvania
- Passenger rail transportation in Pennsylvania
- Rail infrastructure in Pennsylvania
- Railway lines in the United States