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Pennsylvania will be receiving money to add a second Amtrak train between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, including a stop in Altoona.
The state is getting $143,629,028 from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to upgrade rail infrastructure along the Keystone West Corridor.
Additionally, the state is to receive a $500,000 grant from the Corridor Identification and Development program to plan and develop how to expand both Amtrak's Pennsylvanian and Keystone services between Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.
U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman announced the funding.
PennDOT is to match 20% of the project's total cost.
The $143,629,028 grant comes from the Federal Rail Administration's Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program to help complete the final design and construction of track and signal improvements along existing rail while improving safety and Amtrak's service reliability.
The $500,000 grant comes from the Corridor ID Program, a comprehensive intercity passenger rail planning and development program established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Last year, the Mirror reported the anticipated funding would pay for improvements to eliminate eight right-of-way "choke points," where additional Amtrak passenger operations would otherwise clash with Norfolk's freight operations.
That will mean strategic addition of tracks, including bypass tracks and crossover switches to ensure that trains can access all the tracks available, a study said.
The study called for a second mainline through the Amtrak station in Pittsburgh; a universal crossover on three mainline tracks in Johnstown, a universal crossover on three mainlines in Portage, a third mainline track around the yard in Altoona, coupled with various other improvements; and a third mainline in Harrisburg, coupled with various other improvements.