Amtrak sets schedule for second round-trip Pennsylvanian

Second round-trip commuter train to begin running Nov. 18

Amtrak's second round-trip Pennsylvanian will begin running Nov. 18, and the schedule for both trains is now set, according to information presented Tuesday at a news conference in Johns­town that included the state secretary of transportation, a state senator, Amtrak officials and a Cambria County commissioner.

There was optimistic talk about the economic development, recreational and work opportunities that the addition of the second round trip could create, with Commissioner Keith Rager proposing that it could nudge Johnstown toward becoming a bedroom community for Pittsburgh -- like White Plains, N.Y., where he used to live, was for New York City.

But due to Amtrak's reluctance to start westbound trains from New York City in the middle of the night, the additional Pennsylvanian will not enable a daily commute from Altoona or Johns­town to Pittsburgh -- a deficiency that Amtrak board member and Johnstown-area native Rob Gleason plans to rectify by pushing for an additional pair of trains that would go between Altoona and Pittsburgh and back again every day.

He will have the influence to do so as chairman for the next four years of an Amtrak committee for rail expansion, Gleason said.

The vision for such a commuter service between Altoona and Pittsburgh was realized briefly in the early 1980s with the Fort Pitt, which consisted of the westbound Pennsylvanian that got to Pittsburgh every evening, turning around and heading to Altoona, then heading back to Pittsburgh in the morning.

The Pennsylvanian was a single round-trip train then, like now, so there were two trainsets, which meant that the Fort Pitt alternated between trainsets day by day -- with the morning run into Pittsburgh turning into an eastbound Pennsylvanian.

Among challenges that will attend to re-establishing Altoona-to-Pittsburgh commuter services would be coordinating with track owner Norfolk Southern to avoid passenger-freight conflicts, according to Gleason.

One potential way to ameliorate conflicts would be to add a track within the right of way, which has the capacity for four tracks.

There are now just two in some areas, three in others, according to officials.

Grants could help pay for adding such a track, Gleason said.

It would be critical for the state to commit to covering Amtrak's losses on such a commuter service, he said.

The withdrawal of state support killed the Fort Pitt, according to online sources.

The Fort Pitt averaged just 30 passengers a day, with a subsidy cost of $547,000 a year, according to those sources.

One problem was that no one promoted it, Gleason said.

He thinks that reviving the concept would attract users.

Ridership for such a commuter service would need to be robust enough to justify its occupying a "slot" in overall corridor operations, according to Mark Spada, president of Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail.

Big cities like Philadelphia and New York can support healthy commuter rail, but the numbers don't always work for smaller cities like Pittsburgh, Spada said.

The addition of a second round-trip train through Altoona is the result of cooperation in recent years between Amtrak, PennDOT and Norfolk Southern, with state and federal money paying for station upgrades and right-of-way improvements like bypass tracks, crossover switches and elimination of choke points along the NS-owned line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, so the additional passenger service doesn't interfere with freight operations, according to information previously released and discussed Tuesday by Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll.

As it will stand on Nov. 18, the addition of the second round-trip Pennsylvanian would enable a Harrisburg to Altoona commute, but with a very short workday here, according to Dan Cupper, former Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer and author and editor of train publications.

The second Pennsylvanians also will enable recreational travel -- including trips for mountain biking, Spada said.

Passengers can bring their bikes aboard.

The issue is "broader" than just commuting, Spada said.

The key for now is robust ridership on the new addition, Spada said.

The second train could enable a sort of commute between Altoona and Pittsburgh, based on the increased acceptance of remote work, where being present in the office five days a week is no longer a given, Carroll said.

The new schedule calls for westbound trains to leave Altoona at 12:24 and 7:05 p.m. daily, and to arrive in Pittsburgh about two hours and 50 minutes later.

The schedule calls for eastbound trains to leave Altoona at 9:43 a.m. and 3:33 p.m., and to arrive in Harrisburg about two hours and 50 minutes later.

One of the key benefits of living in a small bedroom community like White Plains -- or potentially Johnstown or Altoona -- is the far lower cost of living, said Rager, referencing loft apartments currently being developed in Johnstown.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.