Amtrak invests USD 122 million in Pennsylvania to improve tracks on the Harrisburg Line, between Lancaster and Harrisburg. This work will improve ride quality and comfort, increase service reliability and complete necessary work required to keep the tracks in a state of good repair.
Amtrak is accelerating the project to replace this aging rail infrastructure and will complete the work in nearly half the original estimated timeline of two years. To extend the long-term benefits of the project, Amtrak will replace the existing wood ties with concrete ties, which have an expected lifespan of 60 years vs. 25 years for traditional wood ties.
The project will help to improve ride quality, increase service reliability and address necessary track maintenance. The project includes installation of 69 km of tracks, replacing nearly 100% of rail in this territory, installation of 113,000 concrete ties, as well as cleaning and refreshing 226,500 feet of gravel track bed, or ballast, to support the track structure and improve drainage.
The project will also help support the local economy with more than 250 employees patronising area businesses, including gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores. The concrete ties used are manufactured in Bear, Del., and the ballast for the track structure will be purchased from a quarry in Birdsboro, Pa.
The improvement of Harrisburg Line will require a series of significant track outages from April to November. During that period, Keystone Service trains between Lancaster (LNC) and Harrisburg, Pa. (HAR) only will be replaced with buses. There will also be various schedule adjustments Friday through Sunday and weekday mornings and evenings.
Amtrak Pennsylvanian trains that operate between Pittsburgh and New York City will still provide daily midday service through the project area, featuring additional seating capacity. The weekday service cancellations will affect fewer than 450 daily Keystone Service customers and substitute transportation (buses) will be provided to mitigate the impact. Overall project completion is expected in late December, after the significant track outage concludes.
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