A train travels down the tracks in Port Royal.

MIFFLINTOWN — Two rail infrastructure projects in Juniata County are moving closer to construction as part of a broader state effort to expand passenger rail service across Central Pennsylvania.

Norfolk Southern Railway, in partnership with PennDOT and Amtrak, is advancing improvements at Mifflin and Hawstone designed to reduce congestion, improve routing flexibility and limit delays for both passenger and freight trains along the Pittsburgh Line near Lewistown. The projects are tied to plans to expand the state-supported Pennsylvanian service from one to two daily round trips between Pittsburgh and New York City, according to the website, AdvancingPARail.com.

While a larger capacity project is already under construction in the Harrisburg-Enola area, the Mifflin and Hawstone upgrades represent the primary local investments in Juniata County, targeting long-standing operational pinch points on one of the Commonwealth’s busiest shared rail corridors.

The Pennsylvanian currently operates once daily in each direction, sharing track with freight traffic owned by Norfolk Southern. Increasing the frequency of passenger trains requires significant infrastructure upgrades to prevent delays, particularly in areas where track layouts, siding lengths and interlocking configurations limit flexibility.

In response, Norfolk Southern has committed to building 11 improvement projects between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The majority are focused on adding capacity and improving routing flexibility where congestion most often impacts passenger rail reliability.

Mifflin project focuses on siding capacity

The first of the two local projects is located at Mifflin, along Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line in Milford Township. The objective is to install a new crossover that will allow trains operating on the siding track to bypass an existing track scale, creating a usable siding measuring approximately 15,700 feet.

That added length would allow trains to meet and pass more efficiently and would reduce conflicts that can delay Amtrak service near the Lewistown Junction Train Station. With limited platform access at many stations along the corridor, the ability to route trains around one another is essential to maintaining on-time performance.

The work includes construction of a new powered crossover, a new interlocking, and associated civil, track and site improvements.

The Mifflin project has completed both Project Development and NEPA approval, clearing the regulatory path forward. Design work is currently underway and is approximately 30 percent complete. Construction is tentatively scheduled for 2026, with completion expected the same year. Both timelines are dependent on the receipt and obligation of federal grant funding.

Hawstone upgrade converts interlocking configuration

A second project, located at Hawstone in Juniata County, focuses on converting CP Hawstone into a universal interlocking, a configuration that would allow trains to cross between multiple mainline tracks in either direction.

By installing a new power crossover and upgrading an existing turnout on a siding track, the project would significantly increase routing flexibility for Amtrak trains while reducing conflicts with freight traffic near Lewistown. Additional work includes interlocking modifications and supporting civil and track improvements.

As with the Mifflin project, Hawstone has completed Project Development and NEPA approval and is currently in the design phase at 30 percent completion. Construction is also anticipated to begin in 2026, with completion targeted the same year, subject to federal funding.

Together, the two projects address one of the most challenging segments of the Pittsburgh Line, where the mix of freight volumes, passenger schedules and limited track options has historically contributed to delay risks.

Part of a statewide investment strategy

The Juniata County improvements are part of a much larger statewide initiative aimed at modernizing passenger rail infrastructure across Pennsylvania.

In December 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced more than $140 million in passenger rail funding secured through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program and the Corridor Identification and Development program. Those funds are helping advance the long-term vision for expanded service along the Keystone West corridor between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

Overall, the Commonwealth plans to invest more than $200 million in rail infrastructure and safety projects, with federal funding offsetting a portion of the cost.

Full implementation of the 11-project program is expected to take up to eight years, with the complete build-out anticipated around 2030. However, a subset of Early Action projects is being accelerated to enable a schedule adjustment and the introduction of the second daily Pennsylvanian train.

One of those projects — the addition of a third mainline track between Enola and Cove — began construction in January 2026 and is expected to be completed in June 2027. That work is already underway and serves as a model for the improvements planned farther west.

Looking ahead

Until the early-action improvements are completed, the Pennsylvanian will continue to operate on its existing schedule. If funding and construction timelines hold, the Mifflin and Hawstone projects could play a key role in unlocking expanded passenger service through Juniata County later in the decade.

While the projects vary in scope and timing, the goal remains the same: creating a corridor that can reliably support both freight traffic and expanded passenger rail.

For Central Pennsylvania communities, the work represents incremental but meaningful progress toward faster, more dependable rail service — even if some trains, and some projects, reach full speed sooner than others.