Second daily Amtrak service coming to Lewistown
Services expand in November
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LEWISTOWN -- Amtrak passengers in Lewistown will have twice as many daily options for traveling east or west beginning in November, when a second daily Pennsylvanian train begins operating between Pittsburgh and New York City.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll announced Monday that the additional service will begin in mid-November following collaboration among PennDOT, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern.
The Pennsylvanian currently makes one daily trip in each direction, stopping in Lewistown as it travels between Pittsburgh and New York. The additional service will increase that to two trains daily in each direction.
For Lewistown-area travelers, the expansion will provide another daily option for reaching destinations including Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia and New York to the east and Huntingdon, Tyrone, Altoona, Johnstown and Pittsburgh to the west.
Amtrak anticipates beginning ticket sales for the additional Pennsylvanian service in October, ahead of the mid-November launch.
"The people of western Pennsylvania have waited a long time for more passenger rail service and my Administration has chased every opportunity to get this done," Shapiro said. "I'm proud to announce that the Pennsylvanian will soon expand to twice daily trips between New York City and Pittsburgh."
The Shapiro administration has invested more than $80 million in the rail expansion, with infrastructure work already underway or completed.
In 2023, Pennsylvania received $143 million in federal passenger rail funding to support infrastructure and safety improvements necessary to increase passenger service along Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line, which the Pennsylvanian uses between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
Federal funding and additional state transit funding are being used for the design and construction of remaining improvements to be completed by Norfolk Southern.
Carroll credited federal infrastructure funding and coordination among the state, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern with making the additional service possible.
"Combined with the relentless advocacy of elected officials and community members along this corridor, this tireless work is making this long-awaited service expansion a reality," Carroll said.
Amtrak Board Member Robert Gleason said the additional train will provide passengers with more travel options and convenience between Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York and communities along the route.
The Pennsylvanian travels Norfolk Southern's Pittsburgh Line between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. The line is also a major freight corridor, carrying traffic between the Chicago area and metropolitan New York.
Norfolk Southern Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Mike McClellan said the expansion demonstrates what can be accomplished through cooperation between public and private partners.
"Norfolk Southern is proud to support efforts that expand transportation options for Pennsylvanians while maintaining the safe and efficient movement of freight across the Commonwealth," McClellan said.
Pennsylvania has 65 operating railroads, more than any other state, and more than 5,500 miles of railroad track. According to the 2025 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan, 169 million tons of freight moved over the state's rail transportation system in 2022.