NS, PennDOT to collaborate on freight-, passenger-rail improvements

The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) has helped paved the way for Norfolk Southern Railway and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to collaborate on an operating agreement and finalize the improvements required to increase passenger-rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, state and NS officials announced last week.

Passenger-rail funds included in the IIJA will enable improvements on the NS-owned rail corridor west of Harrisburg. The engineering and construction will stem from an NS operational feasibility study identifying the improvements required to eliminate eight chokepoints and to allow freight and passenger trains to operate without conflicting with each other.

The improvements will benefit freight-rail service and could result in a second round-trip passenger train between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, according to a PennDOT press release.

The news was announced last week at an event attended by Gov. Tom Wolf, PennDOT Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Jennie Louwerse, Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose and NS Regional Vice President Rudy Husband.

"Freight rail is a core piece of Pennsylvania's infrastructure, and this is the rare opportunity to improve an important rail corridor while laying the groundwork for more passenger-rail service in the future," Wolf said. "Western Pennsylvania has wanted more passenger-rail service for years and I'm excited that we can immediately leverage the federal infrastructure plan for mobility and economic benefits in the communities served by this rail line."

The improvements can begin when PennDOT and NS finalize an operating agreement including the project scope, how freight and passenger operations will both safely use the corridor, compensation for the use of NS's assets and adequate liability protection.

PennDOT will fund the agreement by redirecting state Multimodal Transportation Fund dollars because part of the IIJA’s funding is intended to replace train sets on the Amtrak passenger-rail network. PennDOT had been setting aside funding to meet requirements from a 2008 federal law that would have required about $350 million from Pennsylvania toward train-set costs, state officials said.

Once an agreement is finalized, construction — expected to take about five years — could begin. The additional service would begin after the improvements in the corridor are made.

"Many critical issues must be resolved before this new [passenger] service becomes a reality, including the preservation of our ability to serve present and future freight customers, which translates directly to jobs and economic development opportunities in Pennsylvania," said Mike McClellan, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for NS.