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12/12/2023
Pennsylvania will receive more than $144 million in federal funds through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program and the Corridor Identification and Development program, Gov. Josh Shapiro has announced.
The funding is part of the $8.2 billion federal investment that the Federal Railroad Administration announced last week to enhance and expand passenger rail in the United States.
Pennsylvania received $143 million for infrastructure improvements to the Keystone West line between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Currently, the Pennsylvanian Amtrak service travels round trip between New York City and Pittsburgh via Harrisburg once daily.
A recently announced agreement between Norfolk Southern Railway and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) supports increasing those passenger services to twice daily. To support those expanded operations, Pennsylvania will invest more than $200 million in infrastructure and safety improvements — which will now be partially offset by the federal funding.
"Expanding this service will reduce commute times, help connect hundreds of thousands of residents, and boost local economies," said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll in a press release.
Also last week, the FRA awarded up to $1.5 million for potential passenger-rail development along the Keystone Line and in Scranton and Reading. The FRA identified three passenger-rail corridors for study and development through the Corridor ID program. The funds will support the Scranton-to-New York Penn Station Passenger Rail Corridor project, the Keystone Corridor: Pittsburgh-to-Philadelphia project, and the Reading-Philadelphia-New York Corridor. Each corridor will receive up to $500,000.