Study funded for better Western Pennsylvania service

NARP Council of Representatives member Michael Alexander of Pittsburgh submitted the following report:

The Keystone West High Speed Rail Study has been established to look at ways to improve and expand passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, PA.  Half of the $1.5 million dollar cost is being provided by the Federal Railroad Administration through the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail grant program (HSIPR), matched by funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Speaking in Pittsburgh, a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) official described the goal of the study as modest and gradual improvement in passenger rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh PA.  The result should be better service in terms of frequency, time, and connectivity to other modes of transport.  The goal is train travel times that are competitive with the automobile, which does not necessarily mean reaching a 110-mph top speed, which is the federal minimum standard for “high-speed rail.”

Robert Garrett of PennDOT, Project Manager for the study, and Rick Shannon of the consulting firm of McCormick Taylor talked about the project at the monthly meeting of Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail (WPPR).  Also present at the June 27 event were Pittsburgh and Greensburg planning officials, staff members from NGOs, and representatives of political leaders and private industry.  The Pittsburgh Tribune Review covered the meeting.

Garrett will be making another presentation at the Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona, PA, on a date in August to be determined.

WPPR was founded less than two years ago to bring more and better rail passenger service to western Pennsylvania.  Organizers include Ken Joseph—who arranged with his law firm, Pepper Hamilton, to host this meeting—and Michael Alexander, both of whom serve on NARP’s Council of Representatives.