Earlier this month, Amtrak announced that their Pennsylvanian Line will increase to two daily roundtrips starting on Nov. 18 of this year. This is enabled by over $200 million in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration and Norfolk Southern. Tickets are already available on Amtrak’s website, 1-800-USA-RAIL or at an Amtrak Station.
The Pennsylvanian is an eight-hour, 444 mile route via termini in Pittsburgh at Union Station and New York City at Penn Station with a stop right here at Lancaster Station. Comforts include free on-board WiFi and a Cafe Car. Upgrading from coach to business grants a more comfortable seat, extra legroom and a complimentary drink.
Major stops on the Pennsylvanian include Harrisburg and Philadelphia. To reach Harrisburg, it takes half an hour. 30th Street Station in Philadelphia takes about one hour. The eastern terminus at Manhattan’s Penn Station will entail a roughly three hour journey. Pittsburgh’s western terminus at Union Station will take six hours and some change. However, as with all Amtrak trains, delays should be expected. The walk to the Station from campus takes about 15-20 minutes with a walking path throughout.
Currently, the sole eastbound Pennsylvanian train toward New York City arrives in Lancaster at 1:45PM and the westbound toward Pittsburgh at 1:50PM. After Nov. 18, the two westbound trains will arrive in Lancaster at 8:49a.m. and 3:36p.m. with the eastbound at 1:25p.m. and 7:15p.m.
The Pennsylvanian isn’t the only line to serve Lancaster Station. The Keystone runs multiple trains a day from Harrisburg to New York City in both directions. The addition of this second daily Pennsylvanian service will help alleviate congestion on the Keystone and former single line. It will allow students traveling to Pittsburgh an option of a morning or afternoon train.
This comes as construction progresses on the Keller Avenue parking lot. Along with the new lot, a pedestrian bridge is being built directly from the lot to the station. Current parking is very scarce, and this will allow for even more passengers at Pennsylvania’s second-busiest Amtrak station. In November 2025, Amtrak claimed that construction would be finished in fall of this year. Nevertheless, given the current state of progress, this is very unlikely. Overall, this revitalization of Lancaster Station is a welcome sign for students.
Freshman Arshan Engineer is a Contributing Writer. Their email is aenginee@fandm.edu.