Franklin and Marshall College students can easily travel from Lancaster to Philadelphia, and then onto the Philadelphia International Airport, by using the Lancaster Amtrak which offers a fast and relatively affordable experience. It’s the second busiest Amtrak station in Pennsylvania, and the 25th busiest in the United States. The Lancaster station is currently under repairs, and working closely with PennDOT partners to replace existing platforms, canopies, floors, and other maintenance structures to improve the overall station. These repairs on the north platform should be completed by January 2026. But are all these repairs pointless?
On August 18, Pennsylvania Representative Brendanon stated that funding cuts could lead to closure of the Keystone Service, which links Harrisburg, New York, and Pennsylvania, with Lancaster a merry stop along the way. Meanwhile, SEPTA annually contributes $71.1 million to Amtrak operations. While Governor John Shapiro has asserted that the Keystone Service Line won’t be completely cut, SEPTA is still vulnerable to potential changes. This could mean slower repairs, and thus trains could be delayed or reduced to accommodate. Even if the rail lines don’t disappear, they are still susceptible to change. These changes could even extend across Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor services, which travel along the east coast from Boston to Washington, D.C. While impending cuts seem inevitable, there is still ambiguity from officials on what would actually be enacted.
For F&M students who have recently returned from studies abroad, and the punctual, plentiful, and pristine public transportation that seemingly races ahead in every other part of the world, this is particularly devastating news.
Senior Teagan Durkin is a Staff Writer. Her email is tdurkin@fandm.edu.