Rail riders between New York City and Pittsburgh are about to get a second choice of train. Starting Nov. 18, Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian goes from one daily round trip to two, just in time for the Thanksgiving rush.
The change was announced by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which said tickets for the new schedule went on sale through the Amtrak website and mobile app. It marks the first time in decades that Pittsburgh has added passenger train service, as Axios Pittsburgh noted.
What Changes on Nov. 18
For years, the Pennsylvanian has made a single trip each way along its 444-mile route through Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The current eastbound train leaves Pittsburgh at 7:30 a.m. and reaches New York at 4:50 p.m., while the westbound train leaves New York at 10:02 a.m. and pulls into Pittsburgh at 8:05 p.m., according to the schedule published by Mass Transit. That single-train schedule goes away when the new one starts.
Under the new timetable, eastbound trains leave Pittsburgh Union Station at 7:10 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., arriving in New York at 4:43 p.m. and 10:25 p.m. Westbound trains leave New York at 5:50 a.m. and 12:25 p.m., reaching Pittsburgh at 3:14 p.m. and 9:54 p.m. Part of the trip includes a pause in Philadelphia, where Amtrak swaps diesel engines for electric ones…