(The following story by Joe Grata appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website on September 4.)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Amtrak has officially announced consolidation of two interstate trains serving the region into a single route, but it left the door open for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to intercede and preserve both of them.
Effective Nov. 1, the Three Rivers, which operates between New York and Chicago via Pittsburgh, would be eliminated.
The Pennsylvanian, which operates between New York and Pittsburgh, would run in its time slot. In addition, the service would be extended west to Chicago, but only until March 1. That’s when it would go west only to Pittsburgh again, after Amtrak gives a mandated 180-day notice to affected communities, including Youngstown and Akron, Ohio, about discontinuing service.
Amtrak officials also announced that the revamped New York-Pittsburgh-Chicago service provided by the once-a-day Pennsylvanian will operate on a schedule about an hour faster than the Three Rivers through spring because mail and express business cargo are being eliminated.
Cash-strapped Amtrak officials yesterday indicated there’s still a chance to save the Three Rivers train, which last year saw a ridership increase of 8.3 percent to 137,234.
“We’ve held a series of conversations with them [PennDOT] regarding this decision,” Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said. “We’re trying to determine if they’re interested in preserving the two round trips that now exist.”
Amtrak wants the train to be subsidized, similar to how PennDOT subsidizes Keystone train service in the Harrisburg-to-Philadelphia corridor.
PennDOT spokesman Kirk Wilson said the department is pondering the proposal.
“We’re trying to determine the impact of Amtrak’s decision,” Wilson said. “Once we determine our position, we’ll meet with them again.”
The daily Capitol Limited, which runs between Chicago and Washington, D.C., via Pittsburgh, is not affected. However, because of the consolidation of the Three Rivers and Pennsylvanian, dozens of on-board service employees, mechanics and other Pittsburgh-based Amtrak workers will lose their jobs.
Stephen Donahue, head of the Save Our Transit group lobbying for state funding for the Port Authority, called for supporters of interstate trains that also provide intrastate service to places like Greensburg, Johnstown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia to contact Amtrak, state and U.S. officials.
He called the Pennsylvanian “the only thing close to a commuter train we have.” Ridership on the Pennsylvanian has nearly doubled, to about 125,000 riders a year, since Amtrak adjusted the schedule in February 2003 to provide convenient daylight service. In comparison, Capitol Limited westbound and eastbound trains call on Pittsburgh at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
“Call Gov. Rendell and demand that he intervene and keep some rail service for us in the West,” Donahue said. “It does us no good to spend our tax money on excellent service between Harrisburg and Philly when we can’t even get to Greensburg.”
Jobs of approximately 300 Amtrak employees nationwide will be impacted by Amtrak’s decision to eliminate the Three Rivers train, the Palmetto and Silver Service trains in Georgia and Florida and U. S. Postal Service shipping.
“I realize this will be painful for some employees, but we will make every effort to provide opportunities for affected employees to remain with the company,” said Amtrak President David L. Gunn, saying mail business has been marginal and did not justify the toll on passenger operations.
The Three Rivers train was extended from Pittsburgh to Chicago in 1996 and scheduled to meet the needs of the bulk-mail business that Amtrak now is dropping.
Many Amtrak passengers are students, families and senior citizens. Others prefer the convenience of stations in center cities, don’t drive or fear flying.