Lancaster Train Station Renovation Begins

$12 million project to improve service for Keystone Service passengers

LANCASTER, PA. – Keystone Service passengers who use the Lancaster train station will find it much improved and more accessible and comfortable as a result of a major $12 million renovation project now getting underway.

Representatives from the City of Lancaster, Lancaster County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Amtrak today celebrated the start of the 18-month state and county-led project which has been in development for the past 10 years. The Lancaster station is served by Amtrak’s state-supported Keystone (Harrisburg – Philadelphia – New York) and Pennsylvanian (Pittsburgh – Harrisburg – Philadelphia – New York) routes.

The project includes a complete rehabilitation of the station’s interior and exterior; a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; new restrooms; improved landscaping; and increased parking capacity (from 175 parking spaces to 237). A new taxi loading and unloading area will be provided as will a new waiting and ticketing area for the Trailways Bus Company. The station also will have retail space and meeting rooms.

“We’ve been working the past several years to improve the gateways into the City of Lancaster—with the Fruitville Pike bridge and in a few years with the Lititz Pike bridge. This renovated train station will be the gem of our efforts to improve the transportation gateways and augment the redevelopment happening both within and surrounding the city,” said Toby Fauver, deputy secretary of local and area transportation for PennDOT.

Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners Dennis P. Stuckey said, “The renovation and improvement of this important building and its grounds will provide a modern, intermodal transportation facility to serve the needs of travelers as well as restoring a Lancaster landmark to its original beauty and glory.”

“Pennsylvania continues to be a leader in recognizing the benefits of rail and in providing its citizens with the stations and services that allow rail to be a viable transportation option,” said Joe McHugh, Amtrak’s vice president of government affairs and corporate communications, noting that last fiscal year over 484,000 passengers arrived or departed from the Lancaster station ranking it 22nd busiest out of the 525 stations served by Amtrak.

Funding for the renovation of the station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1929, was secured from county, state and federal sources—$9.6 million in federal funds, $2 million in state funds, and $400,000 in county funds.

During the 18-month construction period, the station will remain open and the impact on Amtrak and Trailways bus passengers who use the station daily should be minimal. The number of available parking spaces during construction will not change; however, part of the renovation calls for the creation of a taxi lane in front of the station which will eliminate parking there. To ensure they are not delayed as a result of the construction, passengers should allow extra time to reach the station.

For more information on the Lancaster Station Improvement Project, log onto www.lancasteramtrakstation.com.