ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — Passenger rail service from Harrisburg to Lancaster has been fully restored, following the completion of a $122 million Amtrak renovation project.
“We have much more reliable track [now]," said Laura Mason, Amtrak's Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery. "We’ve replaced it with new concrete ties and new rail which have a much longer life expectancy and lower maintenance so this track will last for the next 50 years.”
43 miles of rail track and more than 110,000 ties underwent the major renovations, which means Amtrak passengers can now expect a faster, smoother ride.
“You’ll have less track work or less slowdowns for maintenance in the future," Mason said.
Crews worked through the summer, completing two years’ worth of work in just eight months.
It restores service at the perfect time, just before the holiday travel season, which Mason says was always the goal.
“Our original end date was November 21 and we did so well with our productivity, we actually ended early on November 7," she said.
Amtrak leaders along with state and local lawmakers and other community members gathered at the Amtrak station in Elizabethtown on Monday to celebrate the project's completion.
“[I'm] especially happy to see the efficiency in how this was accomplished with the cooperation of these agencies and I think it’s an example for other agencies and departments in Pennsylvania that should be learned from," said State Rep. Tom Jones (R-Lancaster and Lebanon).
Amtrak says there will residual work still through the next few weeks, but there will be minimal impact on passenger service.