HARRISBURG, Pa. — Amtrak announced Thursday it is fully restoring Pennsylvanian Service (New York-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh), and Keystone Service (New York-Philadelphia-Harrisburg) will begin operating on a modified schedule in response to an anticipated increase in demand now that many Pennsylania counties are moving to the "yellow" phase of COVID-19 mitigation.
The services will be restored June 1, Amtrak said.
Modified Keystone Service will include nine round trips on weekdays and six round trips on weekends, temporarily operating between Harrisburg and Philadelphia only, Amtrak said. There will be no service between New York and Philadelphia for now.
Pennsylvanian Service will include one daily round-trip between New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, according to Amtrak.
All trains will be reserved to allow for social distancing, the transportation company said.
Amtrak said it is also restoring Acela service on the Northeast Corridor on a modified schedule, beginning June 1. Modified service will include three weekday Acela round-trips.
Northeast Regional frequencies will also be increased from eight to 10 daily roundtrips, Amtrak said.
Amtrak will continue to take extra steps to disinfect stations and trains, the company said.
Additional measures include the following:
- Limiting bookings: To help maintain CDC recommendations for physical distancing onboard trains, Amtrak has temporarily reduced Coach, Business, and Acela First Class sales to 50% capacity on reserved services.
- Facial coverings: As part of Amtrak’s ongoing commitment to protect customers and front-line employees in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Amtrak is requiring that all customers in stations, on trains and thruway buses wear facial coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the use of simple cloth facial coverings or masks to slow the spread of the virus and prevent transmission.
- Enhanced cleaning: Amtrak has amplified the cleaning of trains by spraying a disinfectant focusing on highly touched surfaces.
- Café service: Café service aboard Amtrak trains that still offer food service is currently available as carryout only. Seating in the café will be closed. Customers can bring items back to their seats after purchasing.
- Cashless transactions: As an added measure to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees, we are temporarily accepting cashless payments only in stations and on trains.
- Physical distancing: Signage has been displayed at several of our busiest stations to indicate safe distances in high customer traffic areas such as waiting rooms, in front ticket offices, at the base/top of escalators, lounge entrances, etc. In addition, clear protective barriers have been retrofitted at stations where there are no current glass barriers.
- Upon arrival: When the train is approaching a destination, conductors will make announcements regarding where and when customers can disembark to minimize crowding at the door.
While some services were temporarily reduced or suspended, Amtrak said it has and will continue to operate as an essential service as the nation recovers. In addition to Pennsylvanian and Keystone Service trains, other trains in the Amtrak network will be restored to service by monitoring demand, working with state partners and continuing to prioritize customer and employee safety.
Tickets are currently for sale and can be found, along with current schedules on Amtrak.com and through the Amtrak app.