MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Federal, local and state elected officials joined representatives from Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for a new train station that recently opened in Middletown, Dauphin County.
The $24.5 million station, located at West Emaus and Main streets, features a central high-level ADA-accessible platform, a pedestrian overpass to the platform, elevator and stair towers, accessible ramps, on-site parking, and designated bus loading zones.
The station officially opened on Jan. 10.
At Tuesday's ceremony, PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Jennie Louwerse highlighted the $207 million in state and federal investments in the Amtrak Keystone Corridor between Harrisburg and Philadelphia from 2015 through 2021.
“The commonwealth has a long record of improving accessibility and the passenger rail experience in Pennsylvania,” Louwerse said. “Completing projects like this one in Middletown repeatedly shows how transportation improves people’s lives, and that investment must continue.”
The station was built in collaboration with the Middletown Borough, Capital Area Transit and Harrisburg International Airport. It was made possible by additional funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
“The Federal Transit Administration congratulates PennDOT on the successful completion of the new Middletown intermodal accessible station that provides connections to rail, air and bus services along Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor,” said Terry Garcia Crews, FTA Region 3 Regional Administrator. “In collaboration with PennDOT and Amtrak, FTA contributed $25.6 million to this project, which will provide better service for riders.”
The $49.5 million in right of way, design and construction work at the station included $25.6 million from the FTA, $15.9 million from PennDOT and $8 million in work by Amtrak to shift tracks to accommodate the new station alignment.
“The construction of the new train station and roadway extension connecting downtown Middletown to Pa. Route 230 is more than an upgrade for rail passengers," Middletown Borough Council President Ian Reddinger said. "It is an investment in the future of Middletown. I am pleased that an ideal location was chosen for the new station, which I believe will inspire an increase in rail travel as well as real estate growth, dining and entertainment development, tourism, and local economic spending. I wish to thank and commend our partners on a job well done!”
“We appreciate PennDOT’s continued investment in infrastructure and stations like Middletown along the Keystone Line,” said Amtrak’s AVP Infrastructure Access & Investment Tom Moritz. “We hope to continue to build upon the strong partnership that we have established with PennDOT as we connect people and communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”