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vortical42 OP t1_j7l8xci wrote

Reply to comment by glynnefearn in Why does Amtrack service not extend to State College? by vortical42

There is track there so I don't think that was the issue.

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upghr5187 t1_j7lbh85 wrote

It is the issue. The only tracks that reach state college is a spur line that comes from the north through Bellefonte. There’s no tracks connecting State College to Lewistown where the existing Amtrak line is. They would need to reroute through Williamsport to connect State College and Harrisburg without laying new track.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j7mx2t4 wrote

>They would need to reroute through Williamsport to connect State College and Harrisburg without laying new track.

Just saying, this would be amazing. The bus services in these areas suck. I went to college up there, and its so hard to get around without a car.

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SendAstronomy t1_j7nvki6 wrote

But it would suck majorly for people that want to get to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or anywhere south.

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Pink_Slyvie t1_j7o1q7d wrote

It looks like they could do a line going from Harrisburg to Buffalo, that would be amazing. Looks like it's Norfolk Southern.

I'm of the opinion the gov't needs to take over the entire nation's rail system and really push electric rail, but that aint going to happen.

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wheresaldopa t1_j7n58nz wrote

Either that, or send the trains to Tyrone and connect to Harrisburg that way. Probably easier. That said, the spur line is ill-maintained jointed rail speed limited to 10-15 mph, as frequently tends to be the case with short line railroads all across the country. Amtrak service would demand significant upgrades, and the spur line doesn't even get close to downtown anyway.

I do think there would be some demand for train service to State College, if the number of Penn State students I've seen getting off the Amtrak in Tyrone and carpooling back to campus is anything to go by.

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SendAstronomy t1_j7nw5yj wrote

Connecting either to Tyrone or Lewistown would be great. Though the Amtrak service is already pretty thin. It would be tough to get the money to do this.

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Merker6 t1_j7ljgst wrote

Railroad tracks don’t work like roads. They were almost entirely built and operated privately by companies until the 1970s when passenger rail collapsed and the federal government bought it at deep discount and gradually sold off a great deal of what was left. In fact, most of the rail amtrak uses is not owned by Amtrak, it’s leased from companies like CSX and Norfolk Southern.

Amtrak can’t simply use it because its there, and passenger trains have plenty of their own requirements due to differing safety standards. It’s unlikely that using these tracks is feasible.

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webauteur t1_j7m287q wrote

Trains are an interesting example of early technology and investment hype. I did not realize this until I read a history of financial bubbles. People used to be really excited about trains so they built way more rail lines than could be justified. There was some serious over-investment. It was comparable to Silicon Valley mania today.

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cashonlyplz t1_j7luq35 wrote

Oh, baby, you're in the right state if you like trains and train history.

As others have said, the rails are not nationalized--Amtrak, unfortunately, only exists in its present form because of the freight rail industry. ~70% of Amtrak service runs on industrial rail.

If you believe it should be different, as many train nerds like myself do, we must bother our elected officials to no end, regardless of party.

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