Keystone Service

From Free net encyclopedia

Amtrak's 195-mile (314 km) Keystone Service provides frequent passenger train service along the Amtrak-owned Keystone Corridor and Northeast Corridor between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and New York City via Philadelphia.

The trains consist of unreserved coach only. There is no business class or snack/food service.

There are several daily trains, 9 each direction between New York/Philadelphia on weekdays, 4 each direction on weekends. The journey takes approximately 4 hours total, taking 2 hours between Harrisburg and Philadelphia and 1.5 hours between Philadelphia and New York.

Operation of this service is complicated by the fact that electric trains cannot run from Philadelphia to Harrisburg (due to the lack of overhead catenary wires for the full length), and diesel trains cannot run from Philadelphia to New York (due to the long, insufficiently-ventilated tunnels under the Hudson River). As a result, trains require a reverse move and engine change at Philadelphia, resulting in a scheduled 20-30 minute delay, during part of which the passenger cars are without power or light. The current reconstruction project on the Keystone Corridor, allowing 110-m.p.h. operation of the trains, and the upgrading of catenary wires (the section of line between Paoli and Philadelphia date back to 1915), will allow Keystone Service trains, using refurbished Metroliner m.u. and Metroliner locomotive-hauled equipment, to go from Harrisburg to New York in less than 3 hours, the locomotive switch at 30th Street Station would be eliminated, and the train stopping at North Philadelphia train station located on Broad Street near Temple University.

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Station stops

See Keystone Corridor for a full list of stations

Eastbound trains are assigned even numbers from 610 to 662; westbound trains get odd numbers from 601 to 665. Trains make the following station stops; stations served by all trains over the particular section are bolded.