Starting Oct. 30, Amtrak will add three roundtrips weekdays between Philadelphia and Harrisburg to the nine currently offered.
Amtrak also will add one roundtrip on Saturdays and one on Sundays.
Each of the extra trains will stop in Lancaster.
The improved service will include trains reaching a top speed of 110 mph, compared to a current maximum of 90 mph, made possible by new rails, ties, switches and trains.
That higher speed will trim the Lancaster-to-Philadelphia run by 16 minutes, to one hour. The Lancaster-to-Harrisburg run, now as long as 45 minutes, will be five-to-10 minutes shorter.
Fares will be unchanged on the 104-mile line, known as the Keystone Corridor.
“A quality transportation system is essential for economic development and growth, as well as improving the quality of life for our residents,” said Rendell in a prepared statement.
The governor added that passenger rail service is a “viable” transportation method that “can help America work towards energy independence.”
Amtrak chairman David Laney noted that Keystone Corridor ridership rose 14 percent last year, underscoring the wisdom of investing in the track improvements.
Funding for the track upgrade came from Amtrak, the state and the Federal Transit Administration.
The track upgrade initially was announced by the state and Amtrak in 1999, but languished due to Amtrak’s fiscal woes. In July 2004, Rendell and Amtrak announced an amended agreement to expedite the work.
The work included: installing 200 miles of continuous welded rail, which provides for a smoother ride; installing 216,000 concrete ties, 48,000 wooden ties and 52 new switches; new track bed; rebuilt rail cars; and upgrading signal and electrification systems.
The additional service here will include eastbound trains leaving Lancaster weekdays at 8:31 a.m. and 10:31 a.m., weekdays and Saturdays at 1:40 p.m., and Sundays at 7:55 p.m.
New westbound trains will leave Lancaster weekdays at 8:24 a.m., 1:52 p.m. and 4:51 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 1:52 p.m.
Lancaster now is served by nine Keystone roundtrips weekdays, as well as the Pennsylvanian train once. On both Saturdays and Sundays, Lancaster now is served by five Keystone roundtrips and the Pennsylvanian.
The new schedule that takes effect Oct. 30 will be available in mid-October at the passenger rail service’s Web site, www.amtrak.com. 