Gov. Ed Rendell and Amtrak announced Tuesday a $145 million upgrade of the corridor is complete.

Amtrak officials said the improvements will allow for trains to reach a top speed of 110 mph — up from the current 90 mph.

Starting Oct. 30, the new service will speed passengers from Lancaster to Philadelphia in an hour, which is 16 minutes faster than the current schedule. The Lancaster-to-Harrisburg run, now as long as 45 minutes, will be five to 10 minutes shorter.

The line will feature 90-minute express trains between Harrisburg, Lancaster and Philadelphia, a 30-minute improvement over the current two-hour trip.

Amtrak also will add to the route three weekday round trips and one on Saturdays and Sundays, Rich Kirkpatrick, a PennDOT spokesman, said.

The 104-mile Keystone Corridor is one of Amtrak’s most popular routes. Kirkpatrick said he expects ridership on the corridor, already up 14 percent in 2005, to increase even more in November.

“A key to enhancing rail service is to increase frequencies and running time, and in this case we’re improving both,” he said.

Amtrak will maintain its current fares. For example, an unreserved coach ticket for the trip from Lancaster to Philadelphia is $13; it’s $6 for the same ticket to Harrisburg.

The rail-improvement project focused on the elimination of remaining jointed rail on the line, replacing it with continuous welded rail, which greatly improves ride quality.

Work on the corridor began in 2001 but was halted and nearly shut down that year because Amtrak encountered financial problems. Rendell and Amtrak announced in July 2004 an amended agreement that expedited the project. Funding for the improvements was split among Amtrak, the commonwealth and the federal transit administration.

Pennsylvania’s contribution to the project was $14.5 million, Kirkpatrick said.

“The hope is that more people will opt to take the train instead of taking personal vehicles,” Kirkpatrick said. “This provides an option for people looking for a way to reduce gasoline consumption.”

Among the upgrades to the corridor are the:

• Addition of push-pull electric train sets.



• Installation of approximately 200 miles of continuous welded rail, providing for a smoother ride.



• Installation of 216,000 concrete ties, 48,000 wooden ties and 52 new switches.



• Upgrade of signal and electrification systems, including two dozen signal instrument houses.

With the transition to electric service from diesel, trains running between Harrisburg and New York City will no longer need to switch from diesel engines to electric, and passengers won’t need to switch trains in Philadelphia.

Amtrak also will add 13 round trips weekly between Harrisburg and New York City.

The stations on the line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia are: Middletown, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Lancaster, Parkesburg, Coatesville, Downingtown, Exton, Paoli and Ardmore.

The new schedule will be available in mid-October at the passenger rail service’s Web site, www.amtrak.com.