Passenger rail travel is back on track in Pennsylvania after facing a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now a group of Centre County leaders is hoping to capitalize on that and expand access to it in the Centre Region.
Greg Kausch, who serves on the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization, said they’re getting ready to start a rail access study.
“It's going to include such things as looking at the feasibility of a direct rail connection, whether that's through Tyrone, whether it's through Lewistown, whether it's through other stations," Kausch said.
They’ll also seek input from the community. Kausch said they did a similar study in 2014, but the data is outdated by now. Plus, he said Amtrak is adding a second daily ride between Pittsburgh and New York next year, showing there is increased demand for rail travel across the region.
Eric Bernier, College Township council chairman, also serves on the Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization. He said some rail infrastructure is already in place, such as in Lemont and Bellefonte. But, he said, it could be a while before people see a train stop in State College.
“Laying track between Lewistown and State College would be a heavy lift," Bernier said. "Because there are some areas where the tracks no longer exist, and the easement and right-of-way is gone. It's been ceded to the property owners.”
Bernier said this study will gauge interest in creating a direct rail line to State College. He said the MPO is also considering creating a rideshare service to the train stations in Lewistown, Huntingdon and Tyrone.
The study will cost about $60,000, with $48,000 coming from the Federal Highway Administration, and the rest coming from the county. They expect to have results by mid-summer 2026.
And, PennDOT is updating its statewide rail plan and gathering feedback for the future of rail travel. There will be a virtual public meeting on the state rail plan on October 16.
