Rail travel in PA (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: rental car, rental, how much)

[HappyRider]

Wondering if you can go around the state on rail. Something like a big loop starting in Philly.

[ki0eh]

Sure. Day train Philly to Pgh, change at Pgh to go to Cleveland in the middle of the night, another night train passing Erie returning through Buffalo and Albany to NYC then down to Washington through Philly, back out to Pgh through Connellsville, return on the day train to Philly. Click on PA here: Amtrak Route Atlas then zoom one click out.

[HappyRider]

I guess the answer is no!

[Summering]

Obama has outlined a vision for a high-speed rail network with 10 designated passenger rail areas.
The high speed map shows a train across the "lower" portion of PA. .......Its in a long range plan including other states. Thats what we need for fast travel.......High speed. Right now we have only one connecting Boston with Washington, DC at that it goes just 110mpi. Other countries have trains at 150 and 180mpi!

[mattjd]

Originally Posted by Summering

Obama has outlined a vision for a high-speed rail network with 10 designated passenger rail areas.
The high speed map shows a train across the "lower" portion of PA. .......Its in a long range plan including other states. Thats what we need for fast travel.......High speed. Right now we have only one connecting Boston with Washington, DC at that it goes just 110mpi. Other countries have trains at 150 and 180mpi!

Umm, isn't that what airplanes are for? Perhaps I don't see the genius in spending billions on a train when the airplane ticket will be cheaper and quicker.

[ki0eh]

OK, let's say you want to go from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg for the day. You could drive, 3.5 hours one way. You could fly, (or once could have when USAir had a good hub at PIT), drive 1/2 hour to the airport, 1.5 hr for security and whatnot, 1/2 hour in the air, 1/2 hour to get a rental car, 1/2 hour to drive downtown, which is the same 3.5 hours. Or you could take the current one a day train, 5 hours. A 2.5 or 3 hour train would do quite a bit for a business traveler.

Then the pesky questions start, like: what technology? where would the rails run? And of course how much?

[HappyRider]

For distances up to 300 miles I'd take the train anytime. I was thinking of rail travel along Rt.6 and other scenic places, and it doesn't have to be high speed. Coast to coast PA is only 300 miles but it looks like even major hubs aren't well connected. Just one railway for the whole state. Anyone traveled the Philly to PITT route? Scenic?

[ki0eh]

The "Main Line" across Pennsylvania is a fascinating series of views. You see everything from West Philadelphia to Amish buggies; the roadless gap of the Little Juniata shared only with fisherman and hikers; ritzy stores on the Main Line Philly suburbs to seen better days of the Mainline of Cambria County.

I find it more enjoyable to ride in leaf-off times so you see more than the brush alongside the tracks, and to ride with a GPS receiver so you have an idea where you are and what you might be looking at.

As far as riding a train paralleling Route 6, in PA you never could; a journey just from Wellsboro to Towanda by train would have involved riding the New York Central from Wellsboro to Corning, either DL&W or Erie from Corning to Waverly, a cab ride over to Sayre and then the Lehigh Valley from Sayre to Towanda. (And even that not since 1938 or so.) You could drive to various scenic train rides in season, such as Tioga Central Railroad - Pennsylvania's Most Scenic Railroad - Wellsboro, PA

[pman]

Originally Posted by HappyRider

Anyone traveled the Philly to PITT route? Scenic?

yes. it frequently arrives early which is something you can't say about every amtrak train. It's definitely worth a ride, though I do wish it were faster.

[danwxman]

Just to clarify, there are two trains which run across Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvanian, which runs between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and is diesel and not high speed. It's pretty slow across the Appalachian mountains. Then there is the Keystone, which runs between Philly and Harrisburg, which is electrified and high-speed (the only high-speed line outside of Acela).