Pennsylvania

State Details

See Pennsylvania Wikipedia; also see United States for information relating to the country as a whole, and the national operator Amtrak.

Maps

Pennsylvania is covered by the SPV "North America Railroad Atlas" volume Northeast. This is out of print.

A SEPTA regional rail system map is here

The Northeast Corridor

This is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south. Tracks are standard gauge (4 ft 8 1/2 in (1435mm) and the overhead electrification is 25 kV AC at 60 Hz (Boston–New Haven), 12.5 kV AC at 60 Hz (New Haven–New York) and 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Washington). Some trains reach 150 mph (240 km/h) on certain sections.
The corridor is used by many Amtrak trains, including the high-speed Acela intercity trains, and several long-distance trains. Most of the corridor also has frequent commuter rail service, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), CT Rail, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, New Jersey Transit, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC). Ownership of the NEC is shown on this map
Northeast Corridor trains enter Pennsylvania from New Jersey, with station calls at Cornwells Heights, North Philadelphia (both very limited) and Philadelphia 30th Street before exiting the state into Delaware.

Rail Operators

• AMTRAK - Northeast Corridor
  • Acela - Operates high-speed, limited stop trains Boston - Providence - New Haven - New York - Wilmington - Philadelphia - Washington D.C. The only call in Pennsylvania is Philadelphia 30th Street.
  • AMTRAK Northeast Regional - Northeast Corridor trains enter Pennsylvania from New Jersey, with station calls at Cornwells Heights, North Philadelphia (both very limited) and Philadelphia 30th Street before exiting the state into Delaware.
• AMTRAK - Long Distance trains on Northeast Corridor - Philadelphia is served by several long-distance trains on the Northeast Corridor route including the Cardinal to Chicago, the Carolinian to Charlotte, the Crescent to New Orleans, the Palmetto to Savannah, the Silver Meteor to Miami, and the Vermonter to St. Albans, Vermont.
• AMTRAK - Long Distance trains Philadelphia to Chicago route - The Pennsylvanian arrives from New York into Philadelphia 30th Street, then has station calls at Paoli, Exton, Lancaster, Elizabethtown, Harrisburg, Lewistown, Huntingdon, Tyrone, Altoona, Johnstown, Latrobe, Greensburg, and Pittsburgh Union Station before leaving the state into Ohio. See also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA6 and PA7.
• AMTRAK - Long Distance Trains Washington D.C. to Chicago route - This AMTRAK route from Washington D.C. passes through Maryland and west Virginia before entering Pennsylvania and calling at Connellsville and Pittsburgh Union Station then leaving the state into Ohio.
• Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
  • Wilmington/Newark line runs from Philadelphia to Newark in Delaware over the Northeast Corridor route
  • Trenton line runs from Philadelphia to Trenton, New Jersey over the Northeast Corridor route
  • Paoli/Thorndale service uses the same tracks as AMTRAKs Pennsylvanian to Pittsburgh and Chicago
  • Other lines radiating from Philadelphia are Chestnut Hill East, Chestnut Hill West, Cynwyd (See Obscure and Sparse Passenger Services PA9), Fox Chase, Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown, Warminster, Airport (See Obscure and Sparse Passenger Services PA16), West Trenton and Media/Wawa.
• NJ Transit - The Atlantic City line runs from Philadelphia 30th Street to Atlantic City in New Jersey. Services run in Pennsylvania until the Delaware River is crossed before Pennsauken Transit Center.
• Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) - The PATCO Speedline, signed as the Lindenwold Line in Philadelphia and commonly referred to as the PATCO High Speed Line, connects 15–16th & Locust station, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Lindenwold in Camden County, New Jersey. The 14.2 mile (22.9 km) route is standard gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) and the electrification is third rail, 750 V DC.

Tourist Lines

• Allentown and Auburn Railroad - This company operates both a freight railroad and a tourist railroad. The Allentown and Auburn Railroad line is 4.12 miles (6.63 km) long and runs between Kutztown and an interchange with Norfolk Southern Railway's Reading Line in Topton. Excursions operate out of Kutztown.
• The Colebrookdale Railroad, also known as the Secret Valley Line, operates for 8.6 miles (13.8 km) between Boyertown in Berks County and Pottstown in Montgomery County.
• The East Broad Top Railroad is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge historic and heritage railroad headquartered in Rockhill Furnace, Pennsylvania. Services run north to Pennsylvania Route 475, with further extension planned. See also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA1.
• Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad - Also known as the Reading and Northern, the company operate several passenger excursions over its system. Map here A subsidiary, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway (LGSR), offers daily service between Jim Thorpe and Lehigh Gorge State Park between the months of April and November, while RBMN itself runs regular weekend trains to Jim Thorpe from Reading and Pittston. There are also excursions from Reading to the Pottsville branch. See also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA2,13 and 14.
• Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad - Operates excursions from Middletown for an 11-mile (18 km) round-trip excursion along the Swatara Creek and Union Canal.
• New Hope Railroad - Operates tourist trains from New Hope to Lahaska, with some occasionally going further to Buckingham Valley. See also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA4.
• Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad - A tourist railroad that runs from Titusville to Rynd Farm north of Oil City. The railroad has 13.5 miles (21.7 km) of track.
• Strasburg Rail Road - Offers excursion trains from Strasburg to Paradise on 4.02 mi (6.47 km) of track in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
• The Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern - A privately owned heritage railroad company in Kempton, Pennsylvania. Nicknamed the Hawk Mountain Line. Tourist trains run on about three miles (4.8 km) of track between Kempton and Wanamaker.
• The West Chester Railroad - Runs excursions for 7.7 miles (12.4 km) between Market Street in West Chester and the village of Glen Mills.
• Gettysburg Excursion Railway - Expected to open in mid-2025 from Gettsyburg to Biglerville and Mount Holly Springs
• Northern Central Railway - Operate excursions out of New Freedom usually as far as Howard Tunnel, but see also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA17.

Metro and light rail systems

//www.urbanrail.net/am/phil/philadelphia.htm

Philadelphia Metro (rapid transit)

• Line L Market - Frankford line. Frankford to 69th Street
• Line B Broad Street line. Fern Rock to NRG (Patisson) and Fairmount to 8th Market.
• PATCO (Lindenwald line) 15/16th Street - Lindenwald

Tram/Trolley

Philadelphia Tram/Trolley (See Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA15)

• T1 (SEPTA Metro) Route 10 63rd–Malvern/Overbrook to 13th Street
  
• T2 (SEPTA Metro) Route 34 61st–Baltimore/Angora
  
• T3 (SEPTA Metro) Route 13 Yeadon Darby Transit Center (limited) See also Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services PA3.
  
• T4 (SEPTA Metro) Route 11 Darby Transit Center
  
• T5 (SEPTA Metro) Route 36 80th Street–Eastwick
  
• G (SEPTA Metro) Trolley 63rd–Girard

Pittsburgh Light Rail

• Pittsburgh Regional Transit - Operates a 26-mile (42 km) light rail system called the "T". The system comprises three lines, all of which have a northern terminus at Allegheny station.
  • The Red Line, which runs through Beechview, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon and Bethel Park before terminating at South Hills Village
  • The Blue Line, which runs through Knoxville, Overbrook, Castle Shannon and Bethel Park before terminating at South Hills Village
  • The Silver Line, which runs through Knoxville, Overbrook, Castle Shannon, Bethel Park and South Park before terminating at Library

Funiculars

• Johnstown Inclined Railway - Operated by CamTran, the incline and its two stations connect the city of Johnstown to the borough of Westmont. Track gauge is 8 ft (2,440 mm) and the length is 896.5 ft (273.3 m).
• Pittsburgh Regional Transit - Pittsburgh has two funiculars ("inclines"), the Duquesne Incline and the Monongahela Incline.

Recent and Future Changes

Recent Changes

None

Future Changes

Due to severe financial losses with effect from 01 January 2026 the following lines are threatened with closure: Valley to Cynwyd, North Philadelphia to Chestnut Hill West, Philadelphia to Thorndale, Jenkin to West Trenton and the SEPTA service to Trenton via the North East Corridor (Amtrak line).
Also on the closure list is the subway branch from Girard to 8th/Market and Streetcar lines 10 and 15
All remaining services would not run after 21:00
While the State has bailed SEPTA out in the past, the above lines should be prioritised for travel as they are clearly vulnerable.

Obscure or Sparse Passenger Services

See USA - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services - Pennsylvania.

Special Notes

None