Lancaster station (Pennsylvania)
Lancaster, PA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | 53 East McGovern Avenue Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 40°3′15.71″N 76°18′27.80″W / 40.0543639°N 76.3077222°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Amtrak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Amtrak Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 island platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | Red Rose Transit Authority: 3, 6, 10, 11, 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | 30 short-term, 50 long-term | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Architectural style | Neoclassical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Station code | Amtrak: LNC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
IATA code | ZRL | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | April 28, 1929[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrified | January 15, 1938[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FY 2022 | 305,698[3] (Amtrak) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Official name | Pennsylvania Railroad Station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Designated | September 7, 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Part of | Lancaster City Historic District | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reference no. | 01000956[4] |
Lancaster station is an Amtrak railroad station and a former Pennsylvania Railroad station in Lancaster, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located on the Keystone Corridor, the station is served by the Keystone Service between New York City and Harrisburg, and by the Pennsylvanian between New York and Pittsburgh. Lancaster is the second busiest Amtrak station in Pennsylvania, and the twenty-first busiest in the United States. It is one of the busiest Amtrak stations serving a metropolitan area smaller than two million people, primarily because of the large number of passengers traveling to and from Philadelphia and points east.
The first railroad station to be established in Lancaster was on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad in 1834. The station was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1857 who replaced it with a new building. The current station building was constructed in 1929 north of the city by the Pennsylvania after a rail line bypassing the city was opened. Currently owned by Amtrak, the station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Lancaster City Historic District.
Services and facilities
The Lancaster station is located on East McGovern Avenue, westbound
The Lancaster station is equipped with a ticket office, Amtrak's Quik-Trak ticket machines, vending, and public restrooms.[8] The Red Rose Transit Authority provides local bus service to the station. Route 6 stops in front of the station and provides service to and from downtown Lancaster.[9] Route 3 to the Park City Center shopping mall and Route 19 to Manheim stop along McGovern Avenue adjacent to the station; the closest stop for Route 3 and Route 19 heading toward downtown Lancaster is located at Prince Street and Liberty Street.[10][11] Route 10 to Lititz and Route 11 to Ephrata stop along McGovern Avenue across the street from the station; the closest stop for Route 10 and Route 11 heading toward downtown Lancaster is located at Duke Street and Liberty Street.[12][13]
History
Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad
One of the methods of long-distance transportation of
The legislature revised its plan to include the failed attempt with a connection from the canal terminus in Columbia to Philadelphia. Engineers recommended that a rail route—the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad—be constructed with an inclined plane at either end.[18] The original route of the railroad was to pass north of Lancaster, but the city petitioned the state to alter it so that the railroad passed through downtown Lancaster.[19] The Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad opened in 1834, originally with a horse-drawn passenger cars before steam locomotives replaced them as motive power.[20] There are no photographs of the early Lancaster station, however the station would have most likely consisted of nothing more than an open-air, elevated platform, as was customary for train stations of that period.[21] The station was located at North Queen and East Chestnut Street, with the platform possibly extending the length of the lot between Queen and Christian Streets.[21]
Pennsylvania Railroad
In 1857, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sold the Main Line of Public Works to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The station was rebuilt in 1859 with a 250-by-85-foot (76 m × 26 m) structure supported by cast iron columns.[22]
On April 28, 1929, the Pennsylvania Railroad completed a cutoff bypassing downtown Lancaster, closing the old station and opening the new depot.[1]
Amtrak
Passenger rail was taken over by
When the Lancaster City Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Lancaster station was designated a contributing property to the district on September 7, 2001.[4][30]
Renovations
After decades of
In January 2012, a "capstone" project was announced with the intention of restoring the interior of the station including the restoration of waiting area benches, painting and repairing of plaster walls, as well as upgrading of station lighting and accessibility.
See also
- List of Amtrak stations
- List of busiest Amtrak stations
- Transportation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
References
- ^ a b "Lancaster's New Station". The Lancaster New Era. April 27, 1929. p. 3. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "NPS Focus". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Keystone Service" (PDF). Amtrak. September 5, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ a b "Station Appendices" (PDF). Amtrak Five-Year Asset Line Plans. Amtrak. 2019. p. 54. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
- ^ "Lancaster, Pennsylvania (LNC)". Amtrak. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- ^ "Route 6: Downtown Lancaster Loop" (PDF). Red Rose Transit Authority. August 26, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "Route 3: Park City C/8th Ward" (PDF). Red Rose Transit Authority. August 26, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "Route 19: Manheim" (PDF). Red Rose Transit Authority. August 26, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "Route 10: Lititz" (PDF). Red Rose Transit Authority. August 26, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "Route 11: Ephrata" (PDF). Red Rose Transit Authority. August 26, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Schafer & Soloman 2009, p. 12.
- ^ Schafer & Soloman 2009, p. 13.
- ^ Schafer & Soloman 2009, p. 14.
- ^ Hensel 1907, p. 77.
- ^ Hensel 1907, p. 78.
- ^ Hensel 1907, p. 90.
- ^ Ellis & Evans 1883, p. 320.
- ^ a b Cress et al. 2010, p. 3.28.
- ^ "The New Depot". Lancaster Intelligencer. October 18, 1859. p. 2.
- ^ Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service. Amtrak. November 14, 1971. p. 61.
- ^ National Train Schedules. Amtrak. July 29, 1979. p. 32.
- ^ Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. April 26 – October 24, 1981. pp. 22–23.
- ^ Amtrak System Train Timetables. Amtrak. April 7 – October 26, 1991. p. 29.
- ^ Amtrak Northeast Timetable. Amtrak. October 30, 1994. p. 27.
- ^ Amtrak National Timetable. Amtrak. April 2, 1995. p. 18.
- ^ Amtrak National Timetable. Amtrak. October 29, 1995. p. 18.
- ^ Kurtz, Sarah M (March 14, 2001). "Lancaster City Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. sec. 7, p. 5. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "Lancaster Train Station Renovations Begin" (PDF) (Press release). Amtrak. June 29, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ a b Harris, Bernard (September 26, 2011). "After costly fix, Lancaster train station still seedy inside". Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ Mekeel, Tim (October 20, 2009). "Amtrak station renovation begins". Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ Harris, Bernard (December 12, 2010). "Lancaster Amtrak station costs soar". Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Smedley, Chip (January 17, 2013). "Curb cuts to accommodate buses at the city train station". Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ "Destination: New York City - Weekdays" (PDF). Bieber Transportation Group. July 9, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Destination: New York City - Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays" (PDF). Bieber Transportation Group. July 9, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Amtrak Outlines Plans for Next Phase of Improvements at Lancaster Train Station" (PDF) (Press release). Amtrak. January 12, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ^ Smedley, Chip (August 20, 2013). "Train station updgrade is almost complete". Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
Sources
- Ellis, Franklin; Evans, Samuel (1883). History of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with Biographical Sketches of Many of it Prominent Men. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck.
- Hensel, W. U (March 1, 1907). "How the Pennsylvania Railroad Came Through Lancaster". Papers Read Before the Lancaster County Historical Society. XI (3). Lancaster County Historical Society: 75–113.
- Schafer, Mike; Soloman, Brian (2009). Pennsylvania Railroad. ISBN 978-0-7603-2930-6.
- Cress, George; Eichinger, Daniel; Wuebber, Ingrid; White, Rebecca (September 2010). "Phase IB/II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavation at Site 36LA1494 Queen Street Station Phase II (RRTA) North Queen Street and East Chestnut Street" (PDF). Burlington, New Jersey: URS Corporation. ER 1997-1978-071. Retrieved November 25, 2016.