Elizabethtown station


Elizabethtown station is an Amtrak railroad station on the Keystone Corridor in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The station is served by Amtrak's Keystone Service between New York City and Harrisburg, and by the Pennsylvanian between New York and Pittsburgh. The station was built in 1915 by the Pennsylvania Railroad to replace another that had been built in 1900. The station building was closed in 1977 by Amtrak. The title to the building was transferred to the borough of Elizabethtown in 1998, and it was leased back to Amtrak. From 2009 to 2011, the station underwent a 21-month renovation to make it handicapped-accessible.

Services and facilities

The Elizabethtown station is located on South Wilson Avenue, off of Pennsylvania Route 241. In addition to being used by passengers originating from Elizabethtown and surrounding Lancaster County, residents of nearby Dauphin and Lebanon counties utilize the Elizabethtown station as well. It sees twenty-six arrivals by the Keystone Service on weekdays, thirteen from both Harrisburg and New York Penn Station, and seven from each on weekends. The Pennsylvanian arrives once daily from both New York and Pittsburgh Union Station. The station is east of Harrisburg, west of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and from New York. The station was the 7th busiest in Pennsylvania with an annual ridership of 22,232 passengers in fiscal year 2021, a decrease of 52.2 percent from the previous year.
The station is equipped with Amtrak's Quik-Trak ticket machines, public restrooms, information kiosks, and wireless internet. As the Elizabethtown station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, purchased from Quik-Trak, or from a conductor on board the train. Parking is in a 45-vehicle lot located in front of the station and a 100-vehicle "overflow lot down the street." The Red Rose Transit Authority's Route 18 transit bus provides service between the station, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, and Lancaster.
Elizabethtown College's campus security drives students to the train station.

History

Because of the construction of an embankment at nearby Bainbridge Street, the Pennsylvania Railroad was forced to build a new station at West High Street in 1900. After 15 years, the Pennsylvania replaced the station. The new station was constructed out of Indiana Limestone in a similar style to the nearby Masonic Homes built by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. On July 4, 1915, the Liberty Bell made a stop at the station while being transported to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California. The Pennsylvania began electrifying its line between Philadelphia and Harrisburg in 1937, a task which was completed on January 15, 1938. In 1977, the deteriorating station building was closed. Prior to the introduction of the Keystone Service in 1981, the Elizabethtown station was served by the Big Apple, the Silverliner Service, and the Keystone. From 1991 to 1995, the Atlantic City Express served the station on weekends. The Three Rivers made stops in Elizabethtown in 1995 and 1996.

Renovations

In August 1998, the station building was leased to Amtrak for 99 years by the borough of Elizabethtown for $1 per year after ownership was transferred to the borough; ownership of the platforms and right-of-way was retained by Amtrak. Renovations began in August 2009 and were funded by $9.3 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The station was cited by U.S. Senator Tom Coburn as an example of pork barrel spending in the stimulus bill. Elevators were built and the station's two platforms were raised, per the requirements of Americans with [Disabilities Act of 1990]. The platforms were also lengthened to accommodate longer trains. Canopies were erected over the platforms to provide protection from the elements for waiting passengers. The station building was completely remodeled, including restoration of the original wood furnishings, replacement of broken slate roof tiles, and masonry repointing. The completed station was unveiled in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 4, 2011.