Passenger Trains > harrisburg airport

Are there any current plans to build a station at the Harrisburg PA airport? It seems like it is very close the railroad right of way.

Adam

Yes, there are plans to build a station at the Harrisburg Airport. It would replace the Middletown Station, which is close by. However, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and the State of PA - and probably the airport authority need to get on the same page on how the station should be constructed. It seems to be a never ending story. I keep hearing that they are or have gotten closer, but until the shovel is in the ground - then I'll believe it.

Also regarding the Keystone Corridor, there's plans to establish a station at Paradise, PA - where the Strasburg RR joins the mainline. That's been on the drawing boards for years as well. Both stations would be great for the Keystone Corridor. The later was to better serve the heart of the Amish community, as it would provide for "horse and buggy space." In addition the Strasburg RR was interested in designing a turntable and offering connecting service at the Paradise station.

High level station platforms should be considered for both stations.

jp1822 Wrote:
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> High level station platforms should be considered
> for both stations.

ADA compliance is a primary reason these and similar projects aren't getting built -- it's pushing costs out of sight.

The 2010 interpretation of ADA is that all new or rebuilt stations must be full train-length, level-boarding, which in the east means high level platforms and pretty tangent track for 4 or more car lengths. That means no new stations on the Keystone line, or anywhere else until sanity is restored. It was regarded as discriminatory to have mini-high-levels or wheel chair lifts since it restricted the disabled to one car. Now they and the rest of us get nothing.

Making it even more complicated is that some locations are served by both single-level and Superliner cars, which have very different "level boarding" heights. A few of these stations even serve commuter trains as well, introducing a third door height to be accommodated. This includes not just the east but also many midwest locations where both single-level and Superliner trains operate.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> The 2010 interpretation of ADA is that all new or
> rebuilt stations must be full train-length,
> level-boarding, which in the east means high level
> platforms and pretty tangent track for 4 or more
> car lengths.

Yeah, it's in the works. Will be completed right after
the Lackawanna Cutoff.

ADA...making America a better place for everyone!

In the middle '50s, I departed Harrisburg on the RDG-CNJ
Qyeen of the Valley for Jersey City...only one pass issued as it carried across the top 'Reading Company' and undeer it 'Central
Railroad of New Jersey'..altho some trackage was over the Central RR of Penna....memories...the pass was punched, but I got to keep it as
part of my collection...some Comductor were prettu understanding...MILW-M&StL.B&O NWP SP AT&SF UP and several more...all
have my name and title shown...

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The 2010 interpretation of ADA is that all new or
> rebuilt stations must be full train-length,
> level-boarding, which in the east means high level
> platforms and pretty tangent track for 4 or more
> car lengths. That means no new stations on the
> Keystone line, or anywhere else until sanity is
> restored. It was regarded as discriminatory to
> have mini-high-levels or wheel chair lifts since
> it restricted the disabled to one car. Now they
> and the rest of us get nothing.


A news article last week told the sad tale of the Paradise station, which now will probably not be built because of the burdensome ADA requirements.

Middletown on the Amtrak Harrisburg Line is two miles east of Harrisburg Airport, whose three-letter code is MDT...which of course stands for Middletown.

As a disabled person, I would rather have facilities allowing me to board one or two cars, rather than the whole train. At least I'll be able to get where I'm going. The ADA is being interpreted by government lawyers who live in their own world, and have no practical experience dealing with disabilities.