Middletown station (Pennsylvania)

Middletown
Amtrak inter-city rail station
Location Union and Mill Streets
Middletown, Pennsylvania
United States
Coordinates 40°11′33.5″N 76°43′52″W / 40.192639°N 76.73111°W / 40.192639; -76.73111Coordinates: 40°11′33.5″N 76°43′52″W / 40.192639°N 76.73111°W / 40.192639; -76.73111
Owned by Amtrak
Line(s)
  Keystone Service
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 3
Connections CAT: 7
Construction
Parking Yes
Other information
Station code MID
History
Opened 1990 (1990)
Rebuilt 2018 (planned)
Traffic
Passengers (FY 2016) 68,005 Decrease 0.7%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Terminus
Keystone Service
  Former services  
Pennsylvania Railroad
toward Chicago
Main Line

Middletown is an Amtrak train station on the Keystone Corridor in Middletown, Dauphin County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The station is served by Amtrak's Keystone Service between New York City and Harrisburg. The current station was built in 1990, but a planned relocation of the station is expected to be completed in 2018.

Services and facilities

The Middletown station is located on Mill Street, off of Pennsylvania Route 441 (South Union Street). In addition to being used by residents of Middletown, the station is also popular with commuters heading to Harrisburg and Philadelphia who utilize its free parking.[1] It sees twenty-three arrivals by the Keystone Service on weekdays, thirteen from both Harrisburg and New York Penn Station, and seven from each on weekends.[2] The station is 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Harrisburg, 94 miles (151 km) west of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, and 185 miles (298 km) from New York.[2] In fiscal year 2016, the station saw a ridership of 68,005 passengers, a decrease of 0.7 percent from the previous year.[3][4]

The station consists of only a platform and a shelter. As the Middletown station is unstaffed, all tickets from the station need to be pre-paid, or purchased from a conductor on board the train.[5] Capital Area Transit's Route 7 transit bus passes near the station on Union Street between Middletown, Harrisburg International Airport, and downtown Harrisburg.[6]

History

A railroad was first laid through Middletown in 1836 by the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad, which was taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1850.[7] A brick station was built in 1902, but was demolished in the 1970s.[7] Prior to the introduction of the Keystone Service in 1981, Middletown was served by the Big Apple, the Silverliner Service, and the Keystone.[8] A shelter and concrete platform was built in 1990 by Amtrak.[7] From 1991 to 1995, the Atlantic City Express served the station on weekends.[9][10]

Relocation

The Middletown station is in need of being relocated because it is currently on a superelevated curve and does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well.[11] It is to be moved to a location at Ann Street and Pennsylvania Route 230, between the current station and Harrisburg International Airport.[12] Initial plans called for the station to be moved next to the airport terminal, but this was rejected in favor of keeping the station in the downtown area. By 2013, it was expected to be completed by 2015 and estimated to cost $32 million. Funding would be provided by the Federal Transit Administration and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).[12]

As of May 2016, bidding for site clearing was expected to take place in mid-2016, with the new station opening in 2018. The work includes pedesttrian bridges to the platform and over Route 230, and an extension of West Emaus Street to Route 230.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Barbara (Oct 31, 2010). "Train riders await decision on Middletown Amtrak station". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Keystone Service: New York and Harrisburg" (PDF). Amtrak. Oct 24, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2015, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. Nov 2015. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2016, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. Nov 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Middletown, PA (MID)". Amtrak. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Route 7: Middletown" (PDF). Capital Area Transit. May 23, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Kagen, David Ira; Sunbery, Edward William (2009). Middletown Borough. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7385-6472-2.
  8. ↑ Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 26 – Oct 24, 1981. pp. 22–23.
  9. ↑ Amtrak System Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 7 – Oct 26, 1991. p. 29.
  10. ↑ Amtrak Northeast Timetable. Amtrak. Oct 30, 1994. p. 27.
  11. ↑ Zimmerman, Phyllis (Sep 4, 2011). "PennDOT creates plan to complete Middletown Amtrak station by 2013". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Jan 6, 2012.
  12. 1 2 Malawskey, Nick (Oct 24, 2013). "Middletown train station project moving at full steam". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Aug 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Miller, Dan (May 17, 2016). "All Aboard: PennDOT Seeks Bid on Site Preparation for Long-awaited Train Station" (PDF). Press and Journal.

External links

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