Loss of SEPTA Funding Could Kill Amtrak’s Fifth Busiest Line

Amtrak’s Keystone Service could lose over $71 million in payments from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) due to that agency’s significant budget gap, a move that could “severely impact” Amtrak operations on one of the nation’s most popular intercity rail lines.

According to an article by Peter Hall in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-2nd District) said the cuts to SEPTA commuter rail lines and funding could lead to the closure of the line and impacts on other Northeast Corridor services. “The train makes 13 daily round trips between Harrisburg and New York with stops in Lancaster, and several smaller communities in southcentral and southeastern Pennsylvania, in addition to Philadelphia. The trains, which are primarily funded by PennDOT, carried 1.27 million passengers last year, according to Amtrak.”

This reveals the rippling impacts of cuts to transit funding and service. An Amtrak spokesperson said “This could lead to a deterioration in infrastructure condition and authorized train operating speeds, negatively impacting Amtrak-operated, PennDOT-sponsored Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian service between Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, as well as Northeast Corridor services.”