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Amtrak’s Keystone, Pennsylvanian Service Resumes June 1

An Amtrak Keystone Service New York-Harrisburg train rolls through Landisville, Pa. Photo by M.T. Burkhart

Amtrak’s Keystone, Pennsylvanian Service Resumes June 1

By M.T. Burkhart

Amtrak’s Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian will return on Monday, June 1, after being suspended since mid-March due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Acela service is also expected to resume that day as travel needs slowly increase again. 

Modified Keystone Service will include nine-weekday roundtrips and six roundtrips on weekends, according to Amtrak. Keystone Service will temporarily operate only between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, with no service between New York and Philadelphia. The Pennsylvanian will include its normal daily roundtrip between New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. All trains will have reserved seating to allow for physical distancing.

Acela service on the Northeast Corridor returns on a modified schedule beginning June 1 and will include three-weekday roundtrips from Washington, DC to Boston. Northeast Regional frequencies are also increasing from eight to 10 roundtrips.

Amtrak is also taking numerous precautions to keep travelers safe, including limiting bookings to give people space to stay socially distant; requiring that all customers wear facial coverings; enhanced clearing methods; and promoting cashless transactions.

Many Pennsylvania counties, including much of the western part of the state, have now moved from Gov. Tom Wolf’s “red” to “yellow” phase of reopening as the number of known coronavirus cases drop. Some counties are expected to transition to the “green” phase in the coming days as well.

This article was posted on: May 22, 2020