Middletown station (Pennsylvania)

Middletown station 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 former low-level station was built in 1990, but a relocated station with a high-level platform opened on January 10, 2022.[1]

For the SEPTA Regional Rail station formerly referred to as Middletown, see Wawa station.
Middletown, PA
The new Middletown station in January 2022.
General information
Location270 West Emaus Street
Middletown, Pennsylvania
United States
Coordinates40.196144°N 76.738944°W / 40.196144; -76.738944
Owned byAmtrak
Line(s)Amtrak Keystone Corridor
(Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line)
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks3
ConnectionsLocal transit CAT: 7
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: MID
History
Rebuilt1990; January 10, 2022[1]
ElectrifiedJanuary 15, 1938[2]
Passengers
FY 202238,263[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Harrisburg
Terminus
 Keystone Service Elizabethtown
toward New York
     Pennsylvanian does not stop here
Former services
Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station
Highspire
toward Chicago
 Main Line Royalton
toward New York or Exchange Place

Services and facilities

The Middletown station is located at 270 West Emaus 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[5] In fiscal year 2018, the station saw a ridership of 68,022 passengers, a decrease of 0.2 percent from the previous year.[6][7]

The station consists of a high-level center platform with a covering and seating, with a bridge over the tracks providing access to the platform. 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.[8] Capital Area Transit's Route 7 transit bus passes near the station on its route between Middletown, Harrisburg International Airport, and downtown Harrisburg.[9]

History
The former low-level Middletown station in June 2013

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.[10] Only a bare platform was available until brick station was built in 1902. It was demolished in the 1970s.[10][11] Prior to the introduction of the Keystone Service in 1981, Middletown was served by the Big Apple, the Silverliner Service, and the Keystone.[12] A shelter and concrete platform was built in 1990 by Amtrak.[10] From 1991 to 1995, the Atlantic City Express served the station on weekends.[13][14]

Relocation
Middletown station in October 2023

The Middletown station was in need of being relocated because it was on a superelevated curve and did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well.[15] It was moved from its previous location at Union and Mill streets to a location at Ann Street and Pennsylvania Route 230, between the former station and Harrisburg International Airport.[16] 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).[16]

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 pedestrian bridges to the platform and over Route 230, and an extension of West Emaus Street to Route 230.[17] By early 2018, the projected opening was delayed to 2022 due to delays with Norfolk Southern and Amtrak relocating their tracks.[18] Despite an August 2021 projection,[19] the station opened on January 10, 2022.[1] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on January 18, 2022, with federal, state, and local officials along with Amtrak and PennDOT personnel in attendance.[20]

References
  1. "Gov. Wolf Announces Service to New Middletown Station Begins Monday, January 10". Governor of Pennsylvania (Press release). January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  2. "Pennsy Completes New Electric Link". The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. January 15, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. Miller, Barbara (Oct 31, 2010). "Train riders await decision on Middletown Amtrak station". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  5. "Keystone Service: New York and Harrisburg" (PDF). Amtrak. Oct 24, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  6. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2015, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. Nov 2017. Retrieved Nov 21, 2019.
  7. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved Nov 21, 2019.
  8. "Middletown, PA (MID)". Amtrak. Retrieved Sep 3, 2011.
  9. "Route 7: Middletown" (PDF). Capital Area Transit. May 23, 2016. Retrieved Dec 2, 2016.
  10. Kagen, David Ira; Sunbery, Edward William (2009). Middletown Borough. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-7385-6472-2.
  11. History of the Middletown Train Station (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. March 2021.
  12. Amtrak National Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 26 – Oct 24, 1981. pp. 22–23.
  13. Amtrak System Train Timetables. Amtrak. Apr 7 – Oct 26, 1991. p. 29.
  14. Amtrak Northeast Timetable. Amtrak. Oct 30, 1994. p. 27.
  15. Zimmerman, Phyllis (Sep 4, 2011). "PennDOT creates plan to complete Middletown Amtrak station by 2013". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Jan 6, 2012.
  16. Malawskey, Nick (Oct 24, 2013). "Middletown train station project moving at full steam". The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Retrieved Aug 11, 2014.
  17. Miller, Dan (May 17, 2016). "All Aboard: PennDOT Seeks Bid on Site Preparation for Long-awaited Train Station" (PDF). Press and Journal.
  18. Miller, Barbara (January 10, 2018). "New Amtrak station waiting for tracks to be moved". Penn Live.
  19. Miller, Dan (April 29, 2020). "Work continues on Amtrak station, with date moved slightly later for targeted completion on West Main". Press and Journal.
  20. "Federal, local and state officials join Amtrak, PennDOT representatives at ribbon-cutting ceremony for new train station in Middletown". York, PA: WPMT-TV. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
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