Pittsburgh Amtrak Station past, present and future

[tomfuller]

Yes, after NS extorted $200 million out of the Commonwealth. The reporter said the money will be used to "double track" the route. Of course, the entire route is already at least double tracked. It will add more sidings and interlockings however. Trackage at Pittsburgh "Union Station" also will need quite a bit of work.

The Pittsburgh station is horrible when compared to the Harrisburg station. They need a waiting room at track level with access to baggage claim. The "pit" in Pittsburgh often has every seat filled in the waiting room filled while waiting for the often late westbound CapLtd to arrive. When it does arrive everyone has to go upstairs to track level.
My first Amtrak trip through Pittsburgh was on the Three Rivers from Chicago to Harrisburg. A second train daily connecting PGH to HAR does make sense even if it does not go onward to Cleveland or Chicago.
When I arrived on the CapLtd and was connecting to the Pennsylvanian, I had to go down to the "pit" to get the bag that I had checked in CHI and had to wait for the one agent to finish selling tickets before I could get my bag to go back up to get on the Pennsylvanian. We were over an hour late into Harrisburg due to a tornado warning.
The improvement to Harrisburg would be an available car rental agency within walking distance of the station instead of a $16-20 taxi ride to a strip mall rental agency.

 

[PaTrainFan]

The Pittsburgh station is horrible when compared to the Harrisburg station. They need a waiting room at track level with access to baggage claim. The "pit" in Pittsburgh often has every seat filled in the waiting room filled while waiting for the often late westbound CapLtd to arrive. When it does arrive everyone has to go upstairs to track level.

You're right, Pittsburgh needs that but it is unlikely to ever happen. I'll be thrilled when the second daily trip starts 2+ years from now.

This excellent Trains.com story from earlier this spring provides a thorough overview of the infrastructure work to be done.

Edit: Interesting point made in the story regarding a study NS did to justify the hefty request for infrastructure dollars: "It left unexplained how NS formerly managed to operate two daily Amtrak passenger trains each way between 1999, when it took over this part of Conrail, and 2004, when Amtrak discontinued a successor to the Broadway named the Three Rivers."

 

[Oreius]

When I took a “for the heck of it” ride on the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Elizabethtown this past summer, I was surprised at how tight Pittsburgh’s waiting area was for a big-city station. People were standing as there was no seat left. There’s just vending machines selling outdated sodas and a couple of the machines were broken. What really amazed me is that they don’t allow you to go to the track platform to watch freights like you can at Lancaster. Pittsburgh needs a multi-million dollar upgrade if they’re going to have two trips to Harrisburg daily.

 

[fdaley]

When I took a “for the heck of it” ride on the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Elizabethtown this past summer, I was surprised at how tight Pittsburgh’s waiting area was for a big-city station. People were standing as there was no seat left. There’s just vending machines selling outdated sodas and a couple of the machines were broken. What really amazed me is that they don’t allow you to go to the track platform to watch freights like you can at Lancaster. Pittsburgh needs a multi-million dollar upgrade if they’re going to have two trips to Harrisburg daily.

After a couple of trips though that station a decade ago, including one where we spent half the night waiting for the connection from Pennsylvanian to delayed Capitol, I just have to say "Pittsburgh" to prompt my wife to say, "No!"

 

[PaTrainFan]

Pittsburgh needs a multi-million dollar upgrade if they’re going to have two trips to Harrisburg daily.

You're right, but the will, not to mention the funds, to do this does not exist locally.

 

[Trollopian]

When I took a “for the heck of it” ride on the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Elizabethtown this past summer, I was surprised at how tight Pittsburgh’s waiting area was for a big-city station. People were standing as there was no seat left. There’s just vending machines selling outdated sodas and a couple of the machines were broken. What really amazed me is that they don’t allow you to go to the track platform to watch freights like you can at Lancaster. Pittsburgh needs a multi-million dollar upgrade if they’re going to have two trips to Harrisburg daily.

You're right, of course, though I haven't personally experienced the standing-room-only crush unless the Capitol Limited (scheduled to leave at 5:20) is badly delayed and jostles with the crowd for the Pennsylvanian (leaving at 7:30). Which happens depressingly often.

Regardless, it's a really craptastic station and an embarrassment to Amtrak and to the city of Pittsburgh. Especially when compared to its glorious ancestor from the era when Pittsburgh briefly lost its "h"...

Union Station (Pittsburgh) - Wikipedia

 

[MARC Rider]

Regardless, it's a really craptastic station and an embarrassment to Amtrak and to the city of Pittsburgh. Especially when compared to its glorious ancestor from the era when Pittsburgh briefly lost its "h"...

Union Station (Pittsburgh) - Wikipedia

Considering that the platforms and trackage are more or less the same (or were they?) back when the Pittsburgh (or "Pittsburg") station hosted dozens of trains a day, does this mean that it was simply a matter that the old Pittsburgh station had better waiting room than the current, inadequate, incarnation? I know that the old station building is still, there, I think it's condos, or something.

 

[Trollopian]

Considering that the platforms and trackage are more or less the same (or were they?) back when the Pittsburgh (or "Pittsburg") station hosted dozens of trains a day, does this mean that it was simply a matter that the old Pittsburgh station had better waiting room than the current, inadequate, incarnation? I know that the old station building is still, there, I think it's condos, or something.

In the station's heyday, rail passengers entered through the famous Rotunda, and the elegant waiting room was on the same level as the tracks. The former office building upstairs (I believe it was the western headquarters of the Pennsylvania RR) is now apartments, not condos. The glorious concourse that once served as the waiting room is a private event space for weddings and glitzy parties. (The apartment tenants are let in just once a year, for the management company-sponsored holiday party. Otherwise we press our noses against the glass and sigh.) Perhaps the buyers of the building, which had fallen into disuse, insisted on that; per Wikipedia, "In the 1980s, the Burnham station building was converted to apartment use, while Amtrak moved to an annex on the building's east side."

For preservationists, a win, I suppose. For rail passengers an insult.

 

[railiner]

I wish there were more photo's online showing more of that magnificent station. IIRC, it even had a lower level at one time, that served additional trains. I first used that station in 1968, and the lower level was closed off, but escalator's, elevator's were still there, and old signage directing towards the lower level.
In around 1969, Continental Trailways moved from their former stop at the old Harmony-Short Line terminal at 10th and Penn over to this station. The Eagle buses entered the rotunda thru the arch on the far right, and made their station stop in the rotunda, before exiting. The bus line built their own ticket office inside the lobby, near the entrance. There was also a snack bar inside.

 

[Willbridge]

I wish there were more photo's online showing more of that magnificent station. IIRC, it even had a lower level at one time, that served additional trains. I first used that station in 1968, and the lower level was closed off, but escalator's, elevator's were still there, and old signage directing towards the lower level.
In around 1969, Continental Trailways moved from their former stop at the old Harmony-Short Line terminal at 10th and Penn over to this station. The Eagle buses entered the rotunda thru the arch on the far right, and made their station stop in the rotunda, before exiting. The bus line built their own ticket office inside the lobby, near the entrance. There was also a snack bar inside.

My grandfather was a sales rep, and later a trainer, for the H. J. Heinz Co. in the days when Heinz did their own customer service. There was an annual Heinz sales meeting in Pittsburgh that drew nationally, so you can imagine this station swarming with guys in three-piece suits, carrying the black umbrellas that Heinz sent out at Christmas. The spare tracks would have been filled with heavyweight standard Pullmans (open sections) for a few days.

(No self-respecting man in the Pacific Northwest carried an umbrella back then, so when the British look came into college style, my grandfather gave me his residual supply.)

 

[fdaley]

Otherwise we press our noses against the glass and sigh.

On my last visit there in early 2020, right before the pandemic, I made the westbound connection from Pennsylvanian to Capitol. (It was a solo trip, so my wife didn't have to endure another visit to the Pittsburgh Amtrak station.) I used the layover time to find dinner at one of the downtown restaurants and then wandered up the driveway to do exactly this: press my nose against the window and admire the grand interior of the original station, which I had not seen on my two prior visits.

 

[MARC Rider]

In the station's heyday, rail passengers entered through the famous Rotunda, and the elegant waiting room was on the same level as the tracks. The former office building upstairs (I believe it was the western headquarters of the Pennsylvania RR) is now apartments, not condos. The glorious concourse that once served as the waiting room is a private event space for weddings and glitzy parties. (The apartment tenants are let in just once a year, for the management company-sponsored holiday party. Otherwise we press our noses against the glass and sigh.) Perhaps the buyers of the building, which had fallen into disuse, insisted on that; per Wikipedia, "In the 1980s, the Burnham station building was converted to apartment use, while Amtrak moved to an annex on the building's east side."

For preservationists, a win, I suppose. For rail passengers an insult.

View attachment 30739

I'm still puzzled as to the layout of the track and concourse was in the old days. The old picture shows a big trainshed right behind the office tower. This picture I took in June 2021 shows that its gone.




Yet having waited at the platform during a layover of a very late Capitol Limited, it seems that there's still some kind of trainshed at the station. It also looks like only 3 tracks run through the station -- the track to the far left for freight trains, the track with the platform used for through trains, and the track to the right which appears to be a stub track where, presumably, the Pennsylvanian trainset overnights, waiting to load passengers for its morning departure. Surely the station had more tracks back in its heyday. To the far right of the scene shown here, and outside of the picture, there's a busway. Is that where the old tracks and large trainshed were located?

 

[MARC Rider]

and here's the current station, tucked around the side of the old building, now apartments.

 

[Trollopian]

I'm still puzzled as to the layout of the track and concourse was in the old days. The old picture shows a big trainshed right behind the office tower. This picture I took in June 2021 shows that its gone.


View attachment 30752

Yet having waited at the platform during a layover of a very late Capitol Limited, it seems that there's still some kind of trainshed at the station. It also looks like only 3 tracks run through the station -- the track to the far left for freight trains, the track with the platform used for through trains, and the track to the right which appears to be a stub track where, presumably, the Pennsylvanian trainset overnights, waiting to load passengers for its morning departure. Surely the station had more tracks back in its heyday. To the far right of the scene shown here, and outside of the picture, there's a busway. Is that where the old tracks and large trainshed were located?

View attachment 30753

Kinda embarrassed 'cause I feel that this Yinzer and railfan should be sure of the answers, but I'm not. However...

The magnificent curved trainshed is, indeed, gone. I speculate that it vanished when the office portion of the building was converted to residential use, so that the second- and third-floor apartments facing that direction would have an unobstructed view. (A good view? Depends on whether you like trains! And dirty glass.) It's replaced by a lower, conservatory-type roof.

The limited-access busway, to the right of the picture, is the Martin Luther King Busway that carries people swiftly between downtown Pittsburgh and East End neighborhoods. And I do mean swiftly...like, from downtown to East Liberty (or "'Sliberty" in Pittsburgh dialect) in 8 minutes versus 30-40 minutes on a poky local. The busway is a former rail right-of-way. But which railroad? The Wikipedia article linked above is ambiguous, implying that it might've been either a commuter (heavy)-rail or a streetcar route. But the Wikipedia article on historic Wilkinsburg station, a 1916 gem, has more clues. (Dense Wilkinsburg is the last really big outer stop on the busway, though not the terminus.) "Some time after demolition of the nearby East Liberty station in 1963, the Wilkinsburg station was designated to assume its function as the satellite station for selected long-distance express trains serving passengers in the East End of Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania Railroad commuter trains at Wilkinsburg were discontinued on Nov. 27, 1964; some of the long-distance trains continued to provide a limited commuter service even into the Amtrak era...Long-distance passenger-train service at Wilkinsburg ended on September 14, 1975 when Amtrak discontinued the stop, citing a total of 128 passengers boarding or alighting in the first six months of 1975, the lowest system-wide, a far cry from the Borough's and railroad's heyday."

In the late 1950s-early 1960s my uncle oversaw some kind of specialty steel plant in Wilkinsburg, before being transferred to NJ and then to (non-union) NC, and my favorite cousin distinctly remembers his dad taking him to work one day. To see a steam engine. "You won't see many of these anymore," Uncle Rudy told him.

 

[jis]

Kinda embarrassed 'cause I feel that this Yinzer and railfan should be sure of the answers, but I'm not. However...

The magnificent curved trainshed is, indeed, gone. I speculate that it vanished when the office portion of the building was converted to residential use, so that the second- and third-floor apartments facing that direction would have an unobstructed view. (A good view? Depends on whether you like trains! And dirty glass.) It's replaced by a lower, conservatory-type roof.

AFAIR the arched trainshed was gone well before Amtrak happened. Even the standard roof that replaced it over the tracks was redone when the highway was built over the station.

 

[railiner]

The referenced Wiki article does provide some clues to the history of the station, including some photo's that help illustrate it better...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Pittsburgh)
They mention a major modernization and expansion of the station announced in 1954...probably occurred shortly after that. Some of the signage seems like it is from that period. I am guessing that was when they replaced the arched trainshed with the Bush type sheds over the platforms. One illustration looking toward the headhouse, shows tracks and tunnel curving away to the left. I believe that was how the Panhandle Division trains later left. Probably where the 'T' subway went later. At one time, the Amtrak National Limited may have used that route. Not shown is the Fort Wayne Division tracks curving away on the bridge to the right...the current route of the Capitol enroute to Chicago. To the rear of the camera is the PRR main towards Philly, and a short distance the interlocking where the Capitol diverges towards Washington.

 

[Trollopian]

The referenced Wiki article does provide some clues to the history of the station, including some photo's that help illustrate it better...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Pittsburgh)
They mention a major modernization and expansion of the station announced in 1954...probably occurred shortly after that. Some of the signage seems like it is from that period. I am guessing that was when they replaced the arched trainshed with the Bush type sheds over the platforms. One illustration looking toward the headhouse, shows tracks and tunnel curving away to the left. I believe that was how the Panhandle Division trains later left. Probably where the 'T' subway went later. At one time, the Amtrak National Limited may have used that route. Not shown is the Fort Wayne Division tracks curving away on the bridge to the right...the current route of the Capitol enroute to Chicago. To the rear of the camera is the PRR main towards Philly, and a short distance the interlocking where the Capitol diverges towards Washington.

Ah! Another mention of the wonderful Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge, which previously made a cameo appearance at Pittsburgh—What time should I arrive?. Built between 1901-1904, raised in 1918 to provide more headroom for shipping. Pittsburgh is famously a city of bridges.

 

[cirdan]

When I took a “for the heck of it” ride on the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh to Elizabethtown this past summer, I was surprised at how tight Pittsburgh’s waiting area was for a big-city station. People were standing as there was no seat left. There’s just vending machines selling outdated sodas and a couple of the machines were broken. What really amazed me is that they don’t allow you to go to the track platform to watch freights like you can at Lancaster. Pittsburgh needs a multi-million dollar upgrade if they’re going to have two trips to Harrisburg daily.

I haven't been there for more than ten years, so maybe it is better now, but my memory of it is as a very spartan place with glaringly white walls, strip lighting and plastic seats that probably hasn't been facelifted since the 1970s. Just what you need when you've arrived on the Pennsylvanian at stupid o'clock and the connecting Capitol Limited is more than 5 hours late. Maybe a little tasteful rearrangement and some accessories could go a long way to making it feel more hospitable. To their credit I must say the staff were extremely helpful and did everything they could do make us feel at ease.

 

[PaTrainFan]

I haven't been there for more than ten years, so maybe it is better now, but my memory of it is as a very spartan place with glaringly white walls, strip lighting and plastic seats that probably hasn't been facelifted since the 1970s. Just what you need when you've arrived on the Pennsylvanian at stupid o'clock and the connecting Capitol Limited is more than 5 hours late. Maybe a little tasteful rearrangement and some accessories could go a long way to making it feel more hospitable. To their credit I must say the staff were extremely helpful and did everything they could do make us feel at ease.

It had a slight facelift in the last couple of years. New paint, seating, escalator and elevator. Not as dingy as previously, but basically the same layout.

 

[Bob Dylan]

It had a slight facelift in the last couple of years. New paint, seating, escalator and elevator. Not as dingy as previously, but basically the same layout.

Lipstick on a Pig!!!

 

[Trollopian]

Given the departure times of the Capitol Limited (scheduled at 5:20 though often late) and the Pennsylvanian (7:30 and rarely late), a simple coffee stand could make a small fortune. Open at 4 a.m., close at 8, mint money in between. Simple menu so few food-safety or inspection or licensing hassles. Hello, entrepreneurs?

 

[ChuckAM]

We will be taking the train from Pittsburgh to Portland, OR in August, 2023. Since our train doesn't depart Pitts until midnight, what is there to do in the immediate area of the Amtrak station? And is there a place at the station to store our bags until we board the train? We are being dropped of at the station earlier in the evening.

 

[pennyk]

We will be taking the train from Pittsburgh to Portland, OR in August, 2023. Since our train doesn't depart Pitts until midnight, what is there to do in the immediate area of the Amtrak station? And is there a place at the station to store our bags until we board the train? We are being dropped of at the station earlier in the evening.

here is a fairly recent thread regarding what to do in Pittsburgh between 8pm and midnight, which may be helpful:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/what-to-do-8pm-midnight-in-pittsburgh.79987/#post-988757

 

[choochoodood]

Can anyone tell me about the parking situation at the Pittsburgh, PA Amtrak station?

 

[PaTrainFan]

Not good. There are a very few short term spots. The place gets chaotic near train time. However, there is a large modern parking garage across the street in the "Grant Street Transportation Center" which is basically the Greyhound Station.