Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Jan. 21, announced plans for improvements to the Harrisburg Transportation Center and surrounding areas. The governor was joined by PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards and Mayor Eric Papenfuse.
"Enhancing Pennsylvania's transportation infrastructure is essential to the region's economy and the Harrisburg Transportation Center is a vital hub that serves our Keystone Corridor passenger rail service, as well as intercity bus and local transit," Governor Wolf said. "The center serves more than 1.6 million riders per year, including many people working for the commonwealth. State government calls Harrisburg home and we want to partner with the city where possible to improve the quality of life for its residents and businesses."
PennDOT envisions an initial investment of $15 million in federal and state dollars to bring the Transportation Center to a state of good repair. Long range, the project envisions $50 million to $60 million in federal and state dollars for station and other transportation and land use improvements. These are intended to attract private sector investment to improve the areas around the station.
"We want to partner with Amtrak, the city of Harrisburg, and its redevelopment authority to invest in this center and help create a magnet for redevelopment in the surrounding area," Secretary Richards said. "This is a huge step on the road to that goal."
"We see this critical investment as the next step in the city's ongoing revitalization," Papenfuse said.
The Harrisburg Transportation Center, the former Pennsylvania Railroad Station, is the western terminal point for all but two of the 28 Amtrak trains that serve the station each day. The service attracts more than 1.6 million riders a year and intercity and local buses also connect at the center.
Michael Baker Corp. and a subcontractor, Base Architecture Planning and Engineering Inc., will begin by conducting research and outreach as a first step to a transit-oriented development plan.
