Cleveland could get daytime Amtrak service by extending an existing passenger train from Pittsburgh. But there’s a catch: Ohio’s August 2025 rail plan identifies that extension among proposals that weren’t moving forward through a federal development program or by Amtrak.

The August 2025 Ohio rail plan specifically lists the proposed extension of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian, which currently operates between New York City and Pittsburgh, among recommendations not being advanced through the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program or by Amtrak.

A review of subsequent federal, Amtrak, Ohio and Pennsylvania records through Nov. 4, 2026, found no later formal development commitment for the Pittsburgh-to- Cleveland extension.

The finding comes as Northeast Ohio passenger rail advocates renew their push for daytime Amtrak service, including extending routes that already operate.

Under the proposal, one existing Pennsylvanian round trip would continue west from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. That would give travelers another option beyond the four Amtrak trains that currently stop in Cleveland between roughly 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

Those trains operate on the Lake Shore Limited and Floridian routes, connecting Cleveland with cities including Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

Daytime service would mean more convenient departure and arrival times. But before another train could operate, planners would need to work out its schedule, equipment needs, infrastructure requirements and funding.

Where the proposal stands

The Federal Railroad Administration selected four Ohio-related passenger rail proposals for its Corridor Identification and Development Program, commonly called Corridor ID. The program provides funding to help develop proposed routes, including the planning and engineering work needed before construction and service can begin.

Two selected corridors are sponsored by the Ohio Rail Development Commission. One would connect Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. The other would connect Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit.

Two additional projects involve service between Chicago, Fort Wayne, Columbus and Pittsburgh, and increasing Amtrak’s Cardinal service from three days a week to daily.

The Pennsylvanian extension to Cleveland wasn’t among them.

The August 2025 Ohio rail plan lists several recommendations from Amtrak’s earlier Connects US network vision that weren’t advancing through Corridor ID or by Amtrak. The Pittsburgh-to- Cleveland extension is one of them.

The plan also says the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, the region’s transportation planning organization, submitted proposals to increase service on existing long-distance Amtrak routes serving Cleveland. Those proposals weren’t selected for the federal program either.

But those decisions don’t mean the Pennsylvanian extension is impractical. They describe where the proposals stood when Ohio prepared its plan, and passenger rail projects can move forward through other development arrangements.

More recent official records examined for this story didn’t identify a subsequent formal development action for the Pennsylvanian extension. The review doesn’t rule out additional planning activity outside the records examined.

What comes next

The federal development process is designed to answer questions that would have to be resolved before passenger trains could begin operating.

According to the August 2025 Ohio rail plan, a Service Development Plan identifies the proposed service and the improvements needed to operate it. It also estimates construction and operating costs, determines who’s responsible for the work and identifies how it would be paid for.

That planning involves agreements among states, local communities, railroads and federal officials.

And using tracks that already exist doesn’t necessarily mean additional trains would be inexpensive.

Pennsylvania, for example, has an infrastructure investment program exceeding $200 million to support a second daily Pennsylvanian round trip between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The project also required an agreement with Norfolk Southern, which owns the tracks.

The additional service is scheduled to begin Nov. 18, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

But that investment isn’t an estimate for extending the route to Cleveland. The track improvements and operating arrangements needed between Pittsburgh and Cleveland would have to be evaluated separately.

Amtrak has encouraged Ohio to look at improving existing passenger service.

During stakeholder discussions documented in the August 2025 rail plan, an Amtrak representative recommended considering relatively straightforward improvements, including extending current routes. The representative also warned that ordering additional train equipment can take considerable time.

That recommendation supports the general approach Cleveland advocates are pursuing, but it doesn’t mean Amtrak has approved the Pennsylvanian extension.

Advocates also are promoting a separate proposal called the Great Lakes Limited, which would connect Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo and New York City. It would establish another train service using existing railroad routes, but remains an advocacy proposal in the records examined.

For the Pennsylvanian extension, a formal commitment from Amtrak, a state transportation agency or another qualified project sponsor to develop the service would be a next step.

That would allow planners to begin establishing what the railroad needs, how the train would operate and what it could cost to bring daytime Pennsylvanian service to Cleveland.

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