Pitts­burgh-New York train expect­ed to cost $8M annu­al­ly to oper­ate

(The Cen­ter Square) — Pennsylvania’s trav­el­ers and train enthu­si­asts cel­e­brat­ed last fall when Amtrak announced twice-a-day ser­vice from Pitts­burgh to New York via Harrisburg.Expanding ser­vice, though, will require a hefty invest­ment to upgrade infra­struc­ture and mil­lions more in oper­at­ing costs every year.
The ser­vice expan­sion, announced in Sep­tem­ber after Amtrak and Nor­folk South­ern worked out an agree­ment, will require $218 mil­lion for cap­i­tal improve­ment along the Nor­folk South­ern-owned cor­ri­dor, accord­ing to Pen­nDOT offi­cials. 
After ini­tial upgrades, Pen­nDOT expects the addi­tion­al roundtrip train jour­ney to cost about $8 mil­lion annu­al­ly, which fac­tors in rid­er­ship r …