PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE: A subsidy deal the state announced Thursday ensures passenger trains will continue to roll between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
Gov. Tom Corbett said the state will pay $3.8 million a year to subsidize Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian route, a daily round-trip that provides the only passenger rail service between Western Pennsylvania’s largest city and the state capital, plus seven small towns between. Amtrak sought at least $5.7 million annually.
The Pennsylvanian’s operating costs totaled $16.8 million in 2011, according to a Brookings Institute analysis released this month. At that rate, the state’s subsidy would cover about 23 percent of the route’s cost… (more)
EDITOR: The state subsidy thus amounts to just under $18 per rider for those traveling between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Presumably, Amtrak revenue exceeds operating costs between New York City and Harrisburg.
