LATROBE, Pa. — Several upgrades are planned for two Amtrak stations in Pennsylvania this year along the route of Amtrak’s New York–Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian.
In Latrobe, Amtrak plans improvements to the Pennsylvania Railroad station built in 1903 to address Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies found throughout the structure, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. The station has a large stairwell passengers must use to access the platform. The last update took place in 1990 when DiSalvo’s Restaurant moved in.
The Latrobe project has been in the works since 2018 and will take at least 18 months to finish, Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll told the Tribune-Review. “This is a complex project due to the elevated tracks and the proximity of the privately owned historic structure, requiring approvals from multiple entities,” Toll said. Amtrak has been collaborating with the Latrobe Revitalization Program and city officials to begin the project.
Improvements will include a new covered ramp access from the parking lot level up to the elevated track area, a new elevated platform with rehabilitated canopy, restored passenger shelter building, replacement of existing stairs and pathways and parking lot upgrades such as pavement and lighting. Amtrak plans to begin construction in September and complete the project in several phases to ensure service to the station continues during construction.
In Greensburg, Amtrak is planning to add a new heating and cooling system to the station. The Greensburg depot opened in 1910. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977, it was designed for the PRR by William H. Cookman, who worked on several other stations and railroad buildings throughout the state. Since undergoing a complete rehabilitation in the late 1990s, the station has housed various business tenants; a brick-floored space between the passenger and baggage depots has been enclosed with glass walls and a roof with skylights to provide a small amount of seating for passengers. The platforms are elevated behind the station building and are reached via an underpass, stairs and elevators. On the platforms, glass enclosures provide shelter under the canopies and at the stair openings. It has been home to a series of restaurants.
