Amtrak's Keystone Service: The OTHER Electrified Corridor!

Hello and Welcome to New York’s Penn Station! Today we are riding the full length of the Keystone corridor, Amtrak’s other electrified route!
Trip Information
Train Number: Amtrak Keystone Service 663
Locomotive: Siemens ACS-64 667
Consist: 4 Amfleet 1 Coaches with 1 Metroliner Cab Car
Departure Time: 9:09am
Arrival Time: 12:45pm
Journey Time: 3hr 36min
Top Speed: 125 mph
Ticket Price: $31.00
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- Chapters -
0:00 Hello and Welcome to New York's Penn Station!
0:18 Moynihan Train Hall
1:02 Our Route to Harrisburg
1:47 Boarding Begins
2:23 Our Train: Amtrak Keystone Number 633
2:58 Seating on Keystone Services
4:06 Departure from New York
4:16 Portal Bridge: A Relic from the Pennsylvania Railroad
5:07 Newark, Princeton Junction, and Cruising at 110
5:52 Two Avelia Libertys at Philadelphia
6:45 Reversing onto the Keystone Corridor
6:58 Paoli, Pennsylvania
7:11 Stats for Nerds
8:20 Subscribe! And Check out the Patreon!
8:45 Bathrooms Onboard
9:40 The Metroliner Cab Car: America's "First" High Speed Train
10:32 110 on the Corridor
10:50 No Café Car?!
11:27 Three Mile Island and Harrisburg International Airport
11:57 Arrival at the Harrisburg Transportation Center
12:21 GE GG1 4859: The OFFICIAL Electric Locomotive of Pennsylvania
12:49 Our Keystone Train with Metroliner Cab 9644
13:00 Pennsylvanian 42 Arrives with Amtrak 50th Anniversary Locomotive 46
13:27 Next Week: Continuing on to Pittsburgh with Amtrak's Pennsylvanian!
13:40 Thanks for Watching!
Equipment:
Camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max
Gimbal: DJI OM5
Camera: GoPro Hero 9 Black
Camera: Sony AX-43
Mic: Rode Videomic Pro+
Tripod: Coman DF06 + Manfrotto 502 Head
#Amtrak #Keystone #Metroliner

[@LonestarTrips]

NOTE: The train number in this video is incorrect. I read it as 633, but it is in fact 663. I apologize for this inaccuracy.

[@broyofroyo1207]

No problem

[@LonestarTrips]

@@broyofroyo1207 😊

[@StudioSA15]

Can I use some sounds in this video for ts plz

[@LonestarTrips]

@@StudioSA15 TS? Like Train Simulator? What would you want to use?

[@StudioSA15]

@@LonestarTrips like the horn clips if you have any?

[@johnchambers8528]

This is a good AMTRAK route with many departures daily. I live in Philadelphia and have ridden it many times to and from Harrisburg. As you mentioned there is no cafe car but the majority of the traffic is either Harrisburg to Philadelphia or Philadelphia to New York. However it is nice for passengers going through to New York by not having to change trains and does serve many of the smaller towns along the way. It provides fast comfortable service and is great in bad winter weather. It defiantly beats driving as traffic can be bad on Rt. 30 or the Pa turnpike.

[@LonestarTrips]

It really is one of the stand out corridors across Amtrak's network. The high frequency mixed with the higher speeds of the corridor are a recipe for success anywhere in the US, and the keystone corridor is a great example. Hopefully we'll get more routes like it in the coming years as a part of Amtrak's "Connects Us" plan

[@henreereeman8529]

How many trains per day?

[@LonestarTrips]

@@henreereeman8529 I believe it’s 13 in each direction, but you’ll have to double check.

[@qjtvaddict]

@@LonestarTrips something almost none of the routes have

[@tomakoman]

Does the New York to Philly train ever get full to where you can’t find a seat?

[@dylansmith1833]

I am a frequent traveler on the Keystone service, and I can tell you that this train has gone faster than 108 mph. One time, Amtrak was transporting a locomotive from NYC to Harrisburg, so our train had 2 locomotives traveling west. At times, we were going about 125 - 135 mph. The conductor even confirmed our speed so that was a crazy fast ride. Normally, from what I have experienced, we would reach top speeds of about 123 mph.

[@SquiggleSquared]

When I was in school in New York, I'd always take the Keystone back home. It was so comfortable and easy. I'd download movies on my tablet and watch during the cruise back home.

[@CreightonRabs]

Up until 10-12 years ago, the Keystone Corridor saw Genesis diesels operating the Harrisburg to Philadelphia segment with an engine swap at Philadelphia.

[@simonsv9449]

I think a station should be built close to Harrisburg Airport as the Keystone Corridor passes just around 75 - 100 metres from the Airport Terminal. I think it’s a shame that they did build the airport next to the Keystone Corridor but not build a station there. If Amtrak built a station at the Airport, Amtrak’s Keystone Service could be used as some sort of fast Airport Rail Link for passengers between Harrisburg and the airport.

[@LonestarTrips]

I absolutely agree. With the tracks so close to the terminal, a station there would be a great connection between air and rail travel. However, there's already a station in close proximity to the airport in Middletown. Yes, it's not directly next to the airport, but it's close. I do still think a closer station would be a great addition, but that may be the reason they haven't gotten around to it.

[@johnchambers8528]

The station at Middletown does have CAT transit bus service to the airport. Classy Whale did a video featuring it.

[@PhillyBagel]

The original plan was to replace Middletown station with one at the airport. But the residents of Middletown complained about losing their station and they prevailed. Besides getting the station off the curve, the new location is closer to the airport which facilitates a short Uber ride.

[@qjtvaddict]

@@PhillyBagel why not have an additional stop? They can build a high speed line between Harrisburg to Pittsburgh

[@potblack6043]

@@qjtvaddict If they built a stop at the airport in addition to one at Middletown, they wouldn't be far from each other. A station at the terminal would only be 1 mile down the line. Also the tracks west of Harrisburg don't exactly lend themselves to high speed transit, at least not in the modern sense. Ever heard of the Horseshoe Curve? That's this line.

[@DC4260Productions]

I had no idea a GG1 was on display in Harrisburg. But now that I think about it, it makes sense because Harrisburg is the state capital.

[@carltonkeys6205]

It's been there awhile now the last couple of times I've been to Harrisburg.

[@ChristopherEstep-es6qs]

I never took the train to Harrisburg.

[@ayesdefayesdeferson981]

I ride this train between Newark and Harrisburg regularly. The only time I’ve had issues is during the cold snap before Christmas. Definitely needs a cafe car, and a few more cabs especially around the holidays.

[@himbourbanist]

Totally agreed on the cafe car! I'm really surprised it doesn't have one at all. Granted most people ride only 1/2 the length (Hburg to Philly, or Philly to NYC) - but still that breaks down to basically 2 hour chunks on either side. It might come down to cost-saving measures but I'm certain that Harrisburg to Philly commuters would love to buy a coffee or a soda on their way through PA

[@formerx]

Nice video, sir! I rode this service from Harrisburg to Philly in 1984 and recall 2 things: the trackage around Middletown was so bad I feared the train was going to topple over. Also, our train stopped for a cow crossing somewhere around Lancaster County.

[@christiancurrao8616]

An interesting factoid is that between Philly and Thorndale is all interlocking tower controlled. Zoo, Overbrook, Paoli, and Thorn towers are still in operation and control every interlocking from Zoo to Thorndale. 3 of the 4 still use an early 1900s US&S Model 14 interlocking machine to control switches and signals.

[@sideshowbob]

New Haven Interlocking used to have that same system until it was upgraded to high speed as part of the electrification from New Haven to Boston. I was involved in that program in the mid/late 1990's. The control tower vacuum tubes were given to a railway museum (I forget which one). It's now controlled out of Boston (east of New Haven Station) & Harold (west of New Haven Station). Only the yard operations are controlled locally now.

[@ChristopherEstep-es6qs]

I used this corridor as SEPTA's Paoli Local - pre Thorndale Extension - I took AMTRAK exactly once - the last run of the National Limited - the successor to the iconic Twentieth Century Limited.

[@kevinwong6588]

@@ChristopherEstep-es6qs The National was PRR, the 20th Century (NYC) lives on as the Lake Shore.

[@cathymarie8304]

I often take the Keystone from Harrisburg to Philadelphia and then get on one the Septa trains to the Philadelphia International Airport. It is less expensive and less stressful than driving to it. The Septa trains will stop at all concourses of the airport.

[@Keither754]

6:57-7:00 that’s Villanova University 💙🤍 I went to college there! I used to take the Amtrak Keystone from Philly back home in NJ on some weekends. Glad to see this trip report!

[@danielsamuels5857]

Cool. I went there for a field trip in the 7th grade.

[@Techno-Universal]

I believe that the Metroliner cab car is actually a driving trailer that was originally a motor carriage as all of the Metroliner motor cars were more recently converted into trailer carriages or driving trailer carriages because of the reliability issues they originally had! :)

[@LonestarTrips]

You would be correct! I made sure to mention that conversion in the Stats for Nerds at 8:07.

[@Keystone1906_Productions]

@@LonestarTripslol at 8:01 I see a sneaky Paradise Pa of the Strasburg run around in the background behind the text in the video. Also nice work with this video.

[@carltonkeys6205]

The last time I rode the Pennsylvanian a diesel with an ACS-64 in rear I clocked it at a 117mph.

[@adnamamedia]

This is one of my favorite routes! I live in PHL and travel to NYC fairly frequently, and the Keystone is cheaper and faster than the standard NE Regional. My only complaint is that the trains are almost always packed to the brim, not a single seat left over

[@himbourbanist]

honestly it's a sign that Amtrak should increase frequency on the line

[@stephenkeever6029]

Glad you got a shot of the GG-1!

[@LonestarTrips]

Me too! In all honesty, if I hadn't been at the front of the train, I probably wouldn't have seen it lol.

[@anthonydpearson]

It's really quite a good service. I take NYC>PHI regularly for $18 in 1hr 15 minutes, really can't complain about that.

[@lukethompson5558]

You must book for a date that’s >14 days in advance though. Do they still honor tickets for the wrong date if there’s space available?

[@lukethompson5558]

It’s funny because the lowest fare on Keystone 7am departure from PHL In 2007 (16 years ago!) was $85 one-way 😂 It’s good to see the prices way down

[@himbourbanist]

LOVE the Keystone Service! Makes getting out to Central PA to visit family an absolute breeze from Philly.

[@newenglandskier13]

I took a trip to Harrisburg on the Keystone Service this past December. The Metroliner cab cars are the only pre-Amtrak rolling stock still in regular revenue service with Amtrak, and I made sure to sit in that car on both rides, especially since their days are now numbered. It looks very similar to an Amfleet inside, but there are subtle, yet noticeable differences.

[@XBKLYN]

If you want to get down to the Penn platforms quicker you can hang out on the MTA level and just wait for the track assignment. Track 5 can be accessed from the first corridor which serves NJT. It's not as comfy as Moynihan but you'll be downstairs first!

[@obifox6356]

A drinks and snacks trolley would be a good idea.

[@scorpgal6087]

No offense to Paoli, but Lancaster is by far the most important station between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. It's a small but vibrant city that sits in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and I think it would have been of interest to viewers around the globe. If a station between Philadelphia and Lancaster was going to be mentioned, it probably should have been Ardmore, home of one of the nation's top public schools, Lower Merion High School. Unlike most affluent suburban areas, where parents schlep their kids everywhere, middle and high school kids ride the famous Paoli Local, and a number of connecting bus routes, to get to a town that has been a teen hangout for generations. The sheer number of people with fond memories of Ardmore station warrants a mention, even if most of us have never boarded an Amtrak train at that station. Of course, I may be a little biased, as I also have not-so-fond memories of using Paoli station for doctor's appointments. Kudos on the view of Three Mile Island from the train. I've never ridden past Lancaster, and I had no idea that you can get such a good view from the train. Your video also captured something rather embarrassing: a very pretty New Jersey Transit train sitting next to a butt-ugly Amtrak train. That tells you all you need to know about our national train service.

[@AndreiTupolev]

Those coaches seem to be showing their age externally, but inside they still look quite smart, though I'm not sure how often the various nooks and crannies are cleaned (and particularly that seat recline button, which I wouldn't want to touch without latex gloves 😶)

[@aaronmoriak502]

Fortunately, Amtrak just announced their replacement with Siemens Venture coaches, which should start rolling out in 2026

[@rayh592]

Remember before the Metroliners they used Silverliners (now in SEPTA service) and The old Broadway Limited under the power of those GG1's between Harrisburg and New York.

[@kevinwong6588]

The Silverliner II and IIIs used in Harrisburg service in the 1970s have been retired.

[@redarrow5591]

PennDOT subsidizes the PHI-HBG section of the Keystone, and all the subsequent line upgrades, including the removal of two grade crossings, and signal upgrades to allow for 125 MPH operation. It was at PennDOTs instruction that cafes isn't needed since that's a extra expense incurred to PennDOT. The next set of upgrades on the line will take place between Parkesburg and Paoli, and will involves the shift of DOWNS further east (and off the curve and the station), reconfiguring of THORN and CALN interlockings for 30 MPH moves across, and CTC upgrades that will take Thorn and Paoli towers OOS.

[@rgruenhaus]

I traveled on the TGV in France from Gar de lyon to Marseille in 4.5hrs. My trip up to Paris was on a Pullman train and that took 9hrs.

[@ylilin]

Fantastic video!

[@berserk5735]

Beautifully filmed

[@johnhaynes710]

very enjoyable great to have a commentary

[@LonestarTrips]

Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed!

[@albertfigueroa5347]

I wish there was train service from Scranton Pennsylvania to New York City they should have Amtrak coming to Scranton.

[@erik_griswold]

Was the Metroliner cab car open for seating? If so, that was the place I’d go for the experience of riding in Amtrak’s oldest car type now and the knowledge that I was on a Budd product built for the pre-merger Pennsy!

[@LonestarTrips]

I think it was open for seating, and in hind sight I really should have sat there, but it is what it is. Still super cool to ride on the corridor.

[@johnchambers8528]

Yes, the old Metroliner cab car is usually open for seating.

[@EMDSD14R]

Although rare some keystone trains have run with a cafe car. Great video!

[@johnchambers8528]

As far as I know only the Pennsylvanian that runs to and from Pittsburgh currently has a cafe car included in the make up of the train.

[@ginantsfan5]

Most awesome vid!!!!!!

[@raritanbayrailfan2558]

Funny coincidence, I caught Amtrak no. 46 leading the Vermonter at Essex Junction around 2 or 3 weeks ago!

[@LonestarTrips]

Ha, nice! The 50th anniversary livery on 46 may not be as flashy as its counterparts, but it's still a nice homage to Amtrak's half-century of service.

[@felicetanka]

Europe's service, trains and stations are so civilized.

[@lukethompson5558]

Have they eliminated 3 car consists? They used to even run them on the 6:45pm rush hour from NYP! They were packed to the GILLS! Glad to see 5 coaches is the new minimum

[@damnimloomin]

So true about the cafe car I took the Keystone Service from philly to Newark and wanted to buy a drink SO BAD I realized in the end for the leg I was taking I should have just taken NJT and saved some money it’s basically the same service only with a couple more stops.

[@obifox6356]

Keystone is much faster than Septa-NJ Transit for Philly-Newark. Almost as fast as Acela.

[@EmeraldCrimsonShadowPeach2K5]

My family and I took the Keystone to Harrisburg back in 2013 when I was 8 years old! It was to go to Hershey Park, and we had a lot of fun there! Also, I didn't know you could ride in the cab car on a Keystone train! That view out the front window looked really cool!

[@LonestarTrips]

Hershey Park sounds like a good time! And what better way to get there than by train!

[@parkerjon29]

That metroliner cab car needs a bath!

[@hornshowrailfan2554]

Woohoo I ride this line almost everyday! Great route!

[@adambuesser6264]

Why did electrification end in Harrisburg, Washington D.C., and other destinations in the Northeast? I love trains, especially electric ones, and would like to see where they go.

[@lamegaming9835]

because south of DC PRR did not own the tracks PRR was the company who electrified the NEC VDRPT cant bother to electrify

[@broyofroyo1207]

They should have more electrification

[@simonsv9449]

But Amtrak should electrify the line up to Springfield. They own it, so that’s not a problem.

[@broyofroyo1207]

@@simonsv9449 yeah

[@sideshowbob]

@@simonsv9449 New Haven - Hartford - Springfield line has been converted / upgraded to a commuter rail service by the State of CT (with some MA contribution). The Amtrak rolling stock has been incorporated into that service, it only runs as shuttles between New Haven & Springfield. Electrification would be nice to see, but prolly not gonna happen, given the amount of overpasses that need to be raised (or track bed lowered), plus, CTDOT's management is Keen on battery cars for the future of both Danbury line & Hartford line now (~sigh~ unfortunately, as short sighted as they've always been. I should know. I used to work there).

[@AWESOME1509]

man this is an awesome video and somewhat surreal. i currently live in central texas and regularly fan the texas eagle as well as BNSF AND UP trains there but grew up in Harrisburg. several times growing up i took the keystone to philly, but never continued onto new york. awesome work. keep it up!

[@Robbi496]

In Pennsylvania it is pronounced LANK-aster, not LAN-caster :)

[@LonestarTrips]

Huh, the more you know!

[@potblack6043]

@@LonestarTrips Also the river is pronounced suh-skwuh-ha-nuh, not what you said.

[@ice401557]

Is it allowed to stay on the platforms of Penn Station for a longer time for trainspotting or is it closed down if there is no train to board on?

[@AWESOME1509]

most central pennsylvanians call it the sus-KWA-hanna river by the way, not the sus-CUH-hanna!

[@willgibson9718]

Cool video

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks!

[@broyofroyo1207]

Agreed

[@rjweiss7161]

I love trains, I love trains

[@danielnesbitt9565]

I'm amazed Amtrak don't at least offer a trolley service or micro-buffet on this route - I am sure people would buy the likes of coffees and snacks on such a service at the very least.

[@sideshowbob]

It stops @ Princeton Jct but not Trenton? That seems Odd. Usually pretty low traffic at Princeton, at least when I take NJT locals from NYC to Trenton. Trenton is a state capital after all, you'd think linking 2 adjacent state capitals would be a traffic demand. It has always seemed odd to me - the smattering of stations Amtrak stops at - & doesn't stop at - along the NJ portion of the NE corridor. Edison, Metropark? It'd seem to me they'd be better off consolidating their operations to a few major stops & letting NJT provide the connections. This is how it's done up in CT on the New Haven Line (Amtrak only stops @ New Rochelle, Stamford, Bridgeport, & New Haven).

[@montyb10009]

Nice video. One thing though, when you continue your trip from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh it will be westbound not northbound. 😁 The Pennsylvanian travels east and west.

[@LonestarTrips]

Haha yeah, it's certainly more west than north, but technically Pittsburgh is just barely north of Harrisburg. I think I said north though because of the track orientation in Harrisburg, which sees trains to Pittsburgh heading northbound before turning west.

[@sethanix3969]

"This bridge from the 1910s is ANCIENT, but thankfully replacement is underway" Looking at most railway bridges in my country which date back to the 1870s and are in mostly good repair I always find this kind of statement amusing. Admittedly, they are often accompanied by more modern expansions to fit the increased demand, but we have tons of bridges way older than that. And with good maintance there are no plans to peplace most of them in the forseable future...

[@LonestarTrips]

May I ask where you’re from?

[@sethanix3969]

Yes of course, I forgot to mention it. I'm from Germany, and although there is much to be done better here (looking at our neighbor Switzerland) I'm always astonished by the downfall of the railways in the US...

[@eottoe2001]

If I were dictator, I would probably well hated but we'd have ultra high speed rail between NYC and Chicago, and NYC to Atlanta, DC to Chicago, etc. It would all be electrified. I'd have former coal mine workers and engineers build it and maintain it. Unlike Europe and Japan, USPS would have their own trains to haul freight and mail again on it. Your mail order package could mailed and sent from NYC at 1 PM and arrive in Chicago at 4:30 PM CST. It sounds like a plan.

[@lexifillems]

Many European countries have mail trains.

[@STho205]

@@lexifillems and that's why they still have passenger trains. US RRs dropped passenger service when they lost the mail and parcel contracts due to being slow. Same thing happened in Canada with CN and others. Mail makes passenger ROW work. Without it, it is a forced service with no real business plan. Passengers will only pay so much and each requires X man hours of labor per trip. Longer the trip and more passengers, higher the manhours. Labor prior to 1960 was cheap.

[@eottoe2001]

@@STho205 I'll think about it.

[@mybigfatpolishlife]

Except you'd be an authoritarian despot ruling over it all

[@eottoe2001]

@@mybigfatpolishlife YES, INDEED! I was being hyperbolic, but In some ways we have despotism of the market and corporations. There are a lot of industries and ideologues who want only highway and air travel in the US who pay our political parties and politicians to keep it stuck in the past. Financial institutions don't finance rail construction except in a few places. We should be able to go from Bangor, Maine to Washington, D.C., in 3.7 hours by train if we want. or NYC to Atlanta in 4.8 hours. The market despite the great hopes of Milton Friedman and Bill Clinton can't do that. We spent despite being told there is no money for high speed rail we managed to pony up 8x the money for Ukraine than we spent on Amtrak for FY 2022.

[@chollocks]

Cross the street and down into the NJ Transit dungeon in essentially the same station

[@rskb1957]

Comparing the Amfleet 1 to BRs Mk3 coaches is most interesting. The Mk3 is much lighter inside and the interior fit and finishes are much neater giving the impression of greater modernity. The vestibule of the Amfleet coaches in particular look very crude by comparison, with lots of bare metal, exposed screw heads and angled steel straps in and on corners. The views of newer US rolling stock does look better in this regard. The Mk3s with their frequent refurbishments, inside and out, they retained their modern feel until the end and remain a favourite. They looked especially good in the GWR dark green and the the early dark blue with red band of the GNER franchises. They looked "classy". I have always liked the look of the Amfleet exterior which seems to pay homage to the stainless steel streamlined cars of the 1940s and 50s. They look like they are "fast" even when stopped. I have never ridden on Amtrak on my trips to the US so I can't comment more, although I do know people who have. Their comments were the coaches were quiet and comfortable although looked old.

[@niallfoody97]

0:40 that place needs some bench's ASAP

[@rjweiss7161]

My favorite Amtrak is the Acela😊

[@tomakoman]

You mentioned taking the west end concourse down to beat the line, can you use any open stairs/escalators to get down to the train? Do all platforms connect? Thanks for the great tip!

[@LonestarTrips]

Unfortunately, the platforms do not connect outside of the WEC, Moynihan and Penn Station proper, so using the WEC is going to be your best bet for beating the line. Glad I could help out a fellow traveler!

[@rominn2184]

I don't remember, but maybe just maybe there's enough time to run up into Philadelphia 30th Street Station and grab food and head back down to the train during the change of direction. I did that on the Pennsylvanian because there was a proper locomotive change from electric to diesel.

[@fritzyboi6390]

12:11 and 12:49 the station used for TATMR when Mara Wilson decided to follow a dog onto a random train for some reason

[@user-gm5mc8jh5d]

They'd have to replace large sections of track to get to 160 or 170 in service.

[@SJDevenney1]

Why would they hit have a station at Harrisburg International Airport? Why would the route not continue to Pittsburg?

[@hirampriggott1689]

I've done two roundtrips to Harrisburg from NYC in my lifetime on the Keystone. I have one major complaint: There is no café car. They really do need food service on these trains. I know they are subsidized by the state of Pennsylvania, but surely if you ride the entire train route end-to-end, then have food service cars.

[@LonestarTrips]

My thoughts exactly. For a 3+ hour trip to not have any food service is kind of ridiculous. Hopefully Amtrak will add something in the future.

[@Acela1a]

@@LonestarTrips In order for the keystone to get a cafe car. it would be up to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to fund the cafe car since they primarily fund the keystone service once outside of the Northeast Corridor

[@scorpgal6087]

I'm all for cafe cars, but if you're a Philadelphia area resident who rides SEPTA trains, the fact that Amtrak trains have bathrooms will make you feel like a pampered movie star. The food can wait. Anyone who's taken New Jersey Transit's Northeast Corridor train will appreciate the fact that having 2 bathrooms in every Amtrak car is much better than having one bathroom in either the first car, or the last car, of a NJT train. The last time I took a NJT train to New York, I had to get off in Secaucus, because I was in the middle car, it was standing room only, and I didn't know if the bathroom was in the first car, or the last car. I barely managed to get through the crowd to get off the train, and I had to buy another ticket to complete my trip to NYC. By the way, anyone riding the SEPTA/NJT combined service from Philadelphia to NYC shouldn't get on the connecting local NJT train if there's any chance they need to use a bathroom. Use the bathroom in Trenton, and take the next NJT train to NYC. You won't have to buy another ticket, and you'll probably end up on an express NJT train that gets to NYC just a few minutes after the local train that you didn't get on.

[@johnchambers8528]

While it would be nice to have a cafe car on these trains it is most likely as noted due to Pennsylvania paying for part of the cost to run this service. Also going back to pre Amtrak days these trains only ran between downtown Philadelphia from the Suburban station and Harrisburg using Silverliner MU cars without snack bars. Also the majority of the passengers do not ride through NYC to Harrisburg. There also is usually a long enough stop at 30th Street Station or through passengers to go up to the station and buy something at many of the food stores in the station. I know when I ride from Harrisburg I usually buy some snacks and a soda from the news stand that also has a limited amount of food and snacks available for purchase. The same applies leaving from NYC where there are many outlets for food and drink in the station concourse.

[@hermanchan2794]

The only 3 amtrak routes that do not serve food are Keystone service, Amtrak Hartford Line, and Valley Flyer. All those 3 routes have a amfleet metroliner cab car in common and the only 3 to have them. So I believe they swap the amfleet cafe car for the amfleet metroliner cab car. Note that amtrak routes with the metroliner cab car will not serve food.

[@danielsamuels5857]

Cab you bring your own food on those lines then?

[@kevinwong6588]

Hiawatha does not have snack/beverage service, all other corridors do.

[@hermanchan2794]

@@kevinwong6588 true

[@engitopia]

I always wondered why they have ex metroliner cabs

[@MatthewSmith-cv7op]

UPDATE: New Portal Bridge construction is ahead of schedule and is slated to open now possibly in late 2025-2026, ahead of the original plan of opening in 2027.

[@LonestarTrips]

Yes! I saw they’re half way done as of last week, and I’ll have an update on the progress in this week’s video. (Update as in I’ll show the bridge and talk about its progress lol)

[@stuartlee6622]

Not North Philadelphia? 30th Street? Does the train go backwards??

[@smacwhinnie]

So thats a dual mode locomotive? And driven from the cab car after Philly?

[@LonestarTrips]

The ACS-64 is an electric locomotive only. The cab car just allows the train to run in two directions, without having to flip around at a wye, or have a locomotive on either end.

[@Lynxfan2]

Hello there Lonestar, you have Train Number: Amtrak Keystone Service 633, which is incorrect, the correct Train Number: Amtrak Keystone Service 663.

[@LonestarTrips]

Whoops, I must've totally misread the number. Good catch!

[@ClassyWhale]

It's Lenkister, not Lane-caster! Great review tho 😁

[@LonestarTrips]

You're the second person I've seen comment that, so clearly I mispronounced it haha. And I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@broyofroyo1207]

They should’ve had a cafe car; is the corridor from Harrisburg to Philadelphia electrified?

[@LonestarTrips]

The corridor is electrified, hence the "Other electrified route" in the title.

[@broyofroyo1207]

@@LonestarTrips is the corridor from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh electrified

[@LonestarTrips]

@@broyofroyo1207 Oh, haha. Unfortunately it is not.

[@cliffordporteriii6625]

They use to have a cafe car. I was an LSA (Cafe car attendant) from 94’-96’. It was busy. Bring it back. Cliff Porter III. 😎👍🏽🚃

[@broyofroyo1207]

@@LonestarTrips okay, is any other Amtrak corridor electrified besides the northeast corridor and keystone corridor

[@Salty_reviews]

Does that GG1 still operate?

[@TheOneKEA]

It is not operational. Making it operational would require the removal of a lot of asbestos and the complete redesign of its 1930s-era electric traction system to be able to operate without the use of PCBs. It’s possible to do but it would be very expensive.

[@kevinhoward9593]

i dont understand why the Keystone is a state supported route when its entire route is on Amtrak owned lines. The stripping at the end of the Metroliner car is probably a result of the 1972 ICG collision.

[@ginargent5077]

As a college student from NY who goes to school in Philly, I always take the Keystone over the NE regional-it’s cheaper and faster!

[@gossettcd]

Is there a Cafe Car???? And ironically as I wrote this the next segment addressed that.

[@LonestarTrips]

😂 I do my best to address all aspects of a journey, and I’m glad I took the words right out of your mouth!

[@favroitetiger2351]

Did you hear that Amtrak is in the process of replacing the superliners. No manufacturer currently announced.

[@LonestarTrips]

I have not heard that. I wouldn't be surprised if they are though, as with the Airo trainsets now on the way, it only seems fitting for the next replacement to be their long haul fleet.

[@favroitetiger2351]

Full information is available from Amtrak. Not much is known about these new superliners. Who do you think the manufacturer might be.

[@LonestarTrips]

@@favroitetiger2351 My best guess at the moment is Alstom. Metra just recently ordered coach replacements for their gallery fleet from Alstom, and it wouldn't take much to repurpose those double deckers into superliner-esque cars. That being said, Amtrak has been ordering almost everything from Siemens for the past few years now, bar the new Avelia Liberty, so it's entirely possible they stick with them moving forward.

[@favroitetiger2351]

@@LonestarTrips I heard online some people think it could be Stadler.

[@LonestarTrips]

@@favroitetiger2351 Oh true, Stadler would be a great pick.

[@lukethompson5558]

Why were you restricted to 110mph? Between Newark and Philly, you should have been at 125. From the front of the Budd car, I usually notice a speed of 125 (or 127 if he’s really pushing it) There’s an LED gauge and a mechanical speedometer). My phone also usually says 125… but then again whenever I take this train I seem to have the same crew, and maybe that engineer has a lead foot!

[@LonestarTrips]

We weren't limited, I just think we didn't get up to 125 with our stop in Princeton Junction breaking up the high speed run.

[@lukethompson5558]

@@LonestarTrips There’s still plenty of time to cruise at 125 even with the PJC stop. It could be possible that they’re maintaining the Keystones equipment to the 110mph standard now to cut costs, or maybe 1 of the coaches was having brake issues. The 125mph cars (Amfleet 1 & 60’s cab cars) have 2 types of brakes that work together, and requires twice as much maintenance as 110mph cars (which are ironically newer)

[@lukethompson5558]

@@LonestarTrips Actually, most likely explanation is that you were stuck behind a long distance train with 110mph cars. And you probably couldn’t go 125 between PJC-PHL, because the long distance train probably stopped at TRE Also, lead footed crews pushing to 127mph is a thing of the past. I think they now have automatic braking over 125

[@ryansmecker9943]

7:05-7:06 Septa trains actually go all the way into Center City Philadelphia but okay.

[@potblack6043]

Keep in mind what he said about seats. On peak travel days and times it is not uncommon for the train to be booked 100% full out of New York. On those days single riders will always be seated with strangers, and late borders with parties will absolutely be split up. Also, the Keystone Service operates with a quiet car. It is usually at one of the ends of the train. Cultivation of a library atmosphere, so no talking or phone calls, and all audio devices need headphones. It is intended for business people, but since seats aren't reserved I always grab one. Sit back and read a book without bother from other travelers.

[@MattyPLayzYT27]

667 dam

[@HRHolm-bi6zu]

Why do so many travel videos include bathroom stuff?

[@AMPProf]

That looks way too fancy for 3 hours.. But people do Private jets for city hopping soooo.. Hmm

[@marvwatkins7029]

Should be "Facts for Nerds".

[@seaniebounce]

For a FULLY ELECTRIFIED route, I don’t understand why Amtrak doesn’t have the Acela service here. Doesn’t make sense, have overhead power, but don’t use it for Amtrak, yet you’d put it elsewhere in the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak, please rethink this…

[@LonestarTrips]

The simple answer is that they don't have enough Acela trainsets to operate on the corridor. Amtrak doesn't even have enough trainsets to keep up with demand as it stands, let alone expand to other routes. Additionally, the route is a joint operation between Amtrak and PennDOT, and PennDOT is likely not willing to fork up the extra cash for newer, faster trains. That being said, as Amtrak begins to introduce the Avelia Liberty trainsets next year, it's entirely possible they begin to shift the old Acela sets to the Keystone Corridor.

[@Joesolo13]

@@LonestarTrips Amtrak currently plans to retire the Acelas once Avelia has come into service, but it would definitely be interesting to see them refurbished for use on Keystone.

[@user-gm5mc8jh5d]

There are NO seats in the Moynihan Train hall. NONE!

[@Trainfan1055Janathan]

11:52 It still annoys me that Three Mile Island is being shut down, just because a bunch of NIMBYs are afraid of Nuclear Power. It was still perfectly functional and never had a meltdown. Nuclear Power is the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to make electricity, and it only emits water vapor into the atmosphere. Coal power plants have actually released toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, one of the main reasons people tend to be afraid of Nuclear Power.

[@LonestarTrips]

110% agreed. Nuclear power is one of the most environmentally friendly energy solutions that we know of, and the fact that yet another plant is being closed down is terrible. Plus now with fusion becoming a potentially viable source of energy, there’s almost no negative byproducts from nuclear energy. And of course the NIMBYs that are trying to get it closed down are the exact people who ruined the environment in the past. Hopefully future generations will understand the importance of nuclear power and will work to implement it into the U.S. energy grid. Anyways, thanks for stopping by! Always makes me happy to see such a large channel commenting on my videos, and I hope to see you in comment sections in the future!

[@nicholasgiampetro782]

I agree TMI closing is dumb, always confused me when I heard about it since my High school was like 20 minutes drive from TMI. But you can't say it never had a melt down. It's one of like 3 commercial reactors the definitively had a meltdown. It was just managed well enough so everything was contained within the reactor.

[@TomHoffman-uw7pf]

Uhhhh, TMI ALMOST had a meltdown in 1979.

[@Trainfan1055Janathan]

@@TomHoffman-uw7pf There's no such thing as "almost." Either it did or It didn't. It did not have a meltdown because it was shut off before it got to that point.

[@johnchambers8528]

Just a short note about the TMI nuclear plant. The complex had two reactor buildings. The meltdown or partial meltdown only happened to one of the buildings. For a few years after the incident the other reactor did run and produce power. It was the company that owned the plant that felt it was uneconomic to only run one reactor so they shut down the complete plant. Most likely they were incurring extra over site from the federal regulators and did not want to incur the extra expense to run only one reactor.

[@rgruenhaus]

Amtrak thinks it is great to have a high speed train to go 3 blocks! Almost like flying the Concord to fly down the runway! High speed is supposed to save great time! Like across the country! New England to Miami! New York to San Francisco! Politicians and corporate CEO's aren't the only ones who need to save time when traveling! Amtrak took out my train from Pensacola to Jacksonville years ago because it was too difficult to deal with using the CSX tracks!

[@paulbadics3500]

How about real HSR like in europe & asia

[@LonestarTrips]

Europe and Asia also have highly integrated local rail networks to get people to and from the high speed lines. The US has nothing of the sort.

[@ryleplays01]

The Thumbnail is the former budd Metroliner........

[@AaronJrBrundidge]

Train 663, not Train 633

[@LonestarTrips]

I totally misread the the train number, and just never caught it when editing the script. Good catch though!

[@radanju3]

8:25 fuck that bell sound

[@radanju3]

it always makes me automatically want to do the opposite of what you're asking for

[@radanju3]

13:44 I'm going to punch the nearest person near me! Ughhh! I hate it when people do this. JUST USE A DIFFERENT SOUND DAMMIT! Use an e-bell, or an EMD bell. Literally anything but that damn horrible stock bell sound. I'd much rather listen to the horribly looped Trainz ambient passenger audio for 10 hours than to listen to this trash for a single millisecond!

[@sideshowbob]

I don't "get" all the complaints about the lack of a cafe car. In my experience, the "food", if you want to call it that, on typical Amtrak cafe cars is downright Hideous. Microwave pizza, hot dogs, burgers, sulphureous egg mc muffins, a few "token" pieces of fruit for a couple dollars. Most major stations along the route have concessions where you can buy actual good food (even if not hot) & just bring along with you - how hard is that? Hot coffee is about the only amenity I'd seek out. I take the commuter trains between New Haven & south NJ to visit friends / family once a month (I don't take Amtrak as it's more than twice the price & is usually chronically behind schedule). Grand Central, NY Penn, & even Trenton have plenty of opportunities to get food, & they allow you to eat on the commuter trains. The complaints about lack of bathrooms (none on SEPTA, rare on NJ Transit) are legit. SEPTA is such a mess, I can't even count the number of times I've seen homeless / drug addicts relieving themselves right there in a seat or on the stairs & the conductors do nothing about it.

[@alekcxjo]

200 km/h is just a normal train. Fast train is above 300 km/h.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

ACS 667 is actually the 66th unit of the group (they skipped #666 for religious superstitious reasons), so it really should have been #666.

[@TomHoffman-uw7pf]

Amtrak DID have a train #666, on the Atlantic City line, until they got complaints and changed it.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

@@TomHoffman-uw7pf Yes, they did, and I worked it as LSA until it, and the rest of the Atlantic City service was dropped in April of 1995. #666, if I recall correctly, only operated on Saturday night out of AC to DC, the final leg of the four day work cycle (4 days on, four days off) that left AC later on Saturday, hence the different number. I worked that service for three-and-a-half years, from November of 1991 to April of '95. DC-AC, then AC-SPG (24 hour layover in SPG), then SPG-AC and AC-RCH same day, then RCH-AC and back to DC last day.The trains had cab control cars and left DC starting out cab car first. The power always faced outbound at Atlantic City. Swaps between Diesel and electric took place at Frankfort Jct. in N. Philly. The beginning of the end of the service was the opening of the first Native American casino at Foxwoods in CT. That decimated the north end of the route ridership.

[@harishrp4449]

so sad that there are diesel locomotives even under wires

[@Blakk_Wolf7]

Bro, The Keystone Service is train #663 NOT #633, just look at the train board

[@dennisyoung4631]

Bathrooms on the train are important when chronic illness causes “diarrhea (almost) every day.”

[@chrisw443]

A train station with no where to sit is infuriating

[@paulbadics3500]

$1.6b for empty station

[@The.NycStuntMan]

At 0:17 why did the guy had no shoes on

[@petmitsu]

You need glasses.

[@dutchgish]

The video was so enjoyable, that we’ll give you a pass on your pronunciation of Lancaster and Susquehanna. 😉

[@LonestarTrips]

Haha your graciousness is greatly appreciated.