Capital Red Rose Corridor, formerly known as Corridor One (corporately styled CORRIDOR''one''), was a proposal for
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service in
South Central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is the fifth-most populous state in the United States. Regions of Pennsylvania include:
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, located in eastern Pennsylvania, is named for the Lehigh River, which flows through it. It is the state's thir ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, between
Harrisburg
Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
and
Lancaster
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
. In mid-2008, the official name of the project was changed to the Capital Red Rose Corridor, after a successful write in campaign was launched resulting in over 800 submissions. However, in 2011, following numerous studies and the passage of a number of years, the Modern Transit Partnership determined that there was neither the political will nor adequate funding to implement that first leg at that time. No further study of commuter rail is planned.
Project background
The Capital Red Rose Corridor project sought to implement regional rail service along existing rail facilities within the lower Susquehanna Valley, linking Lancaster with Harrisburg. Original planning of the corridor would have extended service along a 54-mile stretch between
Lancaster
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
,
Harrisburg
Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
and
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
,
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberl ...
; however, the Harrisburg to Carlisle segment was dropped from the proposal in 2005. Planning and analysis activities related to the proposed Corridor One regional rail system have been ongoing since 1993. Five studies were conducted:
*Phase I Transit Alternatives Study, 1993.
*Phase II Regional Transit Alternatives Study, 1996.
*Transportation Investment Study, 1998.
*
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administration ...
New Starts Application, 2001.
*Transitional Analysis, 2002.
The result of these studies was the identification of a regional rail service known as Corridor One, that would be constructed from Lancaster to Harrisburg, and serve as the locally preferred alternative for improving mobility and accessibility in the
greater Harrisburg area.
The project would have used existing
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
rail line within the
Keystone Corridor
The Keystone Corridor is a 349-mile (562 km) railroad corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that consists of two rail lines: Amtrak and SEPTA's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line, Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg main li ...
to provide passenger service to Lancaster. This service would utilize the existing passenger stations in place at:
*
Harrisburg
Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...
*
Middletown
*
Elizabethtown
*
Mount Joy
*
Lancaster
Lancaster may refer to:
Lands and titles
*The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire
*Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies
*Duke of Lancaster
*Earl of Lancaster
*House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty
...
In early 2005, the MTP ratified an agreement with the
Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to:
Australia
* Cumberland County, New South Wales
* the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia
Canada
*Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
* Cumberland, historic county
*Cumberl ...
Commissioners to terminate service in Harrisburg—as opposed to continuing across the river into Cumberland County—at their request.
See also
*
Capital Area Transit (Harrisburg)
rabbittransit Capital Region, formerly known as Capital Area Transit (CAT), is a public transportation agency that operates bus and paratransit service in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area and the York metropolitan statisti ...
*
High-speed rail in the United States
High-speed rail in the United States dates back to the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965. Various state and federal proposals have followed. Despite being one of the world's first countries to get high-speed trains (the ''Metroliner ...
*
Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line
The Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line is a rail line owned and operated by Amtrak in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. This is the only electrified Amtrak line in the United States outside of the main line of the Northeast Corridor. The line ...
References
External links
Capital Area Transit homepageCorridorOne & Connections on Google Maps
{{Susquehanna Valley Railroads
Transportation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Proposed United States regional rail systems
Proposed railway lines in the United States
Proposed railway lines in Pennsylvania