Pennsylvania Plodding - Keystone Corridor West

The Woodside Consulting study of 2005 reported upon a seven day window on operations across the Keystone Corridor West from December 7, 2003, through December 13, 2003.

By 2003, Pittsburgh to Harrisburg was seeing over 100 million ton miles a year.  690 freight trains and 42 passenger  trains were reviewed.

Here were the train types, the number of trains and average speed:

Train Type:      Number of Trains:        Average MPH:
Amtrak                                      42                        37.8
Premium
Intermodal                                 69                        32.7

Intermodal                               123                        27.9
Triple
Crown                                        18                        34.6
Multi-
Level                                          24                        26.8

Auto Parts                                    6                         31.1
General
Merchandise                             199                         21.7

Coal                                          139                         18.8

Unit                                             10                         22.9

Locals                                          85                         11.8
Work
Trains                                             7                         23.5
TOTALS/
AVERAGE                                732                          24.3

Using a week in December to review somewhat under reports normal operations as carloadings decline in the 4th quarter of a year. The average daily train count was 104. In 2003 there were three Amtrak trains scheduled meaning 6 trains total per day. Except for fewer Amtrak trains a day, the 2003 freight train count is probably representative of today's circumstances. Admittedly, 104 trains in a 24 hour period is one train every 14 minutes seems on its face as not being a difficult transportation  task to accomplish. The problem is that trains of different weights, lengths and speeds create a multitude of operational variables. And, trains are not spaced in an even 14 minute sequence throughout the day.

Woodside concluded that additional trackage was required at key points in order to add additional rail passenger service and NOT interfere with freight operations. One pinch point are the fueling racks between Harrisburg and Rockville Bridge. Additional track would be required in the vicinity of Gallitzin to avoid delays over the Allegheny frontal. The Pittsburgh Amtrak station requires additional trackage to allow freight trains to pass stopped passenger trains. And, in order to lessen the number of freight trains dispatched through downtown Pittsburgh, additional trackage would be required to increase the capacity of the freight bypass that leaves the mainline near Wilmerding, PA known as the Port Perry branch. The Port Perry branch in turn connects with the Monongahela Branch which returns to the mainline crossing Brunot Island in the Ohio River connecting to the mainline in the vicinity of California Avenue and Superior Avenue on the Northside of Pittsburgh.

The Woodside study did not consider the operational requirement to weigh eastbound coal trains at Denholm, Pennsylvania. There a coal train is operated at 5 mile per hour across a weigh in motion scale. The siding that is integrated into the signalling system where weighing happens is at milepost 155.8. ( See: http://www.parailfan.com/Guides/Altoona_East/altoonaeast_denholm.html ). The location of the scale may require a dispatcher to move a slow moving coal train across a track causing a loss of full operational speed to the track being crossed. Obviously such a contingency can be managed by good dispatching decisions.