Amtrak anticipates spending $6.6M on Greensburg, Latrobe station projects

As Amtrak, the state and Norfolk Southern Corp. are planning major improvements to the rail line from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg, the passenger rail service is projecting it will spend $6.6 million over the next two years on improvements to two Westmoreland County train stations, in Greensburg and Latrobe.

Amtrak has budgeted $4.9 million for improvements to the train station in the county seat and $1.7 million for upgrades to the Latrobe station, according to its report on train station projects from fiscal years 2022 to 2027. Ridership at the Greensburg station was 8,367 in 2022, while the Latrobe station served 2,706 passengers.

Amtrak, the nation’s passenger rail system, is planning to add a new heating and cooling system to the Greensburg station off Harrison Avenue, after it separates its utilities from other facilities that share the building with the station. The Olives & Peppers restaurant is at what was the passenger portion of the historic Train Station, while there are offices and a coffee shop in what had been the freight section of the facility.

The work at the Greensburg station is projected to be spread over two fiscal years — $2.6 million in fiscal year 2024 and $2.3 million in fiscal year 2025. Amtrak’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and concludes the following Sept. 30.

The Greensburg and Latrobe stations have become staples in the Westmoreland community, having been named as historic landmarks in 1977 and 1986, respectively.

Amtrak’s Greensburg station was constructed in 1908 and opened in 1910. Its last renovation began in 1996 and finished in 1998. It has been home to a series of restaurants, including Olives & Peppers of Greensburg, which opened in December 2020.

Amtrak has been planning improvements to its Latrobe station off Ligonier Street for five years. They will take at least 18 months to finish, Amtrak spokeswoman Beth Toll has estimated. That has been projected to cost $1.7 million, according to an Amtrak report.

Based on the design for the station, it will have an accessible concrete and brick platform with lighting, guardrails and signs. A new pedestrian ramp will be added, leading from the parking area to the platform and shelters. The covered stairway leading from the parking lot adjacent to DiSalvo’s Station Restaurant to the train platform, will be rebuilt. The parking lot accessible off South Alexander Street will be repaved with more lighting, new landscaping and handicapped-accessible parking spots.

The Latrobe train station platform is higher than adjacent McKinley Avenue and is accessible only from a long set of steps connecting the railroad stop with the restaurant.

The project would be designed to address the deficiencies in the current train station that is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Toll said. The barrier to accessibility for some people is the long stairwell that passengers must climb to get to where they can board the train.

Improving the station is a complex project because the tracks are elevated and the site is close to the privately owned historic structure. That requires approvals from from multiple entities, Toll has said.

Amtrak officials previously said they want to raise the platform eight inches above the rails. While that typically would not provide for level boarding, the federal Transportation Department does not provide level boarding, but “does facilitate boarding by ambulatory passengers.”

Ellen Pannell, coordinator for the Amtrak ADA Stations Program, told Latrobe City Council last spring that the project has taken a long to design because of its complexities

Amtrak has to wait to get historic site approvals before putting the project out for bids and has worked with the Latrobe Revitalization Program and city officials on the project.