Parkesburg station

Parkesburg, PA
Parkesburg Amtrak station on the eastbound track 1.
Location West First Avenue and
South Culvert Street
Parkesburg, PA 19365
Coordinates 39°57′33″N 75°55′20″W / 39.95917°N 75.92222°W / 39.95917; -75.92222
Line(s) Keystone Corridor (Main Line)
Platforms 2 side platforms
Tracks 3
Other information
Station code PAR
Traffic
Passengers (FY 2017) 44,568[1] Decrease 5.1%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Harrisburg
Keystone Service
toward New York
Former services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Pittsburgh
Pennsylvanian
toward New York
SEPTA
TerminusParkesburg Line
Pennsylvania Railroad
Atglen
toward Chicago
Main Line
Pomeroy

Parkesburg is an Amtrak train station located between Lancaster and Philadelphia at West First Avenue and South Culvert Street in Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. It is served by most Amtrak Keystone Service trains. A station building exists at the stop, but is not currently used as a ticket office. The distance between Parkesburg and the next westbound station (Lancaster) is the longest distance between stations (23 miles) anywhere within the Pennsylvania section of the Keystone Service.

From circa 1914 through 1972, Parkesburg Tower was located near the Atlantic Avenue bridge. The tower served as a communication/signalling point for westbound (to Lancaster and beyond) trains, and a routing location for eastbound trains entering the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Rail Road. A small service yard was also located nearby for both track service and to assist with sideling switching. Parkesburg Station once was the western-most stop for the SEPTA R5 commuter line since 1990 (now the Paoli/Thorndale Line). It was truncated to Downingtown in November 1996[2] because of the need for trains to deadhead to Lancaster to turn around. It has since been re-extended to Thorndale, a few miles west of Downingtown.

In 1984, the station appeared in the movie Witness.[3] Filming took place over a three-day period, and devout fans of the film make annual pilgrimages to the station and other select stops each year.

Station layout

Parkesburg has two low-level side platforms. A center track is not used for passenger service.

G
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Track 2 ← Keystone Service toward Harrisburg (Lancaster)
← Pennsylvanian does not stop here
No service ← No regular service →
Track 1 Pennsylvanian does not stop here →
Keystone Service toward Philadelphia or New York (Coatesville) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right
Street level Exit/entrance and parking

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak State Fact Sheet, FY2017, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "SEPTA Board Cuts Service; But Opposition is Spirited". The Philadelphia Daily News. October 25, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Parkesburg Yesterday". Parkesburg Today. 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2015-09-09.


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