Keystone Line Faces Cuts as SEPTA Plans Slash Amtrak Service

Threat of Keystone Service Line Cuts Looms Over SEPTA

U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle has raised alarms about potential cuts to the Keystone Service line, which connects Philadelphia to Harrisburg and continues on to New York City. The line is a critical transportation link for commuters in the region, and its future now hangs in the balance due to financial challenges faced by SEPTA.

Boyle revealed that Amtrak President Roger Harris informed him last week that the railroad could lose $71.1 million annually in payments from SEPTA because of delays in state operating funds. If this loss occurs, the Keystone Service line could “cease to exist,” according to Boyle. This warning highlights the growing tension between SEPTA and Amtrak over funding and operations.

SEPTA currently pays for the right to operate five Regional Rail commuter trains on the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor, which includes the track between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. However, the transit agency plans to eliminate those lines in January if new state money is not secured by then. The Paoli-Thorndale line shares the same route as the Keystone Service line, raising concerns about further disruptions.

Many believe SEPTA is using the threat of closing these lines as leverage to push for more funding. The payment SEPTA makes also covers electricity generated by Amtrak to power commuter trains along those tracks, as well as some capital projects. This interconnected system means that any changes in funding could have widespread effects.

The Keystone Service line operates multiple trips daily between New York’s Penn Station and Harrisburg via 30th Street Station. In 2024, it carried approximately 1.3 million passengers, according to Amtrak. Boyle emphasized that there is no additional funding from Amtrak to compensate for the missing payments, calling the situation a “crisis level” issue that directly affects residents of Philadelphia and surrounding areas.

Amtrak did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, a SEPTA spokesperson, Andrew Busch, stated that the agency does not know how the elimination of Regional Rail service on Amtrak-owned lines will impact Keystone line service. He added that Amtrak may need to make decisions about infrastructure projects on the Keystone line in response to the planned elimination of SEPTA’s lease payments on January 1.

Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation contributes about $8 million annually to subsidize the Keystone line, drawing from the Multimodal Fund and the Public Transportation Trust Fund. There has been ongoing debate about whether there is actually $1 billion sitting in the Public Transportation Trust Fund for SEPTA, with critics questioning the transparency of the fund’s allocation.

Amtrak operates several lines across the U.S. in partnership with state transportation departments. The Keystone Service line is also used by lawmakers currently debating SEPTA funding, who travel from the southeastern part of the state to Harrisburg. Boyle noted that there has been no determination on when the line would cease to operate.

Members of Congress representing Southeastern Pennsylvania have largely remained passive, offering statements urging legislators in Harrisburg to fund SEPTA but with limited ability to influence the situation. Boyle described the issue as reaching a “crisis level,” but emphasized that it remains a problem for Harrisburg to solve, not Washington.

Boyle highlighted that Congress delivered record federal funding to SEPTA for capital improvements as part of the 2021 infrastructure bill. However, Pennsylvania’s funding stalemate comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s White House has cut some funding for transit and infrastructure projects nationwide, making a bailout from the Republican-controlled Congress unlikely.

Boyle, a Democrat who previously served in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, criticized Republicans in Harrisburg, pointing out that transit agencies in cities like Boston, Chicago, and New York receive much more state funding. These cities are located in Democratic-controlled states, adding another layer to the political divide.

Pennsylvania’s split statehouse and a rural-urban divide contribute to the impasse. Senate Republicans recently passed a bill proposing to fund SEPTA for two years using capital funding, a move that Democrats opposed. The GOP defended their plan and accused Democrats of creating a crisis.

Senate GOP leader Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) claimed the transit “crisis” is not real and that SEPTA’s “death spiral” talk is holding Pennsylvanians hostage. She argued that the Senate passed legislation to provide immediate, existing, available funds.

However, Boyle pointed the finger back at the GOP, stating that leaders in Harrisburg have ignored the issue for years and that politics have played a role in the situation. He criticized Republicans for taking tax revenue from Philadelphia and its suburbs but failing to make necessary investments in SEPTA.