

Outside, the bus turning area from McGovern Avenue was also modified to provide easier access to the bus canopy.įederal grants supported many of the station improvements, which all together cost approximately $17.7 million. The gift was made in memory of the company’s founder and namesake, who often rode the train on business trips between Lancaster and New York.

Miller Jewelers generously donated six new vintage-style clocks for installation on the platforms, pedestrian concourse and at the station entrance. More than a dozen wood benches in the waiting room were refurbished to restore their original luster. In the waiting room and concourse, the marble wainscot, terrazzo floors and vintage light fixtures were cleaned, while plaster surfaces were repaired and painted in accordance with the station’s historic color scheme. As the project neared completion in 2013, Amtrak, PennDOT, the Lancaster County Planning Commission and the Lancaster County Transportation Authority launched the “Capstone” project to address the much anticipated rehabilitation of the passenger areas and improvements to the exterior stairways and platforms. Five years later, Lancaster County hired design firm Cooper-Cary to draft a plan that included the creation of additional parking, a separate waiting area for bus passengers, commercial spaces and new Amtrak offices, as well as upgrades to the station’s heating system, installation of an air conditioning system and the realignment of the station’s driveway to meet North Duke Street.įollowing design review and permitting, PennDOT and the Lancaster County Transportation Coordinating Committee approved $12 million in federal, state and county funding for the project, and construction kicked off in summer 2009. In recognition of its contributions to the city’s development and its intact historic fabric, the station is listed as a contributing resource to the Lancaster City National Register Historic District.Įfforts to renovate and redevelop the station were ongoing for more than a decade and stemmed from the 1998 Lancaster Regional Transportation Station Master Plan, which called for numerous interior and exterior repairs and enhancements. Antique wooden benches line the lobby, while a staircase leads passengers down to the platform level. Inside, the main waiting room features high ceilings, hanging Art Deco light fixtures and a skylight that allows natural light to flood the space. On the second level, concrete columns frame three tall, rounded windows, while the parapet above showcases a clock. The center block includes the main entrance at the ground level, which is covered by a glass and metal marquee to protect passengers from inclement weather. Constructed of red brick, the classical revival building features a center block flanked by recessed wings. The Lancaster station, built by the Pennsylvania Railroad, opened in 1929 in the northern section of the city, about a mile from downtown. Understanding Accessibility Requirements.North Carolina Station and Train Host Association Case Study.Surface Transportation Block Grant Program: Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside.Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design: St.Cultural Space & Museums: Cincinnati, OH.Architectural & Aesthetic Improvements: Elizabethtown, PA.Aesthetic and Architectural Improvement.The station will provide commuters with an enhanced traveling experience and will encourage the use of rail transit as a convenient and attractive alternative to passenger vehicle commuting. RETTEW also incorporated an underground stormwater detention and infiltration system. A new bus entrance provided much-needed safety improvements through separation of bus and vehicular movements. Site work included redesigning the parking lots to provide separate short-term, long-term, and employee parking lots, while modifying the existing driveways to improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation. RETTEW’s involvement in rehabilitating and remodeling the approximately 12,800-SF station included a new bus canopy, a bus drop-off pavilion, and several interior renovations of the existing historic building. RETTEW provided all site engineering design services to obtain local authority and agency approvals for this project. The improvements needed to meet Amtrak standards. Amtrak and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania invested millions of dollars to make improvements to the Lancaster train station including convenience, speed, and safety for commuters traveling between Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
