Mount Joy Train Station History

Mount Joy Train Station History. . The railroad first came to Mount Joy in 1836, when the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad (HPMJ&L) began service on its newly constructed rail line (Portsmouth is now Middletown). The Exchange Hotel at the present day intersection of Main and Barbara streets served as Mount Joy's first train station., Within three years, connecting rail lines linked Mount Joy to Philadelphia and Baltimore., The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) - nicknamed the "Pennsy - in 1846 to establish an all-rail route across the state. , The PRR used the HPMJ&L line for the stretch between Harrisburg and Lancaster. By 1858, passengers could travel between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh - through Mount Joy- without changing trains., Mount Joy's first dedicated passenger rail station opened in 1876, near the present-day corner of North Market and Old Market streets, The railroad track ran through the heart of town with 12 at-grade road crossings and an S-curve. By 1894 there were 29 daily trains through Mount Joy. Fatal crashes with pedestrians and horse drawn vehicles were increasing., The Pennsylvania Railroad improved safety and efficiency in 1896 by straightening the route through Mount Joy and excavating a trench to carry the tracks below street level - the same corridor used today., To serve the new alignment, the PRR constructed a passenger and freight station on the north side of the tracks, near the site of the present-day station. It opened in 1896., Train ridership was strong for the next 50 years. Eventually, the demands of World War II and the rise of the automobile led to a nationwide decline in railroad passengers. The Mount Joy station building was closed in 1957 and demolished in 1975., Even without a station building, train service continued at Mount Joy, provided by the PRR until 1968, Penn Central through 1970, and Amtrak since 1971., The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) modernized the station and parking facilities through a series of projects completed in 2019. The improvements provide ADA accessibility and support growing ridership on Amtrak's Keystone Corridor., (CAPTIONS Left to right) , The 1876 station constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad was a Victorian-style wood building that served both passengers and freight. It had a single-story waiting area and featured a two-story tower with a cone-shaped roof. The two-station addition visible on the right (east) end of the building was the ticket agent's residence, completed in 1887. , Pennsylvania Railroad crew constructing "the cut", circa 1896. Lowering the track allowed trains to pass beneath existing streets, which the PRR furnished with bridges., Celebrating the first train through the cut, September 11, 1896. The new brick and stone passenger and freight station building, on East Henry Street at Delta Street, was not quite complete., Looking west at the station, circa 1900. An elevator on the north platform handled baggage and freight. A pedestrian bridge spanned the cut so that passengers could safely reach the south platform., Passengers boarding an Amtrak train at Mount Joy, circa 2012. Steep stairs between street level and track level - and more stairs to board trains - made access difficult for all users and impossible for many people with disabilities. , Local, state, and federal officials at the October 2019 ribbon-cutting for Mount Joy's newest station., The distinctive stair and elevator towers and pedestrian bridge along Market Street create a local landmark in harmony with overall revitalization in Mount Joy., Platforms level with the train door, and accessible by elevator, are among the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements that make the station easier for everyone to use., Looking west at the station from the reconstructed East Henry Street parking lot, 2019. Improvements to Mount Joy's overflow parking lots north of the station, including pedestrian walkways, were completed in 2012 as a first phase of the train station project.