21-03-2025
All Aboard Erie continues rail expansion efforts with new short film debut
A local organization has its eyes set on expanding rail travel in Erie and Thursday night they're taking steps in the right direction.
If you don't have a car, it can be tough sometimes to travel anywhere outside of Erie but All Aboard Erie is looking to make travel a little easier when it comes to trains.
Erie travelers don't have many options when it comes to traveling by train but All Aboard Erie is hoping to change that.
Thursday night the organization unveiled its new promotional video — voiced by our own Lou Baxter — to highlight the need for an expanded passenger rail service in our region.
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'We're very excited about the video, because not only does it showcase what additional passenger rail service would mean, it also talks about the Erie area. It's a promotional piece for why Erie is a great place to live,' said Brian Pitzer, chair of All Aboard Erie.
The video features Amtrak trains that already run through Erie on the Lake Shore Limited Route, as well as interviews with real Amtrak passengers from Erie.
One featured passenger said she enjoys traveling by Amtrak, but wishes there were more destinations leaving Erie, especially going south.
'You can actually go East and West on the train, but you can't go South. A lot of Erie residents have family in Pittsburgh, they go to the doctor in Pittsburgh, and it's a long drive, and Pittsburgh is famous for sometimes being difficult to navigate,' said Theresa Anderson, a City of Erie resident.
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The train tracks here at Amtrak don't get a lot of love when it comes to passenger travel, just two trains, one coming at 2 A.M. and the other at 7 A.M., but All Aboard Erie is hoping to change that with a call to action issued Thursday.
'Everyone asks us, 'What's the next step in getting passenger rail service?' That would be an economic impact study, that will tell us what the impact will be, how it will affect the economy, and what that will mean to the Erie area,' Pitzer went on to say.
Pitzer said if anyone wants to support a potential economic impact survey, they should reach out to their state, county and local elected officials to let them know that this is what Erie needs.
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If anyone would like to get involved with All Aboard Erie, you can visit their website here.
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