On Oct. 21, the Mount Joy Train Station, 25 S. Market St., was officially dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by numerous federal, state, and local officials and community members.
Jennie Granger, PennDOT multimodal transportation deputy secretary, greeted the crowd and thanked everyone involved in seeing the multi-year, multi-phase project through to completion. Two posters next to Granger displayed photos of what the station looked like prior to its renovation: a set of stairs leading down to the tracks, with no accommodation for passengers with disabilities. "The station has always been well-used, but (before this project) it had little more than a covered bus stop," said Granger. "What is here now is transformational to the community."
Phase One of the project began in September 2011, with streetscape improvements along Delta and Main streets and the installation of a covered walkway from the long-term parking lot to the station.
A groundbreaking ceremony for Phase Two was held in October 2016, and construction began in early 2017. The station opened to the public on Oct. 7, 2019. Phase Two brought the addition of 69 parking spaces along East and West Henry Street parallel to the train tracks. The project also included the addition of a second long-term parking lot, a covered walkway, landscaping, ADA accessibility improvements, an elevator and stair towers, high-level platforms with canopies, lighting leading down to each platform, and a pedestrian over pass between each tower.
The approximately $33 million project cost was funded by PennDOT and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
In addition to Granger, the dedication included remarks from Rep. Lou Schmitt, PennDOT Executive Deputy Secretary Yassmin Gramian, FTA Region 3 administrator Terry Garcia Crews, State Transportation Commission representative Ronald Drnevich, and Mount Joy Mayor Tim Bradley.
"The Mount Joy station not only helps move passengers along the Keystone Line, but is also a gateway to the local community," Gramian said. "Its improvements will create more efficient transportation and improved customer service throughout the Keystone Corridor."
Bradley praised the revitalization project, stating that those visiting Mount Joy via train will now be introduced to the town with a fittingly beautiful structure. Bradley read from a piece written in 1876 for the nation's centennial that included several references to the original Mount Joy Train Station, which was built one and a half blocks from the current location. "This returns us to some of the prominence and beauty of what existed at that particular time," stated Bradley.
Bradley noted that the images of ships on some of station's windows are in honor of the town being named for the Mountjoy ship, which was responsible for the breaking of a siege in Derry, Ireland, in 1689.
To learn more about the Mount Joy Train Station project, readers may visit http://www.planthekeystone.com.
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