A long-awaited update of Latrobe’s Amtrak station is expected to get underway in the weeks ahead.
City officials reported project representatives have been checking with the Pennsylvania One Call System to determine the location of underground utilities in preparation for beginning construction.
“I’m thrilled it’s finally going to happen,” Jarod Trunzo, executive director of the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program, said of the station project. “It’s one of the most run-down stations, and this will make it one of the nicest in the commonwealth.”
According to plans dating from 2023, the project is proposed to include construction of a new wheelchair lift and a switchback ramp meeting modern standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The new features will provide handicapped access from the parking lot along McKinley Avenue to the higher elevation of the train platform. Passengers currently must climb steps from the parking area to reach the platform.
The platform’s brick pavers are to be replaced by a concrete surface.
Proposed improvements to the passenger shelter include a new roof and door. A new roof also is planned for the platform canopy, with additional lighting for the canopy and shelter.
A new concrete retaining wall along the parking lot is intended to replace the existing one made of railroad ties.
For the past five years, Trunzo served as a local resource for Amtrak planners, helping with design elements, preservation issues and project coordination.
He noted progress on the project was complicated by the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic and the complex nature of working on two separate elevations.
“There have been a lot of delays, but the last hurdles have been cleared,” he said. “(Workers) should begin staging shortly.”
“The original bones are going to be preserved and brought back,” Trunzo said of the passenger structures. “Some of the lighting will be similar to some of the historical lighting that was in that area.”
Latrobe’s historic original Pennsylvania Railroad station, a separate Victorian-style brick building on McKinley Avenue, was constructed in 1903. It previously was preserved and now houses DiSalvo’s Station Restaurant.
Owner Joey DiSalvo said he’s happy to see the Amtrak project moving forward.
“After 35 years that we’ve owned the station, Amtrak is finally doing a great thing for the community,” he said. “They’re making the Latrobe station an (Americans with Disabilities Act) stop. It will help increase ridership. People (with mobility challenges) will be able to come to Latrobe instead of having to be dropped off in Greensburg.”
DiSalvo said the project also will spruce up the area around the restaurant and rail platform.
“We’re very positive and excited about it,” he said.
The restaurant’s employees share the McKinley parking lot with passengers arriving to board Amtrak trains. DiSalvo said he’s had a good working relationship with Amtrak officials, who will construct a new parking lot in a grassy area near McKinley and Ligonier Street to accommodate his workers and patrons while heavy construction equipment and crews occupy the existing lot.
An Amtrak spokesperson has said the Latrobe station project is targeted for completion in summer 2026. The rail passenger service is expected to release more information about the project next week.
Amtrak served 3,404 riders at the Latrobe station in 2024, producing $220,247 in ticket revenue. That ridership figure is up from 3,177 in 2023 and 2,706 in 2022.