Pennsylvania and Norfolk Southern Railway are finalizing an agreement for several hundred millions of dollars in rail and station improvements over the next five years that will clear the way for a second daily Amtrak trip between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose were joined by railroad officials, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and local elected officials at a news conference Friday afternoon at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh to announce the pending deal.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail and the seven towns with stations between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg have been lobbying for more rail service for more than 10 years…

The rail yard improvements in Pittsburgh, Johnstown, Portage, Altoona and Harrisburg would create more track space so freight trains can clear the main line for passenger trains to pass through. That work could take five years or more to complete.