The HATS region is home to an extensive system of public transit consisting of traditional bus, train, and air service. Centered around hubs in downtown Harrisburg and Middletown Borough, these transit systems provide multimodal connections within the region and beyond. Connections to the transit systems extend into rural communities primarily through an extensive network of Park and Ride Facilities. Maintaining and enhancing our region’s transit assets and systems will require wise investments and extensive cooperation between regional partners but is key to fulfilling the vision established earlier in the RTP.
CONDITIONS
SRTA ROUTES & RIDERSHIP —
Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority (SRTA) provides fixed-route bus services for much of southern Dauphin County and the eastern half of Cumberland County through the 32 routes that comprise the Capital Region bus system (formerly known as Capital Area Transit or CAT). These include short-distance shuttle routes, longer distance, rush hour express routes, and regular, intermediate length routes. Most of the routes are designed on a hub and spoke system centered around the Market Square Transfer center.
In addition, SRTA operates two commuter routes and three Raider Regional Routes which provide service to Shippensburg University and surrounding areas. Changes to the Capital Region bus system and other priorities for improvements moving forward will be consistent with the following objectives, found in SRTA’s Transit Development Plan, adopted in 2024:
-
Integrate SRTA Services and Improve Standardization of rabbittransit model
-
Improve Service Accessibility and Reliability
-
Expand Engagement with Local Planning Partners, State and Local Governments, Community Action Groups, and Developers
To view the SRTA Capital Region system routes, click here for the interactive mapping application.
Source: rabbittransit
In 2023, SRTA saw a total ridership of 1,185,218 with the top routes being Sixth Street / Thirteenth Street (Route 6/13), Third Street (Route 3), Colonial Park (Route 12), Union Deposit / Hamilton Heath Center (Route 17). Through 2024, ridership increased across the region with a total of 1,236,601 rides. Once again, Sixth Street / Thirteenth Street saw the highest ridership with a total of 141,891 total rides. Figure 1 shows total ridership by route for 2024.
Compared to the recent past, these ridership numbers represent a significant decrease. Between 2008 and 2013, ridership had increased approximately 7.1%, reaching a total of approximately 2.7 million riders in 2013. Between 2013 and 2024, ridership has decreased by approximately 54% to reach the totals shown above. Transit ridership had been decreasing slowly, but this trend was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic, ridership is slowly rising but remains much lower than prior to 2020.
OTHER BUS SERVICE —
Figure 1 - 2024 Ridership by Route
In addition to its Capital Region and Shippensburg Area services, SRTA provides express commuter service to both York and Gettysburg from downtown Harrisburg. Express commuter service is provided between Lebanon City and downtown Harrisburg by Lebanon Transit through their Harrisburg Commute King routes. Both of these commuter express routes provide opportunities for further connections through rabbittransit in York and Lebanon Transit in Lebanon.
Intercity bus service operates 10 different routes in Pennsylvania, serving multiple travel corridors and connecting to Amtrak, various airports, and local transit systems. In the HATS region, direct connections are available to Pittsburgh (by way of State College and Altoona), Scranton (by way of Hazelton and Wilkes-Barre) and Williamsport (by way of Selinsgrove). These services are operated by Fullington Trailways and Greyhounds Lines, Inc. and administered by rabbittransit on behalf of PennDOT.
AMTRAK ROUTES & RIDERSHIP —
The Amtrak station in Harrisburg is considered one of the busiest stations in the region due to its central location in Pennsylvania and its connections to major cities like New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia. Serviced by the Keystone Corridor, providing 13 weekday and 7 weekend round-trip trains per day between Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The Pennsylvanian provides one round trip train daily from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and then to Philadelphia and New York City.
The new Middletown Station that opened in 2022 is a key stop along the Keystone Corridor for residents of Middletown, commuters, and Penn State Harrisburg students heading to Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The station sees 23 arrivals by Keystone Service on weekdays, thirteen from both Harrisburg and New York Penn Station, and 7 from each weekend. SRTA Route 7 transit bus provides services to the station on its route between Middletown, HIA and downtown Harrisburg.
In FY 2024, Amtrak carried 869,126 passengers in Harrisburg, which was a 15% increase from the previous year. In 2019, Amtrak completed the Northeast Corridor Capital Investment Plan which includes the Harrisburg and Middletown Stations. The plan documents the federal requirements during the 5-year period for planned and ongoing capital investments along the corridor. Projects identified in the Harrisburg region include Line Interlocking Improvements, Harrisburg line station improvements at Middletown. PennDOT, Amtrak and SEPTA continue to work together to improve the tracks along the Keystone Corridor.
PARK & RIDE FACILTIES —
Along the SRTA Capital Service fixed route system, there are 35 Park and Ride facilities, some of which are formally identified and maintained by PennDOT and/or SRTA, some are established through agreements with retailers and shopping centers; and some are informal locations near popular transit stops. Not all the park and ride facilities are dedicated to transit use; locations outside the SRTA service area also provide a convenient service for car and van-pool users.
To view locations of the region’s Park and Ride Facilities, click here for the interactive mapping application.
AVIATION —
Passenger air service is provided in the region primarily through Harrisburg International Airport (HIA), located near Middletown Borough, which is operated by Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA). Five major airlines including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines provide service from HIA, which served a total of 126,863 passengers, an 18.0% increase from 2023. HIA also serves a significant role in the region’s air freight operations, which is discussed in the Freight Focus Area chapter. More details of HIA’s long term plans can be found in the 2016 HIA Master Plan, which provides guidance for the continued improvement of HIA through 2035 and beyond, focusing on better utilization of the assets and property, reconfiguring air cargo and Pennsylvania Air National Guard access, and developing a capital improvement plan.
To view the region’s airports, including both smaller regional sites and HIA, click here for the interactive mapping application.
ISSUES
ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION —
Ensuring accessibility to public transportation is crucial for creating an inclusive community, where people of all abilities can travel independently and safely. As there is a large population of individuals in the Tri-County region that do not have access to a car, accessible public transit allows those individuals to travel independently and access to essential services, employment and health care destinations throughout the region. Making the region more connected and accessible through public transit improves the economy and employment opportunities for individuals. Ways to improve accessibility to public transportation are illustrated in PennDOT’s Building Better Bus Stops Guide, and include improved pedestrian accommodations, such as sidewalks and crosswalks, additional park and ride facilities that serve larger areas, and integrating the different modes of public transit described above to provide seamless connections.
PROVIDING SERVICE TO EMPLOYMENT HUBS AND PUBLIC FACILITIES —
As commercial and industrial development continues to increase across the region and employment opportunities continue to rise, ensuring public transportation is accessible to key employment hubs continues to be an important factor in offering a wide range of transportation options for residents. Coordination with SRTA and large employers throughout the land development process becomes very important to ensure potential employees have safe and convenient access to public transportation routes and stops that are within close proximity to their employer. Reducing the dependency on automobile accessibility for employment hubs or public facilities helps to expand job opportunities and access to public facilities for all.
MAJOR INVESTMENTS OR EXPANSION OF TRANSIT SERVICE —
While the HATS region boasts well developed fixed-route bus and rail transit service, significant opportunities exist for further investment or expansion of these services. Past planning efforts have been undertaken to investigate the feasibility of expanded rail service and ways to optimize our transportation system to facilitate increased efficiency of the fixed-route transit system. Future interest in making these major investments in an expanded public transit system will require further planning efforts, coordination of regional partners, buy-in from federal, state and local political leadership, development of an appropriate scope for implementation, and identification of a funding strategy.
ACTIONS
-
Expand access to transit by building transit supportive infrastructure, broadening the use of technology, and integrating with other modes of transportation
-
Improve transit connections between the region’s residential areas, employment centers, and activity hubs
-
Participate in cooperative efforts to identify and implement major investments and other opportunities to expand, enhance, and integrate the region’s public transit systems