Transportation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Transportation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has a long and interesting history. This area was settled early in the United States. It sits on the main route between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Because of this, it was a place where new ideas for canals, railroads, and highways were tried out. Before these, at least ten Native American paths crossed the county. Many of these paths connected to the Susquehannock village of Conestoga.
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Canals: Water Highways
The biggest waterway in Lancaster County is the Susquehanna River. It forms the county's western edge. However, this river had many rocks and fast-moving parts, making it hard for boats to travel.
In 1820, a man named James Hopkins tried to dig a canal to go around the Conewago Falls. Another canal, the Conewago Canal, had already been built on the other side of the river in 1797. But Hopkins' canal wasn't built well and wasn't useful. He then got permission to build a canal along the Conestoga River to Lancaster. This canal would connect Lancaster city with the Susquehanna River. He gave up after building just one lock (a water elevator for boats).
On March 3, 1825, the Conestoga Navigation Company was started to try again with the Conestoga River. It began working in 1826. The Conestoga Navigation was about 18 miles (29 km) long. It had nine locks and dams between Safe Harbor, where the creek meets the river, and Lancaster.
People still wanted to improve travel on the Susquehanna River. Surveys were done in 1827 to plan a canal along the east bank. The extension of the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania Canal to Columbia was approved in 1828 and again in 1831. It was finished on December 4, 1832. Boats started using it for money on April 9, 1833. The building of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (which we'll talk about later) made Columbia a key spot for travel from Philadelphia to the western parts of the state using the canal. The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal to Baltimore opened in 1840 on the west side of the river. Canal boats would cross at Columbia to reach the Pennsylvania Canal.
By this time, the Conestoga Navigation was having money problems. It was sold to another company. A new railroad line from Harrisburg to Lancaster, built in 1838, allowed trade to go west without using the canals. By 1849, railroads ran right next to the entire Eastern Division canal. The state sold the Main Line of Public Works to the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1857. The railroad kept the canals running, but not very well. The Conestoga Navigation stopped collecting fees in 1872. Its dams were later used to make electricity in the early 1900s. The last part of the Pennsylvania Canal, from Columbia north to Nanticoke, was closed on April 11, 1901.
Of the nine original Conestoga Navigation locks, Lock 6 is the only one left. It is kept up by the Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation and can be seen at Conestoga Creek Park near Safe Harbor. Railroad building has mostly erased the Pennsylvania Canal within the county.
Railroads: Iron Horses on Tracks
Railroads changed how people and goods moved across Lancaster County.
Early Railroad History
The first railroad in Lancaster County was the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. It opened through Lancaster to the canal port of Columbia on March 31 or April 1, 1834. The state built it as part of the Main Line of Public Works. This was a system of both rail and canal lines connecting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In the early days, this railroad was like a public road. Private horses and wagons that fit the tracks could use the line until 1844. This was a bit like today's "open access" for some roads.
The Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad quickly led to other connecting lines. In 1836, the Harrisburg, Portsmouth, Mount Joy and Lancaster Railroad (HPMt.J&L RR) built a line from Dillerville, just west of Lancaster, to Mount Joy. This line was finished from Dillerville to Harrisburg in 1838. It meant people could travel between Harrisburg and Columbia by train instead of canal. The P&C also encouraged business people in Strasburg. They built the Strasburg Railroad from the Philadelphia and Columbia line at Leaman Place to Strasburg in 1837. This line started as a freight line. In the 1950s, it became a tourist railroad. Today, it's one of the county's most popular places to visit.
In 1849, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took over the HPMt.J&L RR. The PRR was building an all-rail route across the state. It also bought the Marietta and Portsmouth Railroad. Using that company's permission, it built a branch line that ran next to the river and canal, from Royalton to Columbia. Besides connecting to the canal, the Philadelphia and Columbia line (and the new branch from Royalton) connected to the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. This bridge gave train access to the Northern Central Railway through the Wrightsville, York and Gettysburg Railroad.
The PRR had to use the Philadelphia and Columbia line between Dillerville and Philadelphia. But the state-run railroad sometimes operated slowly, causing problems and delays for the PRR's trains. In 1853, the PRR made a deal to rent the Lancaster, Lebanon and Pine Grove Railroad. This line wasn't built yet, but it was planned to go from Philadelphia to Salunga. The PRR threatened to build its own line and avoid the state's railroad completely. This threat, and a lot of convincing, finally made the state sell the entire Main Line of Public Works to the PRR in 1857. The PRR sold its share in the LL&PG the next year, and that line was never built.
The PRR also officially rented the HPMt.J&L RR in 1861. This gave it full control over its line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. This line was very important during the Civil War. It was especially useful when the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad was attacked or too busy. Troops could be sent by the PRR to Columbia, cross the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, and then ride the Northern Central to Baltimore. However, when Lee's army invaded Pennsylvania, the state militia had to retreat across the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge and burn it behind them on June 28, 1863. This saved the county from the Confederate invasion. But it also cut off access to the markets in York County. The bridge wasn't replaced until several years after the war.
During the Civil War, a new railroad appeared in Lancaster County. The Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road built the Reading and Columbia Railroad. It came down from the Reading area to reach Columbia. It crossed the PRR at Landisville. It also had a branch from Lancaster Jct. to Lancaster. The Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad also planned to enter the county from the south, following the Susquehanna River. But building it was delayed for a long time because of not enough money and the difficult, rocky cliffs along the river.
By this time, the main railroad lines in Lancaster County were mostly finished. But the Gilded Age (a time of rapid growth and wealth) saw many independent railroads being built, along with lots of money deals. The Lancaster and Reading Narrow Gauge Railroad was planned in 1871. It was meant to be a 4-foot (1.2 m) wide track from Safe Harbor to Lancaster to Reading. It also had a branch from Lancaster to Quarryville. This line would compete with the Reading & Columbia. Building started on the branch line to Quarryville, but it was quickly changed to standard width tracks. The company had problems because of the Panic of 1873 (a financial crisis). So, it made a deal with the Philadelphia & Reading to finish the line from Lancaster to Quarryville. In return, the Philadelphia & Reading would control the company, which it did the next year. This made it an extension of the Reading's Lancaster Branch.
In 1876, the East Brandywine and Waynesburg Railroad built into the county from the east. It reached the rich farming town of New Holland. The PRR quickly rented this line. In 1877, the Columbia and Port Deposit, which was controlled by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, finally finished its line into Columbia.
The year 1878 saw the building of one of the more unusual railroads in the area, the Peach Bottom Railway. It was part of a trend to build "narrow-gauge" (smaller width) lines across the country. It was planned as a 3-foot (0.9 m) wide line from Philadelphia to the Broad Top coal fields. Surprisingly, the Eastern part of the line was built from Oxford into Lancaster County. It ended on the banks of the Susquehanna at Peach Bottom. No bridge was ever built to connect it to the Middle part of the line across the river, which later became the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad. The Eastern Division survived on little local traffic. It was sold in a bankruptcy sale in September 1881 and renamed the Peach Bottom Railroad.
Another big dream of this time was the Hanover Junction and Susquehanna Railroad. It was supposed to run from Landisville across the river to Hanover Junction on the Northern Central line. It was reorganized in 1881 as the Reading, Marietta and Hanover Railroad. This was controlled by the Reading and Columbia. It only built a short line in 1883 from Marietta Jct. to the PRR's Columbia Branch at the bottom of Chickies Rock.
A more important result was the building of the Cornwall and Mount Hope Railroad in the same year. This line went from the huge iron ore mines at Cornwall, in Lebanon County, to Mount Hope. There it connected with the Reading & Columbia (which had built a small line there from Manheim a few years before). This line was controlled by the Cornwall Railroad.
In 1888, the East Brandywine & Waynesburg went out of business and was reorganized as the Downingtown and Lancaster Railroad. The PRR still controlled it. It extended from New Holland into Lancaster in 1890. This created a country route that bypassed the main line from Downingtown to Lancaster. Around this time, the PRR faced a challenge to its power in Lancaster County. The Peach Bottom was sold to a group of Lancaster business people. In 1890, it was reorganized as the Lancaster, Oxford and Southern Railroad. The new owners hoped to use it as part of a bridge line. This would allow the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to enter Lancaster. The B&O would build north from Childs to reach the Peach Bottom at Oxford. The Peach Bottom would be changed to standard width tracks. It would also build a branch from Fairmont to Quarryville. From there, B&O trains would travel over the Lancaster & Reading Narrow Gauge to reach Lancaster. However, this plan failed because the companies involved didn't have enough money. At the start of 1900, the PRR was able to take control of the L&RNG from the Reading, stopping the plan. Even though the big plan failed, the LO&S built the Quarryville branch anyway in 1905. This bad decision put it in debt that it could never recover from. The B&O finished its part of the LO&S line to Providence, Maryland, where it served a paper factory. That line was removed in 1977.
One of the smaller lines in the county was built in 1902. The Champion Iron and Separating Company built a short line from the Columbia and Port Deposit (which was now a PRR branch) at Safe Harbor. It went to their ore mines and processing plant near Marticville. The company was never successful. It struggled through financial problems for ten years before closing in 1912.
The early 1900s were mainly marked by the building of the PRR's Atglen and Susquehanna Branch. This was part of the PRR's "Low-Grade Lines" project. The goal was to create routes with very gentle slopes for freight trains. This would help avoid traffic jams in big cities and the steeper hills of the main line. This huge engineering project literally changed the look of Lancaster County. Always aiming for low slopes, the new branch was planned through an empty area of southern Lancaster County. It didn't have many industries. While it did pass near Quarryville, it did so on a high raised track and didn't go down to serve the town. The new route then turned to run next to the Susquehanna River. It went down to join the Columbia and Port Deposit Branch at Creswell. At Columbia, the routes split again. The new line followed a path that was straighter and closer to the river than the old line. At Marietta, the new line (under the York Haven and Rowenna Railroad name) left the old line and the county. It crossed the Susquehanna on its way to Enola. Building this branch needed huge cuts into the land and massive fills to raise the ground. It also required two high bridges at Martic Forge and Safe Harbor. Most of the work took several years and was done by H.S. Kerbaugh, an important PRR builder. The line north of Marietta opened first, on January 1, 1905, crossing Shocks Mills Bridge. The rest of the line opened on August 10, 1906. The York Haven & Rowenna company was merged into the PRR in the same year. This new line quickly became a major route for PRR freight trains.
This time marked the peak of railroads in Lancaster County. Soon, companies would combine, and lines would close. The PRR bought the Cornwall & Lebanon in 1913. It was merged into the PRR in 1918, becoming the Lebanon Branch. The unlucky Lancaster, Oxford & Southern, which had been in and out of bankruptcy since 1910, scrapped its Quarryville branch in 1917. The rest of the railroad stopped working in 1918, and its equipment was sold the next year. One unusual thing appeared in 1923: Samuel Strause started a 3-foot (0.9 m) wide logging operation at Penryn Park. A small part of it went into Lancaster County to transfer timber to the Cornwall & Mount Hope RR for shipping. This was Lancaster County's only logging line. It was active off and on until 1936 and was scrapped in 1941.
In 1930, the iron industry at Chickies had long since ended. So, the Reading's Marietta Branch was closed. However, the railroad network in Lancaster County stayed pretty stable after that until the general decline of Northeastern railroads in the 1960s. The Cornwall & Mount Hope, which hadn't been used for a long time, was abandoned in 1964. Part of the Mount Hope spur followed in 1971. When Conrail was formed in 1976 and the PRR Main Line was given to Amtrak, major closures of little-used lines began. The Lebanon Branch and the Quarryville Branch both closed when Conrail was formed. However, a steep new line was built off the Atglen & Susquehanna Branch at Quarryville to reach a small part of the old branch to New Providence. The rest of the Mount Hope spur soon closed, as did the remaining part of the Quarryville Branch, the New Holland Branch east of East Earl, and the Reading and Columbia from Lancaster Jct. to Columbia and from Lititz to Akron. All these closed by 1982. The Reading and Columbia from Landisville to Bruckarts did survive. It was sold to the Landisville Terminal and Transfer Company. This company operated off a new connection with the Amtrak line at Landisville. In 1984, the Reading and Columbia was cut back even more, from Akron to Stevens, near Ephrata. The final big closure during the Conrail years was the Atglen & Susquehanna Branch from Safe Harbor to Lenover in 1989. Conrail decided to send freight trains going to Philadelphia over a different route. This left the Atglen & Susquehanna Branch with little or no traffic.
Current Railroads
As of 2010, train service for people in Lancaster County is provided by Amtrak. Its Keystone Corridor line goes through the county. It has stops at Lancaster, Mount Joy, and Elizabethtown. There was talk of a station in Paradise to connect with the Strasburg Railroad. The Strasburg Railroad runs fun train rides from nearby Leaman Place to Strasburg. But this plan is no longer happening as of 2021.
The main company that moves freight (goods) by train in the county is Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). It took over from Conrail in 1999. The NS main line follows the Susquehanna River. Other companies like Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) can also use these tracks. The NS line leaves the county by crossing the river on Shocks Mills Bridge near Marietta. NS also has rights to use the Keystone Corridor. It connects to it with the Royalton Branch, which runs north along the river from the main line at Marietta. The Columbia Branch runs from the Corridor at Dillerville to the main line at Columbia. Two other NS branches start on the Corridor: the Lititz Secondary, which runs from Dillerville to Manheim and ends at Lititz. The New Holland Industrial leaves the Corridor near the east end of Lancaster to run east to New Holland and ends at East Earl.
Several smaller train lines also operate in the county. Except for the Strasburg Railroad, all of these are for freight. The East Penn Railroad (ESPN) operates on a short line off the NS branch to Manheim. It also has a longer line in the northeast part of Lancaster County that goes into Berks County. The Landisville Terminal and Transfer Company (LNTV) operates on a short line off the Amtrak line at Landisville. The Tyburn Railroad (TYBR) operates some tracks around Dillerville. Most recently, the Columbia and Reading Railway (CORY) started operating on 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track in Columbia in January 2010. Except for the Tyburn Railroad, all these lines used to be part of the Reading & Columbia tracks.
Trolleys: Electric Streetcars
The main trolley company in Lancaster County was the Conestoga Traction Company. A trolley is like a small train that runs on electric wires, often in cities or between towns. Conestoga Traction was a system of trolleys that ran seven routes out from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to many villages and towns. They ran trolleys along the side of roads through Amish farm country to places like Coatesville, Strasburg/Quarryville, and Columbia/Marietta.
By connecting to other trolley companies, you could ride trolleys from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, though it was a slow trip. In the early 1900s, Conestoga Traction was a fast and reliable way to travel between towns. Back then, roads were often muddy dirt paths used by horses and wagons. CT also carried products like milk and farm produce from farms to towns. Milk was even shipped by trolley to the Hershey chocolate factory! Most trolley systems like CT didn't survive when paved highways became common and during the Great Depression (a time of severe economic hardship). For example, the Conestoga Traction Manheim line closed in 1932. City service in Lancaster continued until 1947. One CT trolley car is still kept in working condition by the Manheim Historical Society. They operate it on a short track in their parking lot.
Bus Transit: Modern Road Travel
The Red Rose Transit Authority is a company that runs buses serving Lancaster County. Its main office is in downtown Lancaster. York County's Rabbit Transit connects Columbia with the East York Mall from Monday to Friday. A bus that runs only on Saturdays, operated by Lebanon Transit, connects Park City Mall with the nearby city of Lebanon. Bus service to New York is provided by OurBus on certain days.
Native American Paths: Ancient Trails
Ten or more Native American paths (or trails) are known to have passed through what is now Lancaster County. While none of these paths still exist today, the routes they took were often used later for roads, canals, and railroads.
Conestoga Paths
Many of these paths were connected to the Susquehannock people. Their main village was Conestoga, which means at the place of the immersed pole. It was in what is now Manor Township in Lancaster County. The village of Conestoga was busy from 1690 to 1740. It was a center for trade with settlers as early as 1696. Important people like William Penn and four colonial governors of Pennsylvania visited Conestoga. Conestoga is another name used for the Susquehannocks, especially in Pennsylvania.
Conestoga village was located north of the Conestoga River and east of the Susquehanna River. It was about 4 miles (6 km) southwest of the town of Millersville. Washington Boro to the northwest is the closest modern village to where Conestoga was. The village of Safe Harbor is to the south, where the Conestoga River meets the Susquehanna. Today, the small village of Indiantown is probably where Conestoga actually stood.
From the village of Conestoga, six or seven paths led in different directions.
The Great Minquas Path went east from Conestoga to the Dutch, Swedish, and later British settlements in the Philadelphia and Chester areas. "Minquas" was the Dutch name for the Susquehannocks. The path went east through places like Rockhill, Willow Street, Strasburg, and Gap. Then it entered Chester County. It continued east through towns like Atglen and Parkesburg. It then went into Delaware County and led to Morton and Lima. From there, it could go south to Chester or east to Darby, and finally to Philadelphia. Parts of U.S. Route 222 and Pennsylvania Route 741 follow this path in Lancaster County today. This path was also sometimes called the Conestoga Path.
The Conestoga - Newport Path followed the Great Minquas Path to Gap. There, it branched off and led southeast to Newport, Delaware (on the Christina River). Pennsylvania Route 41 and State Route 41 (Delaware) follow this path's route today.
The French Creek Path led northeast from Conestoga along the Conestoga River to Lancaster. Then it went east to Phoenixville in Chester County. From Lancaster, the path followed the Conestoga River to Eden. Then it left the river and went east through New Holland and Blue Ball. It then entered Berks County, passing through Morgantown. It then entered Chester County and went through Elverson and Warwick to French Creek. It followed French Creek to Bucktown and finally Phoenixville (on the Schuylkill River). Pennsylvania Route 999 follows this path to Lancaster, and Pennsylvania Route 23 continues from there to Phoenixville. Since much of this path follows rivers, it's possible it ran next to a canoe path with a portage (where boats are carried over land) between the two streams.
The Blue Rock Path, according to some stories, followed the French Creek Path closely from Phoenixville west to Conestoga (and might be the same path). From Conestoga, the Blue Rock Path went west to the Susquehanna River. It crossed the river at a ford (a shallow place to cross) south of modern Washington Boro, going west into York County.
The Monocacy Path led west from Conestoga across the Susquehanna River to York. Then it went southwest to Hanover, and then into Maryland to Frederick (on the Monocacy River). From Frederick, you could continue southwest to the Cumberland Gap and Kentucky or into Virginia. This path was also sometimes called the Conestoga Path in Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Path in Maryland. The Blue Rock Path was either a connection to, or an extension of, this path. U.S. Route 30 to York, Pennsylvania Route 116 to Hanover, and Pennsylvania Route 194 to the Maryland State line follow the Monocacy Path in Pennsylvania today.
The Paxtang Path went north from Conestoga along the Susquehanna River to Paxtang (modern Harrisburg). Then it mostly followed the river north to the village of Shamokin at modern Sunbury. In Lancaster County, it went through Washington Boro and Columbia, past Chickies Rock, through Marietta, Bainbridge (and the Native American village of Conoy there), and Falmouth. Then it entered Dauphin County and continued to Paxtang. The Pennsylvania Canal and Pennsylvania Railroad ran along the river here, and the Norfolk Southern rail line still does. In Lancaster County today, Pennsylvania Route 441 leads to Royalton, Pennsylvania in Dauphin County along the path's route. From Royalton, Pennsylvania Route 230 leads to Harrisburg (formerly Paxtang). Heading north from Paxtang, the path ended at the village of Shamokin, where the Susquehanna River splits. The Great Shamokin Path along the West Branch Susquehanna River led to western Pennsylvania, the Allegheny River, and eventually Ohio. The Great Warriors Path followed the main or North Branch of the Susquehanna River north to modern day Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Then it went north to New York state and the Five (later Six) Nations of the Iroquois there.
Peach Bottom Paths
An unnamed path led south from Conestoga along the Susquehanna River to a Native American village at modern Peach Bottom. This is in the southwest corner of Lancaster County. Peach Bottom is in Fulton Township, on the Susquehanna River just north of Maryland. Besides the path south from Conestoga, two other paths met here.
The Peach Bottom Path led west and slightly north from Peach Bottom to the village of Hayesville, in Chester County. From Peach Bottom, the path went through Wakefield, Oakryn, Little Britain, Oak Hill, and Tayloria. It crossed Octoraro Creek into Chester County at Pine Grove. From there, it continued west to Hayesville. There, it connected to the Nanticoke Path running north from Calvert, Maryland to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Route 272 follows the path from Wakefield to Oak Hill.
The New Castle Path ran from Peach Bottom east to New Castle, Delaware. It was sometimes known as the Susquehanna Path. James Logan traveled this path in 1705 to Peach Bottom and north to Conestoga on his first visit there. Governor John Evans also used it.
Conoy Paths
From about 1718 to 1743, there was a Native American village called Conoy. It was at the modern village of Bainbridge in Conoy Township. The village was at the mouth of Conoy Creek on the Susquehanna River in the northwest corner of Lancaster County. The Paxtang Path ran through here, and two other paths also met at Conoy.
Old Peter's Road went from the village of Conoy (modern Bainbridge) east to the village of Downington in Chester County. The name comes from Peter Bezaillon, who had a trading post and 700 acres (2.8 km2) at Conoy by 1719. The road was planned in 1718 on Bezaillon's bridle path, which followed an old Native American path. From Bainbridge, the path went northeast through Donegal Springs and Mount Joy to Lancaster Junction. There, it crossed Chiques Creek. Continuing east, it formed the border between several townships. Crossing the Conestoga River, the path led east to Center Square, Springville, and White Horse. Crossing into Chester County, it passed through Compass and Wagontown. It reached Downington on the East Branch of Brandywine Creek. U.S. Route 30, Pennsylvania Route 340, Pennsylvania Route 897, Pennsylvania Route 283, and Pennsylvania Route 230 all follow parts of Old Peter's Road. For a time, it was "the main road between Philadelphia and the west."
The Conoy Path led west from modern Bainbridge across the Susquehanna River to modern Carlisle in Cumberland County. From Conoy, the path followed the Paxtang Path north to a ford at the Conewago Falls in the Susquehanna River. There, it crossed west to York Haven at the mouth of Conewago Creek in York County. From there, it headed west and slightly north, through Newberrytown. It crossed Yellow Breeches Creek into Cumberland County near Lisburn. There, it led west through Bowmansdale to the village of Letort's Spring, modern Carlisle. There was a connection there to the east-west Allegheny Path from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. This path is sometimes also called the Conewago Path. The part in Lancaster County is sometimes seen as an extension of Old Peter's Road.
Highways: Roads for Cars
Here are some of the main highways in Lancaster County today:
I-76 / Penna Turnpike
US 30
US 222
US 322
PA 10
PA 23
PA 41
PA 72
PA 230
PA 241
PA 272
PA 283
PA 324
PA 340
PA 372
PA 441
PA 462
PA 472
PA 501
PA 625
PA 722
PA 741
PA 741 Truck
PA 743
PA 772
PA 896
PA 897
PA 999
Airports: Flying High
The Lancaster Airport opened on August 17, 1935. Commercial flights (flights for paying passengers) began on March 28, 1949, with All American Airways (now US Airways Express). The Lancaster Airport Authority runs the airport, which is located at 500 Airport Road in Lititz. The airport has had trouble keeping commercial flights because not enough passengers use it. As of September 2007, commercial flights made up only 1 percent of all airport traffic. There was an 18-month break in service in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, the government gave $1.37 million to Air Midwest to try and keep flights going. But even with this money, Air Midwest stopped service on September 30, 2007.
Smoketown Airport is a public airport that serves general aviation (private planes and small aircraft). It is located 6.3 miles (10.1 km) east of Lancaster. Larger airports with more services are close to Lancaster. Harrisburg International Airport is a 30-minute Amtrak train ride or a 45-minute drive from Lancaster city. Philadelphia International Airport is a 60-minute Amtrak train ride or a 1-hour, 30-minute drive from Lancaster city.
