With only 2 Amtrak trains running through Erie per day, many find it difficult to use the passenger rail service when traveling to and from the city.

But with gridlock and traffic jams expected on Eclipse Day, with anywhere from 60,000 to 260,000 expected visitors according to the City of Erie, and PennDOT estimates saying it could take up to 12 hours for interstates and highways to clear, now might be the time to look into rail service.

"Taking the train is really the only way to avoid all the traffic congestion on the highways," said Brian Pitzer, chair of All Aboard Erie, a group aiming to bring more rail service to Erie.

"It's going to be the safest way too; we know that the PennDOT is warning people of all the traffic that's going to be generated before, during, and after the eclipse. And so if you want to be safe and you want to be not stuck in traffic, the train is the only way."

Pitzer hopes the amount of rail traffic Erie receives on Eclipse Day will motivate Amtrak to provide more passenger trains running through Erie, which currently has only two trains that stop at Union Station downtown - one heading east from Cleveland which arrives at 7:18 a.m., and one traveling west from Buffalo which arrives at 2:10 a.m.

"Erie, unfortunately, like many towns across the United States, is in a transportation desert," said Pitzer. "As we all know, the airport only serves one destination right now, and that is Charlotte, NC. And the bus service is not very extensive, and Amtrak only has two trains. So if you want to get from one place to another from Erie, you almost have to drive."

And Pitzer expects the only Amtrak line to run through Erie, the Lake Shore Limited Line, to be packed in the days leading up to the eclipse. 

"I can't imagine that the Lake Shore Limited won't be sold out before and after the eclipse," continued Pitzer. "We believe that there should be many more trains serving this area, as many as 6 to 8 trains a day instead of two."