Citing operation losses, the Pennsylvania Railroad has asked permission to drop its two daytime passenger trains serving Greater Williamsport.

The trains, one northbound and the other southbound, between Harrisburg and Buffalo, have been operating at a loss since 1959, according to Christy G. Magruder, manager of the P.R.R. Northern Region.

In a recent 32-day period the conductors of the trains made counts of the number of passengers using the trains at the various stops.

The average daily number of passengers at Williamsport was six passengers arriving and four departing. Other stops in the area had average as follows:

Arriving—Sunbury, three, Milton, two, Muncy, none, Lock Haven, two and Renovo, two.

These averages were obtained between September 10 and October 21, 1961. The stops having “none” were all less than one-half a passenger a day.

The southbound train in the Baltimore Daily Express, which five days a week, leaves Buffalo at 9 a.m., leaves Williamsport at 2:50 p.m.  and arrives at Harrisburg at
5:43 p.m. On Saturday the train leaves Williamsport at 3:12 p.m. and Sundays at 3:35 p.m.

The northbound train, the Buffalo Express, leaves Harrisburg daily at 11:25 a.m. Departs here at 2:05 p.m. and arrives in Buffalo at 8:15 p.m.

The railroad has filed a petition with the Interstate Commerce Commission asking that the trains be eliminated as of April 15.

The state Public Utilities Commission has filed a protest to the ICC of the elimination of the trains, saying the elimination would seriously inconvenience coach and first-class passengers and would “adversely affect” standards of reasonable and adequate service.