Transit could be key factor in luring Amazon HQ2

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In its request for proposals for a new headquarters site, Seattle-based Amazon says it prefers a place with direct access to mass transit — that can include buses or rail lines — as well as being within 1 to 2 miles of major highways and arterial roads.

The former Harrisburg State Hospital in Dauphin County, which is the midstate’s apparent preferred site, is located off Cameron Street between Harrisburg and Susquehanna Township.

Located about three miles from downtown Harrisburg, the complex sits 1.5 miles from Interstate 81. It is served by local Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses, as well as York-based rabbittransit and Lebanon Transit commuter buses.

CAT, which serves Dauphin and Cumberland Counties, carries about 10,000 passengers per weekday, or 2.1 million passengers total last year, spokesman Robert Philbin said.

That makes for some interesting contrasts with Amazon’s hometown transit service.

Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, made up of more than 30 buildings in a dense downtown setting, lies near the hub of that region’s complex mass transit system, which includes buses, light rail and commuter rail service under multiple agencies.

Scott Gutierrez, a spokesman for one of the operators, King County Metro, said about 13 bus routes and a streetcar line pass through the immediate area where Amazon’s headquarters are located. Several are among his system’s busiest routes, with four operating 24 hours a day.

Amazon provides subsidized transit cards for its Seattle workforce. According to that region’s other major operator, Sound Transit — which is responsible for light rail and commuter rail routes — more than 31,000 Amazon workers used the system at least once in August, with the average card user riding 21.4 times per month.

In short, Amazon’s Seattle workforce are heavy users of public transit, and the company is looking for an HQ2 location with a similarly dense network.

The Harrisburg region has no local rail transit — subways, trolleys or commuter rail — save for Amtrak’s long-distance service, with several stations in Dauphin and Lancaster counties. And the nearest Amtrak station to the proposed Amazon site is about 2 miles away.

No CAT routes operate 24/7. And many Amazon riders would have to ride from the complex to Market Square in downtown Harrisburg to change buses if they wanted to reach other points in Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

Many of the other cities vying for HQ2, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston and Toronto, have local rail systems in addition to buses.

Still, midstate transit officials are optimistic that they could meet the demand.

“CAT can provide the intermodal connection to move people to any destination in the Harrisburg area,” Philbin said. “It would take time, additional resources and closer regional planning, all of which is possible.”