[10] Between 1981 and 1983, Pennsylvanian equipment was turned every night to operate a second state-supported train, the Fort Pitt, which ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona.

[11] Amtrak withdrew this train in early 1983 after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) declined to continue subsidizing the increased operation.

[17] On November 7, 1998, Amtrak extended the Pennsylvanian through to Chicago along the route of the Capitol Limited via Toledo, finally bringing a daylight connection to Cleveland.

As part of the change Amtrak truncated the eastern end to Philadelphia, enabling the train to complete the run within a single day.

[22][23] The train has been primarily financed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation since October 1, 2013, when the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 took effect.

[29] The Pennsylvania State Rail Plan 2020 called for a second round-trip Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and New York City, with one trip beginning and terminating in Cleveland.

[30] In June 2022, the state and Norfolk Southern announced an agreement for a $200 million capacity improvement, with a second Pennsylvanian round trip to be added by 2025.

[32] In September 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern reached an agreement on making the necessary $200 million worth of improvements to the line for a second daily service.

[33] In December 2023, the project was awarded $143.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with PennDOT providing 20% in matching funds.

The Pennsylvanian route was also selected into the FRA's Corridor Identification and Development Program, granting $500,000 to study further service increases.

As part of its federally mandated analysis of the worst-performing long-distance routes, Amtrak determined that reinstating a through-car connection with the Pennsylvanian would result in the highest gain in monetary and customer service measurements of possible options.

[35] On January 28, 2011, it was announced that Pennsylvania had received a $750,000 grant from the federal government to study expanding service westwards from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh along the route of the Pennsylvanian, including higher speeds and additional frequencies.

[40] The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources, a process that currently requires a time-consuming locomotive change in Philadelphia.

All classes of service include complimentary WiFi, an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables.

Going westwards, the Pennsylvanian initially follows the portion of the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor from New York City to Philadelphia; the remainder of the route follows the historic Pennsylvania Railroad's Main Line.