In the late 1970s, NJDOT's new Arrow III railcars arrived several years ahead of the completion of electrification projects to allow their use in New Jersey commuter service. Amtrak by this time was desperate for electric propulsion, as the aging GG1 locomotives were reaching the end of their usefulness, replacement E60 locomotives were proving unreliable, and new EMD AEM-7 locomotives were only just beginning to arrive. In April 1978, Amtrak leased 70 of NJDOT's Arrow II cars for use on the "Clockers", "Keystone Service", and the new "Chesapeake". By January 1979, the Arrows were rotated between the "Clockers" and "Silverliner Service". The Arrows had bathrooms and water fountains, making them more suitable for the regional service than the Silverliners. In late 1980, under pressure from NJDOT, Amtrak returned all but 32 of the Arrows, which created a need to find other equipment for the "Silverliner Service". Despite being pronounced unsuitable for Harrisburg service a decade before, the Metroliners were the only easily available rolling stock, as they were being slowly retired from the eponymous service. A test run with Metroliners was made on January 20, 1981, and Metroliners were used in revenue service for two weeks in February. Metroliners were used on the New York - Harrisburg "Valley Forge" for a week in August, and a maintenance facility at Harrisburg opened on October 13, 1981.