HARRISBURG — The U.S. Department of the Interior has endorsed a plan to expand Gettysburg National Military Park.

U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, who are sponsoring related legislation, announced the action Wednesday.

The proposal would incorporate the Lincoln Train Station in downtown Gettysburg as part of a 45-acre expansion at the southern end of the battlefield.

The train station was built in 1858. It served as a hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg and was the site where President Abraham Lincoln arrived on the eve of his Gettysburg Address. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The land was donated in 2009 to the Gettysburg Foundation, which plans to donate it to the park.