Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA -
Officials announced the Federal Railroad Administration has included Northeastern Pennsylvania in its Corridor Identification list (Corridor ID) to reestablish direct passenger rail service between Scranton and New York.
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-8) state this is the next critical step to reviving the Scranton-NY Amtrak service.
The proposed Corridor would connect Scranton and New York, NY, with intermediate stops at Stroudsburg and Mt. Pocono, Blairstown, Dover, Montclair, Morristown, and Newark, NJ.
"It's going to bring industry, it's going to bring jobs, it's going to provide new service to colleges, to medical facilities," said Larry Malski, president of PNRRA.
The rail service will provide new service (three daily round-trips) on a mostly existing alignment, plus an abandoned track to be rebuilt.
There are nine stations between Scranton and Penn Station in Manhattan. The trip is estimated to take 2 hours and 50 minutes. Amtrak will run three trains each way every day. The cars will have full dining service and WiFi, among other amenities.
Rail service previously ran on the Lackawanna Cut-Off directly between Scranton and New York, but was discontinued in 1970. Without consistent use and upkeep, the track fell into disrepair and requires significant investment to restore train service, officials stated.
The Corridor ID Program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to assist with the development of intercity passenger rail corridors.
“This is a big big day for Northeastern Pennsylvania. This is when we’re starting to turn the corner. We’re gonna come more into the mainstream of the northeast corridor and there’s gonna be a lot of good paying jobs that our kids can sell in the future,” said State Representative Matt Cartwright (D) 8th District.
Service ceased between the cities in 1970. Efforts started popping up in the 1990s to restore the service. Throughout the years, many elected officials, including state representatives and senators and mayors, have been advocating for the restoration. Casey and Cartwright are among those steadfast supporters.
“I have fought to restore Scranton rail service for my entire career as a United States Senator, including voting to pass the infrastructure law, because bringing passenger rail service back to my hometown and to our region will be a game-changing force for our economy, our families, and our communities," Casey said in a press statement.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg called both Cartwright and Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti to personally give them the news.
“We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something transformational for the economy and quality of life in Northeast Pennsylvania," said Cartwright in a press release. "Connecting our region to major metropolitan areas in a seamless, passenger-friendly system will drive tourism, boost local business opportunities, and encourage investment across the district."
Cognetti said the city is grateful to the federal delegation for working hard to pass the infrastructure law and keeping this project on the front burner.
"We are grateful to President Biden for understanding the importance of this passenger rail link for Scranton’s future growth," Cognetti added.
According to a recent Amtrak study, direct rail service between Scranton and New York would generate as much as $84,000,000 of economic activity every year.
There is also an informational meeting hosted by the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau slated for 6:00 p.m. December 19th at the Kalahari Convention Center in Pocono Summit.
Congressman Cartwright will be there as well to help share the next steps and answer questions.
THE ROUTE TO RESTORATION:
January 1970: The last Erie Lackawanna Railroad passenger train left Scranton for Hoboken.
May 1971: Congress creates Amtrak to be the nation’s rail operator.
1990s: Serious planning begins to restore service between Scranton and Hoboken.
May 2006: The Lackawanna and Monroe County railroad authorities merge to form the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA).
January 2008: U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D, sent a letter with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY; then-Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY; and then-Senator Arlen Specter, R-PA, in support of a passenger rail service between Scranton and Binghamton, New York, that would connect to existing service through to New York City. Casey also sent a letter to the Federal Transit Administration requesting information on plans to begin the Lackawanna Cut-off project.
April 2009: Casey led a letter to then-President Obama asking for continued support in the creation of the passenger rail service.
January 2010: Casey wrote a letter to then-Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Ray LaHood to emphasize the need for more funding to restore the Lackawanna Cut-off; Casey also met with LaHood to discuss increased financial support for the project.
November 2012: Matt Cartwright, a Democrat, is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, with a long-term goal of restoring passenger rail service.
2017: Cartwright helped PNRRA secure funding for a rail study on costs, feasibility, ridership and environmental impact.
February 2019: The Scranton Rail Restoration Coalition was founded.
May 2021: Cartwright founded the Lackawanna Cut-off Rail Restoration Caucus in Congress, which included members Susan Wild, PA; and Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, both of New Jersey.
June 2021: Amtrak released a study that identified 39 passenger rail corridors that they believe could be successful, the Lackawanna Cut-off, which would be past of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, is included in that study
November 2021: Congress passes the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes $66 billion for improvements to national rail lines over the next five years.
April 2022: Global lifestyle brand, Margaritaville, announces a $3 billion investment in the Poconos, which includes providing land for an Amtrak station.
June 2022: The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority files a formal expression of interest with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to restore the service between Scranton and New York City.
July 2022: Then PA-Gov. Tom Wolf agrees to provide $3.7 million matching funds for the purchase of 43,000 railroad ties to upgrade tracks on the Pennsylvania side of the line.
December 2022: Mayors in PA and NJ, along the Lackawanna Cut-off Route, send a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their support for the proposed rail route.
January 2023: Governor Josh Shapiro is introduced to the project and offers support.
March 2023: PennDOT submitted an application to the Federal Railroad Authority’s Corridor ID Program to fund the passenger train service between Scranton and New York City. The local railroad authority and New Jersey Transit Authority were cosigners; also, Amtrak releases the details of a two-year study examining restoring the rail service.
August 2023: Amtrak Vice President of Network Development and the railroad’s technical staff visited the Lackawanna Transit Center in Scranton and other key landmarks along the Scranton-to-New York City passenger rail route. Also, Democratic state House members hold a hearing in Scranton focused on rail service.
