Passenger Rail Overview
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The Return of Passenger Rail Takes a BIG Step Forward
It’s been half-a-century since you could hop on a train in Northeast Pennsylvania and travel to New York City.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s announcement that Northeast Pennsylvania will be included in its Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program is a major milestone in reestablishing direct passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City.
This is a moment so many have been working toward, and I’m excited we’ve reached this point in our collective efforts to get passenger trains rolling again.
Once in a Lifetime Opportunity!
We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something transformational for the economy of Northeast Pennsylvania thanks to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This rail project is vital to jobs now and in the future and is an investment in transportation that’s critical to broadening our local economy and improving our overall quality of life.
A Game-Changer for the Region
Connecting Northeast Pennsylvania to major metropolitan areas in a seamless, passenger-friendly system will create jobs, improve quality of life, and offer convenient travel options for commuters, college students and tourists, alike. It will also connect those of us living in Northeast Pennsylvania to a wider selection of health care services, sporting events, cultural activities and vacation spots.
Amtrak has done a complete economic impact analysis that concluded restoration of rail service will generate $84 million in new economic activity annually. In addition, the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau’s economic analysis as a tourist destination concluded that passenger rail restoration in the Lackawanna Cut Off corridor will generate $73 million in new economic activity annually in the Pocono Mountains alone.
Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, restoring passenger rail service will drive tourism, boost local business opportunities, encourage investment across the district, help relieve the tax burden of area seniors and provide good-paying jobs.
We Made the Cut!
In December, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approved our application to enter the Corridor ID program.
This is the federal government’s official priority list for new passenger rail service. Projects selected for Corridor ID can be allotted multi-million-dollar grants to construct and set up new services. This means Scranton-to-NYC passenger rail restoration is in the best position it’s ever been in!
What Could a New Rail Service Look Like?
- Multiple roundtrips per day with travel time of approximately two hours and 50 minutes between Scranton and New York City.
- Trains will travel at a maximum speed of up to 110 mph on the restored Lackawanna Cut Off track and are expected to transport as many as 470,000 riders per year.
- The proposed corridor will include new stations in Scranton, Mount Pocono and East Stroudsburg. In New Jersey, stops are proposed for Blairstown, Dover, Morristown and Newark and then on to New York City.
Why NEPA’s Passenger Rail Project is Ready to Move Forward
- The proposed corridor will connect three of the 100 most populated metropolitan areas in the United States: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Area (1st), Newark, NJ-PA (44th), and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, PA (100th).
- This project has long been part of Pennsylvania’s and New Jersey’s state rail plans.
- Significant recent studies were completed so that the project can advance quickly, including a study conducted by Amtrak that details proposed station stops, schedule options, anticipated ridership, associated financial impacts, and preliminary equipment/facility requirements.
- Amtrak has also completed a complete economic impact analysis that concluded restoration of rail service will generate $84 million in new economic activity annually.
- Early environmental studies have also found No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the corridor.
- Portions of the defined route already exist as passenger rail, and this corridor is wholly government-owned and without any private freight rail entanglements or restrictions to delay immediate development.
- The Project has support from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Amtrak, and all the local communities it touches.
- PennDOT and co-applicants have already made significant investments in the Corridor, and planning and development efforts are ongoing. PennDOT also has a long history of delivering large-scale intercity rail capital projects.
With Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05)
About My Rail Restoration Efforts
Since assuming office in 2013, I’ve made restoring passenger rail service one of my district priorities. I led the formation of the Lackawanna Cut-Off Rail Restoration Caucus, a group of federal lawmakers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and I convened and continue to lead a bi-partisan, bi-state, bi-cameral coalition that includes nearly 50 federal, state, county and municipal leaders in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, along with economic development intermediaries in both states as well as officials from PennDOT, New Jersey Transit and the Pennsylvania Northeast Railroad Authority.
I’m also working closely with the offices of Governor Josh Shapiro and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Acceptance into the FRA’s Corridor ID program is not the end of the journey for passenger rail restoration, but it is a critical and meaningful step forward.
Send your passenger rail questions to Rail.Info@mail.house.gov
Our office is working with the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau on a Passenger Rail FAQ. Read more here.