In the News

The return of passenger rail has been discussed in the Poconos for decades — but the region is finally on the verge of learning whether the federal government will provide money for a route connecting Scranton to New York City.

Applications for the Corridor Identification and Development Program are due March 27, and then it’s up to the Federal Railroad Administration to decide which corridors move ahead and begin to receive money for engineering and planning.

Here’s what to know as we await the release of the application and additional details.

“I would think mid-May, end of May, in that area,” U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (Pa.-8) said at a Friday press conference alongside Larry Malski and Bob Hay, the president and the chairman of the board, respectively, of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.