Amtrak to assess Scranton-NYC infrastructure; Cartwright forms rail restoration caucus

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The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and Amtrak have signed an agreement that represents new formal involvement by the passenger rail service in a potential route from Scranton to New York City.

That route was one of 39 proposed by Amtrak in a report released in May. Now, Amtrak will assess the infrastructure along the route and make estimates about ridership and revenue, the PNRRA announced Tuesday.

While the return of passenger rail through the region has been discussed for decades, “this is all new,” said PNRRA President Larry Malski, noting that it’s the first study Amtrak has been involved in.

“They don’t throw a dart at the map and say let’s do a corridor here,” Malski said. “They see the commuters, they see the tourism and recreation industry growing in our region.”

Some of Amtrak’s proposed routes are “very theoretical,” while others — including Scranton to NYC — are much closer to becoming real, said Tyler Kusma, executive director of the Scranton Rail Restoration Coalition.

“Being able to sign this agreement now just kind of reflects the competitive position and the advantages we have on making this a reality,” Kusma said.

One key advantage is that the full right-of-way from Scranton to New York is owned by public entities, Malski said. In addition to the PNRRA, portions are owned by New Jersey Transit as well as Amtrak itself.

Following the PNRRA announcement, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8) announced the formation of the Lackawanna Cut-Off Rail Restoration Caucus, a group of four federal lawmakers from Pennsylvania and New Jersey who will focus on restoring tracks to the last section of the route without them.

While freight trains (and occasional passenger trains, such as those run by Steamtown National Historic Site) use the existing tracks in Pennsylvania, and New Jersey Transit serves commuters, the 28-mile Lackawanna Cutoff between Port Morris, New Jersey, and Slateford, Pennsylvania, must be rebuilt for the Amtrak route to function. A 7-mile section from Andover to Port Morris is currently under construction at a cost of $62 million.

Poconorecord