HARRISBURG, PA — The Shapiro administration is pushing ahead with plans to restore passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City, advancing a long-studied corridor that backers say could reshape travel, jobs, and economic access across northeastern Pennsylvania and northwestern New Jersey.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the Scranton to New York Penn Station Passenger Rail Corridor has reached a key Step 2 milestone under the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, making it one of just five rail expansion projects nationwide to advance to that stage.
As part of the next phase, PennDOT will host a virtual public meeting at 4:00 PM on Thursday, February 19, to update residents and collect feedback as it develops a formal Service Development Plan for the proposed service.
“The Shapiro Administration has been full steam ahead to advance this project that would be transformative for the northeastern region’s economy and mobility,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “The department continues aggressively improving roads and bridges while investing every possible state and federal dollar into passenger rail services across the Commonwealth.”
PennDOT said the online meeting will outline route options, potential station locations, and next steps for re-establishing intercity passenger rail service along the approximately 140-mile corridor. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the Advancing PA Rail project website for at least 60 days. Members of the public will be able to submit comments during the meeting or online afterward.
The corridor would restore passenger rail service between Scranton and New York Penn Station, offering three daily round trips and connecting northeastern Pennsylvania with New York City and major hubs in New Jersey. Potential intermediate stops under consideration include East Stroudsburg and Mt. Pocono in Pennsylvania, and Blairstown, Dover, Montclair, Morristown, and Newark in New Jersey.
PennDOT said the Service Development Plan includes extensive stakeholder engagement, analysis of service options, capital project identification, environmental review, and financial and implementation planning. The effort builds on previous studies, including Amtrak’s 2021 Connects US Corridor Vision Plan, which identified growing demand for passenger rail along a corridor plagued by heavy traffic and unpredictable travel times.
The study and planning work are funded through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program. The initial $118,000 scope was fully federally funded, while the full Service Development Plan, estimated at $5.46 million, will be funded 90 percent by the federal government with a 10 percent PennDOT match.
PennDOT is leading the project with Amtrak as the proposed operator, alongside project partners including the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak. The route was last served by passenger trains in 1970 under the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, though the right-of-way remains intact, with portions still in active freight or excursion use.
Once the Service Development Plan is completed and approved by federal regulators, the identified projects would move into preliminary engineering and environmental review, bringing the long-discussed rail link another step closer to reality.
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