U.S. Senator Bob Casey, D-PA, and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-PA-8, has announced the first step in funding a commuter train from Scranton to New York City. The project calls from a stop in the Poconos.

The Federal Railroad Administration has included Northeastern Pennsylvania in its Corridor Identification and Development Program with the goal of reestablishing direct passenger rail service between Scranton and New York. The Corridor ID Program was established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Ac to assist with the development of intercity passenger rail corridors.

“For generations, passenger rail service helped Northeastern Pennsylvanians connect with loved ones, get to school and work, and access economic opportunity and recreation. In turn, residents of other states helped to stimulate our economy and visited our region to see the best of what we have to offer,” said Sen. Casey. “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.”

“I am thrilled to make this long-awaited announcement. This is a significant milestone and represents years of dedicated efforts to restore passenger rail service, which will contribute to our region’s economic growth and vitality,” said Congressman Matt Cartwright, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee who worked with U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer to ensure Amtrak was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocated billions for rail. 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.

In 2021, Amtrak announced the largest investment in its passenger rail since its creation, made possible by funding from the infrastructure law, which Casey and Cartwright both supported. Senator Casey visited East Stroudsburg to tout the potential for train service after Amtrak released a proposal to expand rail across the country, including restoring New York-Scranton rail service.

In 2022, Casey and Cartwright led a coalition of regional partners from Pennsylvania and New Jersey in urging the Federal Railroad Administration to reestablish Scranton Rail through a once-in-a-generation investment in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s rail infrastructure.

Amtrak released its two-year study of the Scranton to New York Corridor project earlier this year and determined that “Restoring and expanding this corridor with daily multi-frequency service would dramatically boost mobility and economic development for residents of Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and the broader Northeast region,” Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said. The plan for the corridor includes: • Three round trips per day. Each trip would take about two hours and 50 minutes, according to Amtrak’s study. Google maps found that by car, the trip takes about two and half hours on toll roads and three hours and 41 minutes on roads without tolls. • The trains can travel at a maximum speed of 110 mph, and can transport about 470,000 riders per year. • Stations would be located in Scranton, Mount Pocono, East Stroudsburg, Blairstown, Dover, Morristown, Montclair, Newark and New York City. The study also predicts that the passenger rail corridor could generate: • $84 million in economic benefits through tourism and economic activity in the area; • $20 million in benefits for the passengers by being able to be productive on the train instead of concentrating on driving; • And $7 million in social benefits by decreasing traffic on the roadways and reducing pollution and crashes. Amtrak anticipates track improvements on the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority section will cost between $100 million and $175 million. This accounts for about 30% to 45% of the total cost of the project.

An Amtrak study released in March projects a train could be rolling by 2028 with more than 300,000 riders in its first year and almost 500,000 only two years later.

Amtrak assumes a system designed with train speeds allowing travel between the cities in three hours or less with with seven stops along the way

A route from Reading to Philadelphia is also planned.