Federal program could be big boost for potential Scranton-to-NYC passenger train

Jeff Horvath, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Mar. 17—SCRANTON — The state Department of Transportation will be the lead on the region's application to a federal program that could fund up to 80% of passenger rail construction between Scranton and New York City.

The Federal Railroad Administration's Corridor Identification and Development Program could support 30 or more new Amtrak routes in chosen corridors across the nation. Officials working to restore passenger service want the corridor from Scranton to New York to be one of them.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, announced PennDOT's participation Friday, noting the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and New Jersey Transit are signed on as co-applicants.

"We have the full weight and authority of PennDOT on our side now," Cartwright said. "It's something that we've been seeking for years. It's something that means a world of difference in our ability to get this project done."

Created under the 2021 bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Corridor ID Program "will guide the development of new and enhanced intercity passenger rail services that will help bolster economic growth throughout the country," according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The infrastructure law delivered $66 billion in additional rail funding for Amtrak route expansions in new corridors and other initiatives.

"If your application is successful, the Corridor ID Program designation gets you all kinds of advantages," Cartwright said. "It gets you engineering money and cost study money, and it gets you the money that goes into the planning ... of creating a rail line."

For each corridor selected, the Federal Railroad Administration will award an initial grant of $500,000 to support the creation of a service development plan. The administration would fund up to 80% of the cost of passenger rail construction in the chosen corridors, Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority President Larry Malski said.

"That is the key ingredient that we never really had, which is funding to finish construction," Malski said. "That's what we strove for for many years but it just wasn't provided, and because of the bipartisan infrastructure act in Washington, it is now being provided to those chosen under the Corridor ID (Program)."

Officials expect to submit the region's Corridor ID program application next week.

An Amtrak economic impact analysis of the proposed Scranton to New York City line concluded restoring passenger rail service will generate $84 million in economic activity annually, Cartwright said.

"People in our area are starved for passenger rail, and we understand the benefit of it," he said.

Contact the writer: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter.