
“These findings are very encouraging,” said Tyler Kusma, executive director of the Scranton Rail Restoration Coalition. Supporters of restoring Scranton-NYC service said the report is a good starting point. “PennDOT is preparing to submit an application for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) program, which is due on March 27.” “The report provides information about some of the work that would need to be done to initiate service, but the decision as to whether to move forward will require additional input from a range of stakeholders,” said Beth K. It is not a recommendation to move ahead, Amtrak officials said. The Amtrak report was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority in July 2021. It estimates a low of $169 million to a high of $266 million for track and infrastructure work and new trains to get the service going, 80% of which could be covered by federal infrastructure funding.īut the study also has unanswered questions, including how trains can be ready to run in five years and how much New Jersey and Pennsylvania would be expected to fund. The 38-page report, released March 23, lays out some the details, challenges and leaves some questions unanswered about a proposed restoration of passenger train service between New York and Scranton.

PennDOT officials have taken the first step toward seeing the service begin by applying to the Federal Corridor Identification and Development Program on Monday to start the process, a spokesperson said.

New Amtrak train service that could whisk riders at speeds hitting up to 110 mph between New York City and Scranton in Pennsylvania could move almost a half a million riders annually by 2030, but it’s estimated to cost between $169 million to $266 million to start up, according to a study of the proposed rail line.
