Source: United States Senator for Pennsylvania Bob Casey
Casey, Cartwright have long pushed to restore passenger rail service to region
Direct rail service between Scranton and New York could generate as much as $84 million in economic activity every year, according to Amtrak study
Funding to begin railway construction made possible by Casey and Cartwright-backed infrastructure law
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA-8) announced $8,958,919 in federal funding to begin construction to bring back Amtrak passenger rail service between Scranton, PA and New York, NY. The award will kick off long needed railway rehabilitation and track improvements to begin the process to restore service between the communities via the Lackawanna Cut-Off. The funding comes from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which Casey and Cartwright fought to pass.
“I have fought to restore rail service between Scranton and New York for my entire career in the Senate, and this investment from the infrastructure law means we are now closer than ever to making it a reality,” said Senator Casey. “Passenger rail service to and from New York will be a game-changer for our region, meaning more family time, more economic investment, and more job opportunities. I won’t stop fighting for this train until it pulls into Scranton.”
“Restoring passenger rail has been a major goal of mine since my first day on the job. That’s why I’m thrilled to help announce that we’re getting closer than ever to seeing the realization of our passenger rail project. This nearly $9 million CRISI Grant Award will go towards restoring the rail line between the Delaware Water Gap and Scranton,” said Congressman Cartwright. “Connecting our region to major metropolitan areas in a seamless, passenger friendly system will be transformative. It will create jobs, improve quality of life, and offer convenient travel options for commuters, college students and tourists, alike. We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something transformational for our region.”
Rail service previously ran directly between Scranton and New York but was discontinued in 1970. Without consistent use and upkeep, the track fell into disrepair.
Senator Casey and Representative Cartwright have spent their careers in Congress advocating relentlessly to restore rail service between Scranton and New York. In 2008, Casey began leading the charge in the Senate to implement a passenger service between Scranton, PA and New York City. Representative Cartwright has also been fighting to restore the Lackawanna Cut-Off since being elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.
Senator Casey pushed the Obama administration, emphasizing the need for continued support to see the project to completion. Additionally, Casey sent letters to the Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission and the Luzerne County Planning Commission, as well as the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation in support of funding for the Lackawanna Cut-Off Restoration Project. Representative Cartwright also organized and led symposiums to highlight the project and helped the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PRRNA) secure funding to investigate costs, feasibility, and impact of the project.
In 2021, Casey and Cartwright fought to pass the landmark bipartisan Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA), creating unprecedented funding for infrastructure across the Nation and paving the way for the restoration of service via the Lackawanna Cut-Off. 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 Scranton-New York rail service. In October 2021, President Biden delivered his infrastructure speech at the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton and was joined by Senator Casey and Representative Cartwright.
In 2022, Casey and Cartwright led a coalition of regional partners from Pennsylvania and New Jersey in urging the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to reestablish rail service through a once-in-a-generation investment in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s rail infrastructure. The Members have also pushed Pennsylvania Governors Tim Wolf and Josh Shapiro to support the rail project. In 2023, at the Members’ urging, Governor Shapiro pledged millions in matching funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to further the rail service restoration project.
In December 2023, the Members announced that the FRA had included Northeastern Pennsylvania in its Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) Program with the goal of reestablishing direct passenger rail service between Scranton, PA and New York, NY. In addition, Senator Casey and Congressman Cartwright both delivered funding for the line in the FY24 spending bills.
Since being elected to Congress in 2012, Cartwright has made restoring passenger rail service to Northeast Pennsylvania the top priority of his work in public life. Beginning shortly after being sworn in, Rep. Cartwright teamed up with Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority (PNRRA) officials Larry Malski, Dominic Keating and Bob Hay for dozens of meetings and hundreds of calls, all with a view toward reviving the moribund project.
In January 2017, Cartwright and then State Senator John Blake (and currently District Director for Rep. Cartwright) organized and led a symposium at Pocono Manor at which the bipartisan coalition of scores of local elected officials, New Jersey rail officials and community business leaders began to come together. At that event, PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards and Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan provided key advice on how to position the project for success, including evaluating the repair work needed on the massive bridges over the Delaware River and the Paulinskill Creek.
Beginning in 2017, Cartwright helped PNRRA secure funding from Lackawanna and Monroe counties, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Appalachian Regional Commission to fund a rail study on costs, feasibility, ridership and environmental impact. These studies were performed by recognized engineering firm Greenman Peterson and, later, Amtrak itself.
In February 2021, Cartwright and Blake held a Zoom meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and secured his agreement to increase the New Rail part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by $2 billion, to increase this project’s chances of success.
In May that year, Cartwright founded the Lackawanna Cutoff Rail Restoration Caucus in Congress, which included inaugural Members Susan Wild (PA-7), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5).
As a member of House Leadership, in the summer of 2021, Cartwright heavily lobbied top leadership to treat the Infrastructure Law as a stand-alone bill and pass it. Rep. Gottheimer also aided in that effort. It succeeded, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed the House on July 1, 2021.
In October 2021, Cartwright selected the Scranton Trolley Museum as the site of President Biden’s infrastructure speech, and invited Amtrak President Stephen Gardner and CEO Bill Flynn, who attended. The next month, November 15, 2021, Cartwright was joined by both men, plus Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscio, at the signing of the Infrastructure bill into law.
In July 2022, Cartwright secured an agreement from Governor Tom Wolf to provide $3.7 million matching funds for the purchase of 43,000 railroad ties to upgrade tracks on the Pennsylvania side of the line. PNRRA will be applying for a matching grant from FRA in February.
Later in 2022, Cartwright introduced Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro to the rail project and met with him several times during the campaign. After his inauguration, Governor Shapiro agreed to a January 14, 2023, discussion of the project. On that day, after a full discussion of the project, including an explanation of its widespread bipartisan support and economic benefits, Governor Shapiro enthusiastically agreed to support it. He agreed to provide $125 million in local-match funds, to have PennDOT author the application to the Federal Railroad Administration, and to seek New Jersey Transit’s co-sponsorship of the application. Under the leadership of Governor Shapiro, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll, that application was submitted, and NJT did cosponsor it.
This past August, Cartwright and New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer led a delegation that included Amtrak’s vice president of network development along with N.J. Transit and PennDOT officials on a tour of proposed station locations and other key landmarks along the Scranton-to-New York City passenger rail route.
The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safey Improvements (CRISI) grant program is a federal grant program that provides funding for projects that improve the safety, efficiency, ant reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail.
