Leaders in Monroe County have signed on to a letter showing support for restoring passenger rail service between Scranton and New York City.
The letter, headed by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8), is a formal expression of interest that lets the Federal Railroad Administration know that the signatories want to participate in a grant program that would help fund the route.
The infrastructure law passed last fall puts the FRA in charge of deciding which proposed Amtrak routes will receive funding through the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, Cartwright said during a press call on Wednesday. He was joined by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad AuthorityPresident Larry Malski.
The FRA is “taking a very thorough approach” to its funding decisions, Cartwright said. “I really wanted to show the widespread strength of our proposal right out of the gate, and we have that now in the coalition letter that we are releasing today.”
The letter bears signatures from a bipartisan group of state lawmakers representing Monroe County: Reps. Rosemary Brown (R-189), Maureen Madden (D-115) and Jack Rader (R-176), and state Sen. Marty Flynn (D-22). Signatories also include Stroudsburg Mayor Tarah Probst; East Stroudsburg Mayor Victor Brozusky; Monroe County Commissioners Sharon Laverdure, John Moyer and John Christy; and Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau President/CEO Chris Barrett, among other officials from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Of the $36 billion allocated to this grant program, at least $12 billion must go to projects outside of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, Cartwright said. The Scranton-NYC route would not be part of that corridor, which runs from Washington, D.C., to Boston.
The letter also points to potential state funding “in the form of up to $125 million in State Capital Budget Authorizations.”
“While this funding is subject to legislative action by the PA General Assembly and further executive action on the part of the Governor, there is reasonable expectation that at least, in part, some funding from this source can meet a portion of the non-federal share of construction in the corridor,” Cartwright wrote. “Further, the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, the County of Lackawanna, the County of Monroe, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau have all pledged an annual financial contribution to the state and local share of any operating fund deficit in forward years of operation.”
Casey said that he has spoken to FRA Administrator Amit Bose and told him that “the people of our community, northeastern Pennsylvania, deserve this. Not simply because it’s a region of the state that I represent and Congressman Cartwright represents, but this is an investment in the community that those families should have a right to expect. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t have rail service to New York City.”
Cartwright’s letter and a separate letter from Casey both highlight Amtrak’s estimated annual economic impact of $87 million. They also noted that the developers of Margaritaville Resort Village plan to donate land for an Amtrak stop.
Related: Bob Casey makes stop in Poconos to talk Amtrak, infrastructure
More: Margaritaville Resort Village slated for northeast Pa.'s Pocono Manor
“This expression of interest is just a beginning. It is an open door to discuss, plan, coordinate and maybe even debate, with lots of federal help being offered, to get projects to the finish line,” Cartwright said.
This summer, Amtrak will complete a “service development plan,” Malski said. Amtrak has been assessing infrastructure along the route and is expected to make estimates about ridership and revenue.
“This document will be a very important milestone in helping to prioritize our corridor,” which is one of 39 proposed by Amtrak, Malski said.
Malski also submitted a letter to the FRA, as did Jennie Louwerse, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s deputy secretary for multimodal transportation. Louwerse noted that the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority“taken the lead in pursuing this potential passenger service” and added that “PennDOT staff are willing to continue working with FRA, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit (NJT), and the PNRRA on implementation of any additional future funds, should they be awarded.”
Amtrak has said that service could start about three years after funding is secured, and that this route along with two more connecting Reading and Allentown to New York City could serve 1.3 million riders annually.
