Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York Rail Project Closer To Reality

SUSSEX COUNTY, NJ - Commuters could soon see a longtime goal materialize, with the reconnection of rail service between Scranton and New York’s Penn Station.

For years, there’s been talk of reviving this connection, which would require building a train station in Sussex County’s Andover and fixing the Roseville Tunnel in Byram Township.

This project has been on President Joe Biden’s radar, as a Scranton native.

In July, the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Planning Authority and Amtrak decided to undergo the planning phases together, with New Jersey Transit kicking in $62 million to build the station in Andover and refurbish both the Lackawanna Cut-Off track and Roseville Tunnel, Northjersey.com reported.

New Jersey Transit’s portion of the project will rehabilitate service from Sussex County, specifically taking trains from Andover to Morristown and Montclair, with final destinations to Hoboken and Penn Station in New York, according to Northjersey.com.

Though the project impetus will be restoration of the Lackawanna Cutoff, service that had previously run through New Jersey, the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority says it’s important to the Scranton and Northeast Pennsylvania region to “restore the economic vibrancy that will once again tie our fortunes and future to the largest financial and professional capitol in the world.”

In a news release detailing the passenger service update from the Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, the first step is laying seven miles of track down on the Lackawanna Cutoff, where it had been. Building a new train station in Andover will be next, followed with replacement of 21 miles of missing track in New Jersey.

As part of Amtrak’s plan to reconnect rail from Scranton to New York City, which was last active in 1970, New Jersey is expected to additionally see Amtrak stops in Blairstown, Dover, Morristown, Summit and Newark’s Broad Street station.

Chuck Walsh, president of the North Jersey Rail Commuter Association, gave a recent video tour of the proposed Amtrak stations in the video below.

Walsh explains that the Lackawanna Cut-off runs between Port Morris in the Lake Hopatcong area to the Delaware Water Gap in the Hackettstown region, for a stretch of about 29 miles.

Amtrak reports the line between the two hubs will be comprised of three daily round-trips, with an estimated time of three hours and 25 minutes to get from city to city. The host railroads for the New York and Scranton line will also include New Jersey Transit and the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad.

According to Amtrak estimates, there will be an annual economic impact of $87 million, with $2.9 billion needed from one-time capital investments for the service.

Amtrak reported the reconnection is hoped to lessen traffic regionally, especially on Routes 80 and 380, as well as a “safer and more efficient way to commute to work in New York City.”

The route, Amtrak says, will provide train service to underserved areas, plus connect colleges and universities along the route with rail, including Penn State Scranton, Marywood University, East Stroudsburg University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University-Newark, Columbia University, Fordham University, New York University and St. John’s University.

Read more here in Northjersey.com.

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