SCRANTON, Pa. — Pennsylvania will provide $3.7 million for track improvements needed for a possible Scranton-New York City Amtrak route, the Pocono Record reports.
The grant through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program has been awarded to the Monroe County Industrial Development Authority. It will provide half the funding for 43,000 new crossties on a 40-mile stretch of the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad, allowing for higher speeds for passenger service. The segment is part of a proposed route that also includes Amtrak and NJ Transit. The state grant allows the agency to pursue a federal grant for the remander of the funding.
Amtrak’s “Connects US” plan for state-supported corridor service envisions three daily round trips on the New York-Scranton route and says the service would provide an economic impact of $87 million annually.
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