SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The return of passenger rail service from northeastern Pennsylvania to New York City has taken an important step forward.
Congressman Matt Cartwright announced Friday morning that PennDOT is all aboard with the project to connect northeastern p-a with new york city.
Penndot has drawn up an official application for the corridor i-d program. Pennsylvania will vye for a share of 66,000,000,000 earmarked through the program.
If approved among roughly two dozen applications submitted nationally, the federal government would pick up 80% of the cost.
“We will have one of the better, I’d like to say the best, but one of the better applications being filed across the country for corridors. So, the time has come. We feel very confident,” explained Larry Malski, president of Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.
“People in our area are starved for passenger rail and we understand the benefit of it. We understand the economic benefit that can flow from this,” stated Cartwright.
Cartwright says PennDOT will submit the corridor I-D project application in the next few days and should learn in May if it is approved.
You can watch the full press conference from Matt Cartwright below.
