The proposed scranton to new york penn station corridor would connect scranton, PA, and new york, NY, with intermediate stops at stroudsburg and MT

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $5,455,279.14 Cooperative Agreement on January 1, 2025 under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Program (CFDA 20.326) to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The funding will support the development of a Service Development Plan (SDP) for the proposed Scranton to New York Penn Station intercity passenger rail corridor. The SDP will include tasks such as developing a project performance plan, existing planning and development materials, a statement of work, an approved project schedule and budget, and other necessary project description materials to support the next phase of project development. The proposed 3-round-trip-per-day corridor would connect Scranton, PA to New York, NY with intermediate stops in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, utilizing a mostly existing rail alignment. The SDP work is expected to be completed by January 31, 2029.

Pocono, PA, and blairstown, dover, montclair, morristown, and newark, NJ. The proposed corridor would provide new service (three daily round trips) on a mostly existing alignment, plus abandoned track to be rebuilt. The entirety of the alignment for this corridor is under public ownership. Using the service development plan (SDP) SOW framework, the corridor sponsor will develop a project performance plan (task 1.1), existing planning and development materials (task 2.1), statement of work (task 2.2), approved project schedule (task 2.3), approved project budget (task 2.4). The outcome of the step 1 work is the project description for CID step 2, to perform the necessary work to complete an SDP. The proposed corridor will serve scranton, new york S penn station, as well as communities in eastern pennsylvania and northern new jersey in between.