MidlandMike I see Rep. Cartwright is from Scranton, so I am going to assume he is talking about train service to that area.
I see Rep. Cartwright is from Scranton, so I am going to assume he is talking about train service to that area.
More likely than not, he is talking about the Pocono Summit area, which includes Scranton, Dickson City and Clarks Summit.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Route of the Black Diamond Express, John Wilkes and Maple Leaf.
-Jake, modeling the Barclay, Towanda & Susquehanna.
Henry6, I didn't say that they were connected, I just said that they had rail service.
Williamsport is not connected to Wilkes Barre, Scranton or Port Jervis in any direct enough way for passenger services....either via the old PRR to Harrisburg or whats left of the RDG through Shamoken and the mountains to Reading. And there is a program in place for NJT and the NE PA Rail authority to start a commuter style passenger service from Scranton supposedly to Hoboken; this can progress once the Cut Off is rebuilt and the connection is made at Slateford, PA but funding has been held up for several years. A station site is already picked in Scranton and stations selected across the Pocono's and across NJ. Any service from BInghamton connecting with this is mere talk by several committees about 10 years ago.
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henry6 But Williamsport and Wilkes Barre are not on the Southern Tier line so can't be considered for marketing or running trains, freight or passenger. But the NY City Metropolitan area is being measured into the area directly west and north of Port Jervis along the Delaware River as more people were moving to the area and offers an opportunity for passenger rail service beyond the resort travel to the mountains of yesterday (but cannot be looked at as part of an intercity operation from Buffalo to Binghamton to New York City for marketing purposes). As far as the Erie having track and the Cut Off not does not change marketing of service. Five to six hours from Binghamton to NYC over the old Erie is not marketable while 4 to 5 hours through Scranton is and thus may be worth the cost of putting the Cut Off back in service as NJT and the Northeast PA rail authority are working on. From the Upstate NY observation point, let NJT and PA rebuild the railroad then we only have to be responsible for 60 miles from Binghamton to Scranton instead of over a hundred miles just to Port Jervis.
But Williamsport and Wilkes Barre are not on the Southern Tier line so can't be considered for marketing or running trains, freight or passenger. But the NY City Metropolitan area is being measured into the area directly west and north of Port Jervis along the Delaware River as more people were moving to the area and offers an opportunity for passenger rail service beyond the resort travel to the mountains of yesterday (but cannot be looked at as part of an intercity operation from Buffalo to Binghamton to New York City for marketing purposes). As far as the Erie having track and the Cut Off not does not change marketing of service. Five to six hours from Binghamton to NYC over the old Erie is not marketable while 4 to 5 hours through Scranton is and thus may be worth the cost of putting the Cut Off back in service as NJT and the Northeast PA rail authority are working on. From the Upstate NY observation point, let NJT and PA rebuild the railroad then we only have to be responsible for 60 miles from Binghamton to Scranton instead of over a hundred miles just to Port Jervis.
As far as trains in Williamsport, there is the Lycoming Valley RR, which runs through Williamsport to Muncy. Wilkes-Barre, Canadian Pacific.
I can certainly see a passenger railroad running a train from the Pocono Mt. area (Dickson City, Clarks Summit, Scranton and so on) to the NYC area, since I heard that most of the people living there work around New York City.
Still, it's a loopy route compared to the Lackawanna Cut-Off (which was put out of service only as the direct result of Conrail greed).
henry6 There are no population centers west of Port Jervis to Bingahmton.
There are no population centers west of Port Jervis to Bingahmton.
Wouldn't be surprised if it is just talk knowing politicians, but as far as population centers, look harder, much harder, particurally in PA. Look at Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre PA. And as far as polititions, you really can't say as to what they are going to do here in PA, so who knows what's going to happen. Weird things have happened, and all it takes is a change in who's running the state (as in elections).
But at least the ex-Erie line has track, unlike most of the Lackawanna cutoff.
No. This is all but impossible and quite impractical for most minds. The railroad is not in any condition to accept passenger service of any kind, NS has stated it won't allow it in their leases, and there is no real market for the service nor a marketable service that can be conjured up. To Binghamton it is longer than via Scranton plus slower because of riverbank route up the Delaware, etc. There are no population centers west of Port Jervis to Bingahmton.
That being said, and I believe what I said above because I have measured and studied the whole idea for almost 45 years now, there could be a NY state service. With a minimum of track and signal improving, and with the union atmosphere of two man crews and turnaround time, and with push pull equipment as exists (which could be modified slightly if warranted or otherwise needed), MNRR could extend at least one late train from Port Jervis to Deposit, NY and return within a 10 to 12 hour period (Lv PJ @10P, Ar Dep @ 1A,; retrun Lv Dep @4A, AR PJ @7A). I think this because there is a huge and growing commuting base five to ten miles either side of the Delaware River almost to Deposit. It sounds far fetched, but the Erie used to have such service and it continued weekends into the 50's I'm told. Those who run the Lackawaxin to Honesdale have toyed with the idea too, over the years...But a real market study has to be done and some real railroad heads need to get together, too.
Could they be talking of extending on the ex-Eire past Port Jervis, which wanders into NE Pa.?
Lehigh Valley 2089 I just heard on the news this morning that Amtrack service may be coming to Northeastern PA. The station said that it was a concern for the Matt Cartwright Campaign. So if it does indeed come to NEPA, how long do you think it will be before it arrives?
I just heard on the news this morning that Amtrack service may be coming to Northeastern PA. The station said that it was a concern for the Matt Cartwright Campaign. So if it does indeed come to NEPA, how long do you think it will be before it arrives?
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Political dreams and promises. There's always been talk. NJT ist to extend to Stroudsburg and Scranton. We've worked committiees to extend to BInghamton NY an beyond. None of the Above. All of the above.
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