Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter in this decade has advocated the restoration of passenger rail service between Scranton and Hoboken, and has secured federal funding for initial steps toward that restoration.
In late July, 2006, New Jersey Transit informed interested parties that the final environmental review has been submitted to the Federal Transit Administration for approval and review.Assuming that the project is approved soon, funding for the project's construction can be expected to appear in the following fiscal year's budget.
In addition, the Lackawanna County and Monroe County Railroad Authorities merged in 2006 to form the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Rail Authority, to help speed-up resumption of passenger service on the Pennsylvania side of the Lackawanna Cutoff project.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Did you mean "Lackawanna"?
I've often felt that way, why does one hand of government bite the other hand of government by charging them for something. However what we lump together as gummint is actually separate fiefdoms, and in this case you're talking about the federal government and the separate and sovereign governments of the Commonwealth of Pa and the State of New Jersey.
There are those who would argue that federal money, gleaned from all taxpayers in the US, should not necessarily go to the benefit of only PA and NJ residents. This argument can trickle on for a while, PA general funds should not go to the benefit of only northeast PA residents, or worse yet, New York residents who only want to visit PA, or northeast PA residents who only want to work in New York.
Among the more ridiculous example of that way of thinking:
route 11 light rail trolley, Philadelphia, Pa to the neighboring borough of Darby, was undergoing track reconstruction. A Darby politician complained because all of the proposed track work was being done inside the city of Philla. He apparently did not realize that improved track in the city would improve the ride for entire line.
Delaware River Port Authority, operator of the Port Authority Transist Corp train from NJ to Phila had been paying $1 per year for the privilege of running in the Philadelphia owned Locust St subway. Sometime in the last 10 years some city council person argued, succesfully I think, to raise that fee, or evict PATCO. It's hard for me to imagine if PATCO had refused and gotten evicted who else would conceivably have paid the raised fee, or who would have used the subway in such a way as to provide the city with benefit similar to that they were getting from the PATCO operation.
Another argument for charging one branch of government regular market fees for goods and services to another branch is actually an argument for promoting financial efficiency. If the fed had given PA and NJ the right of way, or had only charged a dramatically discounted fee then that could entice the 2 states to make less than optimal decisions.
At any rate, since NJ and PA had paid the fee, the right of way should then be unquestionably under their control, so the fed has less ability to dictate how those sovereign governments must use, or decline from using, the property. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean the fed won't still try butting in, I believe the term in that case is unfunded mandate.
Patrick Boylan
Free yacht rides, 27' sailboat, zip code 19114 Delaware River, get great Delair bridge photos from the river. Send me a private message
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