Description
Watch the February 19, 2026 Public Meeting:
The Scranton to New York City Corridor ID project is proposed to re-establish intercity passenger rail service between Scranton, PA, and New York Penn Station via New Jersey. This restoration of passenger rail service has been a priority for local communities for decades. The 140-mile corridor consists of 60 miles in Pennsylvania owned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) and 80 miles in New Jersey, primarily owned and operated by New Jersey Transit (NJT) with a 20-mile section corridor of missing track owned by New Jersey DOT. The Corridor ID effort is in collaboration with co-applicants PNRRA and NJT. The proposed corridor would connect Scranton, PA, and New York, NY, with intermediate stops at Stroudsburg and Mt. Pocono, PA, and Blairstown, Dover, Montclair, Morristown, and Newark, NJ. The proposed corridor would provide new service (three daily round trips) on mostly existing alignment, plus abandoned track to be rebuilt.
The Scranton to New York Penn Station Corridor route comprises four distinct segments, shown on the map below:
- Scranton, PA to Slateford, PA (60 miles): This segment is owned by PNRRA and hosts local freight service operated by Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad and excursion trains from Steamtown National Historic Site.
- Slateford, PA to Port Morris, NJ (28 miles): This segment, known as the Lackawanna Cutoff, is owned in part by PNRRA and in part by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). It was abandoned in 1979 by then-owner Conrail. Although the track was removed, the right-of-way is still intact across the entire segment. The eastern seven miles from Port Morris to Andover are currently under re-construction by New Jersey Transit (NJ TRANSIT) to extend commuter rail service to a new station in Andover.
- Port Morris, NJ to Kearny, NJ (approximately 43 miles): This segment is owned by NJ TRANSIT and predominantly serves NJ TRANSIT commuter rail into New York City. On this segment, there are two route options between Denville and Newark, the Morristown Line and the Montclair-Boonton Line, both of which are potential candidates for the proposed Scranton corridor.
- Kearny, NJ to New York Penn Station, NY (8 miles): This segment is on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) and serves a mix of Amtrak intercity trains and NJ TRANSIT commuter trains.
The Department served as the primary applicant for this FRA Corridor ID Program corridor, which was selected by FRA in December 2023. PennDOT is currently working with the FRA on Step 2 for Scranton – New York City. The purpose and need statement as approved by FRA in October 2025 is available in the Documents section.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the Scranton-NY Corridor ID project, please email ra-pdpassengerrail@pa.gov.
