News!!
Regional rail traffic is up
Pocono Record
January 19, 2012
Regional rail traffic was up more than 4 percent last year. That's good news for the economy and good news for the environment.
Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority executive Larry Malski noted the rise in a report that also highlighted the authority's success in acquiring the final six miles of the Pocono Mainline between Stroudsburg and Delaware Water Gap. The authority paid Norfolk Southern $1.5 million for the tracks and right of way, bringing the authority's total track ownership to nearly 100 miles. That stretch reaches to Scranton and includes segments between the Gap and Hoboken, a line authority officials hope some day will carry passengers again. And it provides the authority with a link to the Norfolk Southern Railway through a connection at Slateford, south of the Gap, which serves more than 20 industries that rely on rail service. Those industries employ more than 2,000 workers.
Rail offers a highly efficient mode of transportation for goods and people: a single engine can pull anywhere from a few cars to a few hundred cars. But rail faded during the 20th century, along with many city-based public transportation systems, against the growing popularity of the car. Gradually trucks began carrying more and more freight.
The authority continues to face a challenge in establishing a through route to Hoboken and the New York market because previous rail officials sold the right-of-way in a key section in New Jersey known as the Lackawanna Cutoff. The cost of reacquiring that section was deemed prohibitive for decades, but work is now under way to restore the tracks there.
Global instability and ever-rising oil prices are making rail a more attractive option again, so it's encouraging to see the Northeast Regional Railroad Authority making steady, if incremental, progress here.
Much credit for rail's local survival goes to long-time rail advocates from Monroe County, chiefly Robert Hay, who decades ago recognized the importance of maintaining the county's rail lines and kept the issue alive. Monroe's rail authority merged five years ago with the Lackawanna County group to form the regional rail authority.
The Poconos, Pennsylvania and the United States will all need rail as an important part of a comprehensive transportation network if they are to compete successfully in the global economy.
Rail authority gets grant for crossing upgrades
Published: October 21, 2011
The Times-Tribune
State grant to aid railroad crossings
The upgrades will enhance safety for motorists and the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad as train movements increase on the rail line, PNRRA President Larry Malski said.
The upgrades include larger and more flashing red lights at Route 6 in
Press Release
August 23, 2011
Contact: Larry Malski, President, Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority
570-963-6676 or lmalski@pnrra.org
The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) has obtained $880,000.00 PennDOT grant to rehabilitate Bell’s Bridge in Monroe County on their Pocono Mainline. “This grant will allow new steel installation in place of the deteriorated steel members that have corroded over the years from the salt and brine solutions that have been applied on the Interstate 80 bridge which passes over our Pocono Mainline at this point,” said Larry Malski, President of PNRRA.
The single track bridge was originally built new and placed in its existing position by the DL&W railroad in 1955 in order to replace the existing bridges that were washed away by Hurricane Diane of that year.
“Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of September with PNRRA’s contract rail operator, the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad, to resume operations over the rehabilitated bridge by September 30, 2011”, Malski stated.
The Authority also is the recipient of a $225,000.00 grant to upgrade and install new flashers, lights and gates at three grade crossings on the Carbondale Mainline at crossings in Olyphant, Jessup and Carbondale. “These upgraded signal systems will enhance safety and efficiency on the Carbondale Mainline which is seeing increased train movements due to the new Marcellus Gas related rail traffic moving to the Carbondale Transload Terminal,” said Malski.
$36.6M rail line is step closer to reality Board to weigh approval of Lackawanna Cutoff By Michael Daigle • Daily Record • May 30, 2008 The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority is getting set to take a step next week toward redeveloping a 7.3-mile stretch of the Lackawanna Cutoff and, ultimately, to extend NJ Transit rail service to a new station in When complete, the estimated $36.6 million rail line would be the first project to redevelop a section of the cutoff, an 88-mile rail right-of-way from Roxbury to The NJTPA board is scheduled to hold a teleconference at 1 p.m. Tuesday to address the approval of the project from Port Morris to Port Morris is an old The Lackawanna Cutoff right-of-way extends west out of an NJ Transit train yard at Port Morris. "This is a great sign of progress," NJTPA chairwoman and Sussex County Freeholder Susan Zellman said on Thursday. "Access to public transportation, especially rail, is critically important for the future of NJTPA spokesman David Behrend said the board's action is a technical step to set the eventual funding of the project in motion. The vote will add the project to the NJTPA's long-range plan -- a step necessary to obtain funding from the Federal Transportation Administration, which is available, Behrend said. The Port Morris-Andover project is included in a section called "fiscally constrained projects," which means that federal funds will be available because of the smaller scope of the project. This type of project is called a "minimum operable segment" -- a term than means that NJ Transit has said it can be built with a limited amount of capital investment and additional operating expense, according to the NJTPA resolution supporting the project. The estimated cost of the full Lackawanna Cutoff project is $551 million. Behrend said that by funding smaller segments one at a time, NJ Transit could move the larger cutoff plan ahead. NJTPA describes the Port Morris-Andover project as a spur off the outer end of NJ Transit's Montclair-Boonton Line. A single track would be built along the existing right-of-way, and trains using the rail yard at Port Morris would travel back and forth to At the planned Passengers boarding in Ultimately, the potential exists to run trains between Michael Daigle can be reached at (973) 267-7947 or mdaigle@gannett.com. |
The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) has just been notified by PennDOT of its award of a $298,000 Rail Freight Assistance Grant for the installation of new ties and rail on its Pocono Mainline. “With the sharp increase of rail carloadings that the PNRRA and its contract rail freight operator is experiencing these very beneficial grants are vital to upgrading our 100 mile rail system throughout northeast Pennsylvania”, said Chief Operating Officer Larry Malski.
These grants are awarded on a 70%/30% basis with PennDOT supplying the 70% and the grant recipient providing the 30% local matching share cash contribution. The 30% local matching share cash contribution will be provided by the PNRRA and its contract rail freight operator, the Delaware Lackawanna Railroad.
“With more new industries locating on our regional rail system PennDOT has really become our closest partner in helping to rehabilitate our rail system which is helping to relieve the congestion and maintenance problems relating to the heavy freight movements over our highway system”, said Bob Hay, Chairman of PNRRA.
In the first three months of 2008 freight carloadings on the PNRRA/DLRR regional rail system were up 4% which is a remarkable statistic in light of the very soft national economic trends that have affected industries and transportation providers everywhere, said Mr. Malski.
As further evidence of the rail freight renaissance occurring in northeastern Pennsylvania is the fact that two new industries have actually worked in partnership with the PNRRA and the DLRR to actually build brand new trackage into their facilities to start using the economical benefits of rail shipping.
Monadnock Non-Wovens, a plastic manufacturer in Coolbaugh Township and Excel Storage Products, a steel manufacturer in Stroud Township, have built new rail sidings in the past three years and are reaping the cost saving advantages of direct rail service to their facilities which makes them more competitive nationally.
The trend is continuing with a record number of new prospects approaching us to locate industrial facilities along our regional rail system, said Mr. Hay. The rail freight industry has again become a growth industry in northeastern Pennsylvania, Mr. Hay stated.