One of the Scranton-to-New York City passenger train’s biggest champions will join a board dedicated to making it happen.
The Lackawanna County commissioners appointed former U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright to the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority board during a meeting Wednesday. The post carries no pay or benefits.
In a telephone interview after the commissioners met, Cartwright said he sought the appointment, even before the county advertised for applicants to various boards last month.
“Actually, I didn't even know they were advertising,” Cartwright said. “I just talked to (authority president) Larry (Malski) and said I want to be on the board ... so I can stay actively engaged in the rail project.”
Before losing re-election to Republican Rob Bresnahan in November, Cartwright emerged as one the train project’s biggest champions in 12 years as a congressman.
Malski and longtime authority board member Dominic Keating began lobbying Cartwright to get behind the train’s revival in the summer of 2012, shortly after he won the Democratic primary election and months before his first term began.
“Since then, it has become a passion of mine to restore passenger rail service to the citizens of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Cartwright said. “It (the appointment) gives me a hook to hang my hat on, you might say. Otherwise, I'm kind of a gadfly, just flitting about. The express mission of (the authority) is to restore passenger rail, and so that's why it makes sense for me to be a director.”
Cartwright will replace Dominic Keating, a longtime passenger rail advocate who spent most of the last two decades on the board.
Keating, who said he will stick around as an adviser, mentioned Cartwright’s support early as a congressman and said Thursday he had no problem with the appointment.
“Matt will keep the project in the forefront. We wouldn’t be where we are if it wasn’t for him,” Keating said. “I’m glad to be replaced by him. I’m excited about this.”
President Joe Biden’s 2021 infrastructure law, which Cartwright supported, unlocked tens of billions of dollars for railroad reconstruction and expansion and jump-started the Scranton-to-NYC train.
Officials of publicly owned Amtrak, the nation’s largest passenger railroad, have declared strong interest in operating a service between the cities.
The state Department of Transportation recently succeeded in getting Federal Railroad Administration approval to spend an estimated $5.46 million on developing a plan to provide the service. The federal agency will pay 90%, with PennDOT picking up the other 10%.
PennDOT officials estimate completion of the service plan by 2028. In an earlier study, Amtrak officials had hoped to start running trains as early as 2028.
Just before Election Day, the FRA approved a $8,958,919 grant so the authority can upgrade track ties on the Pennsylvania side of the 133-mile route.
County commissioners Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin praised Cartwright as the right choice.
“For us to be able to have the chance to work with him and to have him be a part of the county, I believe it strengthens our efforts tremendously with Amtrak passenger trains coming to Scranton,” McGloin said.
Gaughan thanked Keating for his service and echoed McGloin. He said Cartwright has “worked tirelessly” on the project.
“He wants to continue to advocate for the project and make sure that we can get it across the finish line, which is extremely important for our region, our whole area,” Gaughan said.
A 2023 Amtrak study estimated the project will produce $84 million in economic benefits, but Cartwright said a lot of business and residential development will follow, too. He has estimated restoring the railroad service will cost between $800 million and $1.2 billion.
The last passenger train between the cities ran on Jan. 5, 1970.