State Senator Robert Littell

LACKAWANNA CUT RESOLUTION ROLLS FORWARD
Restoration of Historic Rail Line will Reduce Congestion & Improve the Environment

Legislation sponsored by Senator Robert E. Littell (R-Sussex/Morris/Hunterdon) urging the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal Transit Administration and the New Jersey Transit Corporation to work together to restore rail passenger service on the dormant Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line from Port Morris, New Jersey, to Scranton, Pennsylvania was favorably released from the Senate Transportation Committee. Passenger service on the rail line ended in 1970.
Legislation sponsored by Senator Robert E. Littell (R-Sussex/Morris/Hunterdon) urging the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal Transit Administration and the New Jersey Transit Corporation to work together to restore rail passenger service on the dormant Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line from Port Morris, New Jersey, to Scranton, Pennsylvania was favorably released from the Senate Transportation Committee. Passenger service on the rail line ended in 1970.

The Lackawanna Cut-Off is an engineering marvel from another age, but the restoration of this rail line represents more than nostalgia, said Littell. Restoring service on the Lackawanna Cut-Off represents sound planning, environmental and transportation policy for the future of northwestern New Jersey.

The restored rail service would provide service from Scranton, Pennsylvania to Hoboken and New York Penn Station via transfer to “MidTown Direct� service by connecting to the existing New Jersey Transit Montclair-Boonton and Morris & Essex Lines. Reports indicate the line could serve 684,000 commuters annually, and could provide commuters a one-seat 133-mile ride from Scranton to Hoboken.

Reactivation of the Lackawanna Cutoff will ease congestion on Route 80, lessen traffic jams throughout the region and help New Jersey reduce air pollution and the creation of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming,� said Littell. When the project is completed, hundreds of motor vehicles will be removed from Sussex and Morris county roads every day.

According to the 2000 federal decennial census, the population of Sussex County has grown 10.1% since 1990. Of the 72,700 working residents of Sussex County, only about 29,700 work within the county. The remaining 43,000 county residents commute to jobs outside Sussex County, using increasing crowded highways such as Route 80. Restoration of the Lackawanna Cut-Off would benefit many of these commuters, as well as reduce traffic congestion for commuters who use motor vehicles.