House committee rejects amendment protecting Scranton-to-NYC train project
The failure of that and other amendments Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee proposed before the committee approved its budget reconciliation proposal — part of the broader budget reconciliation package Congressional Republicans are pursuing to implement key elements of President Donald Trump's agenda — doesn't derail the local passenger train project. But they would have added safeguards for the long-sought development that, as proposed, would see Amtrak passenger trains run between Scranton and Manhattan's Penn Station with stops in Mount Pocono, East Stroudsburg, Blairstown, Dover, Morristown, Montclair and Newark.
Bresnahan, a freshman GOP congressman representing Northeast Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District, has voiced strong support for the Scranton-to-NYC train project. He defeated former Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, one of the rail project's chief local advocates, in November.
Bresnahan also was the lone House Republican on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to vote 'yes' on an amendment proposed by U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, a Michigan Democrat, that would have prevented Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy from removing any project from the federal Corridor Identification and Development Program that was included in the program prior to Jan. 20, when Trump took office. The amendment failed by a vote of 35 to 31, with all voting Democrats in favor and all Republicans other than Bresnahan opposed.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, talks about tariffs and other happenings in Washington during the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Breakfast on Friday April 4, 2025 at Sand Springs in Drums (John Haeger / Staff Photographer)
The Scranton-to-NYC project, accepted into the Corridor ID Program in late 2023, was among the first in the nation to advance to the second step of that three-step program designed to identify new, viable passenger train routes. Step two includes the completion of a Service Development Plan for the proposed route and serves as a precursor to the third step, which could deliver potentially hundreds of millions of dollars for rail construction and related work.
'Jobs and our growing economy shouldn't be partisan — which is why I voted with the other side of the aisle on amendments to protect critical Amtrak projects,' Bresnahan said in a statement. 'Like my predecessor, Congressman Matt Cartwright, I am a proud supporter of Amtrak, especially the proposed Scranton to New York City Amtrak line. I will continue to advocate for the return of Amtrak to NEPA, allowing our region to continue its momentum as a growing economic, logistics and tourism powerhouse.'
Larry Malski, president of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and another of the rail project's chief advocates, commended Bresnahan for voting to support the proposed Amtrak corridor and his broader support for the project. He also stressed that the proposed amendment's failure doesn't hamper the project's progress that as of now continues unabated.
'Obviously if it passed … it would be an extra layer of protection,' he said of the Scholten amendment. 'But again, we're very appreciative to Congressman Bresnahan for following through on his commitment to the project.'
An Amtrak study released in March 2023 found that restoring passenger rail service between Scranton and the Big Apple would generate $84 million in new economic activity annually, creating jobs on both sides of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. If the project comes to fruition, which is possible as early as 2028, it would mark the return of passenger rail service between those cities for the first time since 1970.
Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where the GOP has a five-member majority, also voted down a proposed amendment that would require the transportation secretary to issue reports justifying potential rail grant reductions or cancellations before such a reduction or cancellation occurs. Another amendment rejected by the Republican-controlled committee would have appropriated billions in annual funding for Amtrak operations and competitive rail grants for fiscal years 2025 through 2034, among other examples.
Those amendments were defeated by voice vote, meaning no roll call vote was taken.
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