Lackawanna Cutoff resolution rolls forward

Restoration of historic rail line will reduce congestion and improve the environment Sussex County - Senator Robert E. Littell’s legislation on the Lackawanna Cutoff was favorably released from the Senate Transportation Committee last week. The bill urges 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 Cutoff rail line from Port Morris to Scranton, Pa. “The Lackawanna Cutoff 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 Cutoff represents sound planning as well as good environmental and transportation policy for the future of northwestern New Jersey.” The restored rail service would provide service from Scranton 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 help 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 percent 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 the county, using increasing crowded highways such as Interstate 80.