Gottheimer announces $500,000 security funding for planned Andover rail station

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer announced $500,000 in federal funding Friday for security improvements at the planned Andover train station, part of efforts to restore passenger rail service along the Lackawanna Cutoff.

Gottheimer announced the funding at the future station site. The money was secured through the federal Transit Security Grant Program and can support security cameras, fencing, gates, barriers and other infrastructure at the planned park-and-ride station.

The Andover station is a component of a proposed restoration of rail service from Scranton, Pa., to Hoboken and New York City.

The announcement comes as officials continue efforts to close a funding gap for the project. The tunnel construction project was completed in June 2025, but no construction activity has occurred at the site since then. The project has $94 million in available resources against an estimated total cost of $112.5 million. New Jersey Transit plans to address the remaining $19 million through state Transportation Trust Fund dollars and toll credits.

Gottheimer said the new funding also will address unauthorized access to the tunnel and damage or displacement of measures intended to keep people out.

“There are zero options for folks in Sussex County to make their lives easier and get on a train to get to work or see a family member, and that has to change,” Gottheimer said. “I’ve clawed back $500,000 in new federal funding from Washington to Jersey, secured through the Transit Security Grant Program, to strengthen safety and security at Andover Train Station for the families and commuters who, ultimately, will count on it every day.”

About 28,000 people commute daily between Northeast Pennsylvania, Northern New Jersey and New York, according to information released with the announcement. Sussex County has the longest average commute of any New Jersey county, at 38 minutes, while New Jersey commute times have increased 8.8% since 2011.

The proposed rail expansion also is expected to have economic and transportation benefits. Amtrak’s Corridor Vision plan, released in 2021, estimated that extending service to Scranton could generate about $87 million in annual economic activity and $2.9 billion in one-time economic impact from construction along the corridor.