The Oil Drum

Scranton Rail Station

New York City boasts one of the nation's best, if not the best and most extensive regional rail systems connecting Manhattan to major hubs in Long Island, Westchester, Fairfield County Connecticut through the Metropolitan Transit Authority and almost all of the major cities and towns in New Jersey through NJ Transit and the PATH trains. From there, rail connections can be made to Amtrak connecting to the rest of the Northeast Corridor and beyond. However, there are many small cities and towns that used to be connected to the national and regional rail network that served as regional hubs for transportation that were cut-off as automobiles became the dominant form of intercity travel. Their populations drifted to the hinterland and municipalites lost their core.

But now, with the green light for the new Trans Hudson Tunnel and as gas prices have increased, small towns & cities across the region are attempting to reconsolidate their former importance as regional centers of commerce and population, restoring regional rail. Starting with Scranton