I hope they do bring rail to Vernon. Would make everyone's life easier.
As for the Cutoff, the trip would probably be comparable to the trip taken by commuters on the Port Jervis Line into Hoboken. They should put amenities in those trains for the commuters, and honestly, it's not a big deal to put ammenities. With Direct TV technology available on planes now, it shouldn't be a big deal to adapt that technology to a train. Add to that a dining car, and you got your consist of trains.
Funding obviously on NJT's side is at issue though. From what it looks like from previous and numerous posts here, PA is ready to move forward. Will it benefit PA more then NJ? I disagree. I think the economics of bringing passengers into the immediate metro area and NYC will bring more people to spend, and distribute more money. In the long run, while on the surface it might seem that there'd be a loss on NJT's side, the economic benefits as a whole outweigh the costs.