Rail authority to buy 10 miles of Pocono track

By Beth Brelje - Pocono Record Writer
December 19, 2008

The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority is working to bring more jobs to Monroe County. The authority, which is also working to bring the long-awaited commuter train to the Poconos, will purchase 10.6 miles of mainline railroad track owned by Norfolk Southern including a section between East Stroudsburg and the Delaware Water Gap, which could result in more area jobs. Trains have been using that track for years. This portion of the former Erie Lackawanna mainline is now leased by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority as a part of its Pocono Mainline between Scranton and its freight interchange yard with the Norfolk Southern at Slateford Pennsylvania. The advantage to owning track instead of leasing is access to land next to the track.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /812190353

That could mean Steamtown could run more trips to the Delaware Water Gap.

While the newspaper article doesn't cover the specifics of the 10 miles, I have heard that the purchase covers up to one leg of the Portland, PA wye. This could gain more access for train excursions of the D-L, Erie Lackawanna Dining Car group or Steamtown, but it still means that trains can't be turned to face forward in both directions.

Then again, the increased opportunity of running any trains the full length of the line doesn't increase the audience. As with any train trip, the limiting factors are cost, date and duration of the trip. Not everyone is free the last Saturday of June for 8-9 hours, or the first Sunday of October, but any schedule takes a stab at what might sell. Too many options leads to too few riders per trip. Marketing and advertising can only alter this so much. The big news is that more land could be developed for use, and possibly groups can form to preserve the Gravel Place and Slateford towers.

The purchase only covers the line as far as Slateford Jct. There is no plan to buy the track between Slateford and Portland - aside from no customers, the track is in Northampton County. I suspect the taxpayers of Monroe and Lackawanna Counties would have a hard time justifying it. (For the record the Authority already owns some mileage around Gouldsboro that is in Wayne County - this purchase will add about 3 miles in Northampton County. Neither of these out of counties purchases is really avoidable.)

This is good news for excursions..and good planning for whenever passenger service comes to the area...better to own it outright, then have to deal with NS