BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It's still a long ride before the Lehigh Valley sees any passenger rail.
The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study hosted a special meeting Wednesday to reflect on the long-awaited “first step” passenger rail study, released in March.
While no votes were taken to confirm the direction the committee, which oversees transportation planning for the region, wishes to move in — the next steps were laid out.
Officials noted that actions confirming their support for moving forward, followed by finding a project sponsor and allocating funds for a feasibility study, would be what is required to get things moving.
From there, a travel demand analysis would help the group identify one of the five examined corridors presented — two to Philadelphia, two to NYC, one to Reading — to pursue.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director and LVTS secretary Becky Bradley said further official discussion and potential action items can occur at the earliest during the transportation study's July meeting due to federal obligations related to the Transportation Improvement Program in June and other required work.
But a sense of urgency was still felt among some officials present despite the estimated 10-12 year timeline.
“I think our goal would be to get something on the docket as it relates to the next step for rail in July, knowing that there's a huge amount of work that we're doing as the transportation study between now and then, as it relates to the TIP approvals,” Rick Molchany Director of General Services said.
“But at the same time, I like to set action out of there, or we just keep cycling and circling.”
"I think we need to keep this train on the track. I know. The estimate is a 12-year process. And the 12-year process does give us some time for deliberation, certainly. But I think we need to get going."Lamont McClure
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure suggested inviting PennDOT to be the sponsor for the project due to their history as a “solid” partner in the process so far and its financing the study. If they do not, he suggested perhaps Amtrak could be a sponsor.
“I think we need to keep this train on the track. I know. The estimate is a 12-year process. And the 12-year process does give us some time for deliberation, certainly. But I think we need to get going.”
“I don't want to lose momentum. I want to get moving now.”
Nearby, both Scrantonand Reading are further along the established process to reinstate passenger rail to their cities, with planned corridors established.
Aside from cost — which reaches into the hundreds of millions — concerns have been discussed related to the examined route's reliance on Norfolk Southern-owned freight rail, and preliminary travel time estimates not being competitive enough.
Messages of excitement, potential opportunity
While the actual estimated economic impact has not yet been set out by the LVTS, activists like Brett Webber with All Aboard Lehigh Valley noted the potential of positive economic impact that greater connectivity to nearby larger cities via rail can bring from tax revenue and developments.
“The re-establishment of rail is also an enormous economic development opportunity,” Webber argued.
“Every newspaper article that I've seen, and every public statement about this just talks about the challenges and the obstacles. And I think we need our public officials to be armed with information about the opportunity for the Lehigh Valley to grow and prosper sustainably.”
Molchany noted the importance of gathering data as quickly as the group can to look at funding mechanisms as well as the potential boost it can bring to the region.
The WSP-led rail feasibility study listed all proposed routes costing over $450 million to establish, with routes connecting to SEPTA lines in Landsdale or Norristown the most expensive, at over $635 million and $739 million respectively.
“The economics are extremely important for this study so that we could rally support,” Molchany said.
“Or quite honestly identify the shortcomings of a program. Either way, we don't know that data until we know it.
“I believe that would be something that would be inherent to our very next study.”
And according to Bradley, some excitement about the opportunity by developers has already been seen.
“The moment that this study was released, we got calls from developers saying, hey, where can you find me land to build if there is going to be a rail line?” Bradley said.
“Now, we don't do that sort of thing. But they called here to start asking those questions. Some have started calling local governments as well.”
Bradley noted the work being done by many municipalities in the region to update their zoning and land development codes, which can prove beneficial as large plans like this move forward.
“If we do decide to choose a route, whatever route it is, there's going to have to be a lot of intentionality.”
