Is there any updated news on the Pocono Train to NYC? (Scranton: 2014, live)

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Riverside4ever

All that will do is allow the lowlifes from the city who dont have drivers licenses to move up here and mooch off of the welfare system...

Unlikely , they would have already caused issues in NJ. But that argument doesn't hold much water...whats wrong with not driving? You shouldn't be forced to drive everywhere. In the Northeast the average person spends about 9k a year on Gas , Car Maintenance and Insurance...

Originally Posted by niceshoes6

Riverside4ever, try and be a little more positive. The way I see it, a mass transit system into the one of the largest metropolitan areas in America just might give people access to better and higher paying jobs.

The Cities that have Rail are booming for the most part , Philly after a few zoning changes is really taking advantage of train stations and lines. So is Newark , New Haven , Worcester , Baltimore Etc , while you can say highways are just as great they don't carry that much weight. Developers and Job creators aren't going for those kinds of cities anymore and haven't since 2000. Its Nationwide Trend...

Originally Posted by julian17033

And would, in turn inflate home sales, rent amounts and property taxes far beyond what the indigenous
population would be able to afford.

Is there anything good about this?

If you subscribe to unfettered sprawl, Starbucks on every corner , inevitable problems of increased crime, increased homelessness and an overall decreased quality of life then yes, it's all good.

Sprawl is a auto culture thing , so I doubt a train would make it worse , if anything you would see a revitalization of the older towns and cities, which can be see all over the Northeast. While Property Values go up , taxes don't ,at least this isn't the case in SEPA or MA or DE...Or South Jersey. haha , Starbucks on every corner could be prevented with zoning changes , as for Crime its unlikely this isn't a subway.

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

Latest news that I am reading is that due to DEP delays the line is still trying to make it's way to Andover, I think that entire stretch may be a total of 7 miles once completed. I would not hold my breath for a connection to Scranton or even PA anytime soon. There is also a rumor that the repairs to the Roseville Tunnel are estimated to be much greater than previously expected, and scrapping the project and pulling up the rail that has already been laid is being considered.

It might have helped had there been any support from PA...

2014 is the date , they seem to be one track to reach that. NJT has done more complex projects then this , and finished ontime and on budget so this will be no different.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

Nobody in the Scranton area wants this mythical train to NYC. The only people who want it are the politicians and cronies who want to line their pockets with taxpayer money from the construction project.

Actually they do , there's a huge amount of support for this line and NY wants the Extension....there are a few NIMBYS like you but there few and far in between on the PA said. The Environmentalists are slowing it down on the Jersey side for some reason.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by scrantonluna

NJ is paying for their end, and I imagine that they will continue to the Water Gap even if there is no support from PA because that is where the ridership will be. This is supposed to be a bi-state effort. The advantages are decreased interstate traffic and increased commuter traffic by rail. PA would benefit through casino/tourism revenues, and the trickle down effect of higher end salaries. The drugs are here, the crime is here, all you will bring with this rail line is more tax revenue.

As for my community involvement, most of the projects that I have put forward were paid for with private monetary donations, in-kind donations, and state/community grants. The only project that I worked on in conjunction with the city did see a partial cash contribution from the defunct zoo, which was already a line item and budget neutral.

Yes we are and most of the cost is on the Jersey side. PA already has the tracks in place and in use , requiring very little cost , the line needs to upgraded and stations rebuilt but that's cheap. While I don't see Scranton before 2020 , I do see East Stroudsburg by 2019 which is where most of the Ridership upwards of 35,700 is expected to come from. That and the 2 Stations in Jersey... As for crime like ive said you would think criminals would flood out of Newark and invade the various train towns causing issues , but thats not the case. Same with Camden and its suburbs and Philly. Criminals are not that stupid these days , trains , train stations , buses all have cameras so it be real easy to trace them if they used it. The only place this isn't true is the large systems like NYC and Boston..were there are Camera Droughts...but NJT and Septa should have at least 2 Cameras per station by 2015...and up to 35 at major stations.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by Nexis4Jersey

Actually they do , there's a huge amount of support for this line and NY wants the Extension....there are a few NIMBYS like you but there few and far in between on the PA said. The Environmentalists are slowing it down on the Jersey side for some reason.

Maybe in Jersey and even the Poconos they may want it, but I have not yet met anyone in the SCRANTON area that wants this train to run to Scranton, other than the political machine, because they see dollar signs from the kickbacks and crony construction projects. The projected ridership numbers from Scranton are very low and do not make it even worth extending to Scranton. Really it only makes sense to have a train running from the Stroudsburg area....anything further into PA is a waste.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

Maybe in Jersey and even the Poconos they may want it, but I have not yet met anyone in the SCRANTON area that wants this train to run to Scranton, other than the political machine, because they see dollar signs from the kickbacks and crony construction projects. The projected ridership numbers from Scranton are very low and do not make it even worth extending to Scranton. Really it only makes sense to have a train running from the Stroudsburg area....anything further into PA is a waste.

And why is that? Scranton is flat-broke and trying not to collapse (even further). I'm not suggesting that a train station in the heart of Scranton is going to erase all of that city's problems but why wouldn't locals in NE PA want better access to good jobs that their part of their own state cannot provide?

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

And why is that? Scranton is flat-broke and trying not to collapse (even further). I'm not suggesting that a train station in the heart of Scranton is going to erase all of that city's problems but why wouldn't locals in NE PA want better access to good jobs that their part of their own state cannot provide?

The train is not going to be any quicker to NYC than options that are already available. How does a 3 hour train ride to NYC open up more job opportunities?

[sp2007]

Even if the train is the same speed as a car (3 hours) there is value in not driving the 6 hours daily/5 times a week.

Imagine all the books you could read, or sleep you could have or better yet, if the train has WiFi, all the hours of endless internet surfing you could accomplish?

Outstanding!

[toobusytoday]

As I have come to use trains more often to go to Philly and recently to NYC, I've really begun to appreciate them. I very much wish we had one in my area of the Lehigh Valley. The stations that I've used are in very nice towns and they don't seem to be overcrowded or especially dangerous.

I appreciate the issue of cost though. If they are not cost effective, then that should be the bottom line.

[DarkWolf]

Originally Posted by sp2007

Even if the train is the same speed as a car (3 hours) there is value in not driving the 6 hours daily/5 times a week.

Imagine all the books you could read, or sleep you could have or better yet, if the train has WiFi, all the hours of endless internet surfing you could accomplish?

Outstanding!

It will be 2.5hrs from Scranton to Hoboken or New York , so the same from Poughkeepsie or New Haven to Grand Central or Keystone service from Exton to New York Penn.

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

I don't want PA to offer any support that would come from the taxpayers of this state to make it easier for transplants from other states to get to work. Sorry, not on my dime.

We have NO REAL NEED for this in PA.

By "transplants from other states" I'm sure you mean people who are now legal residents of Pennsylvania, just like you? That's what you meant, right?