Passenger Rail in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania

[BlackDiamond]

The Lehigh Valley being my new home, where I moved to from Eastern Maine, I have taken an interest in passenger rail developments in this area.
The area used to have good rail service to Philadelphia until the early 1980s when the former Reading RR services were dropped due to lack of interest in funding their operation by the local governments. Segments of the lines have been allowed to be abandoned and some of them have become trails.

There is an effort underway to study alternative rail options. So far there are 5 options being studied. 2 for LV to New York, 2 for LV to Philadelphia, and one for LV to Reading.

A recent article in the online "Lehigh Valley News" outlines the current status of these studies.
Excerpt:

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.

The article included a chart of the 5 alternatives and cost estimates:


It is encouraging there is action although as is usual with these types of projects, the timelines are long and those of us at a certain age may not live to see them come to fruition.

 

[cirdan]

Would there be any precedents for rail service being restored to a route that has become a hiking trail? I can imagine this would be a huge red flag among NIMBYs.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Would there be any precedents for rail service being restored to a route that has become a hiking trail? I can imagine this would be a huge red flag among NIMBYs.

In the case of the route to Philadelphia via Lansdale, the right of way between Bethlehem and Quakertown was originally double track, so there should be room for a single track plus a trail. I imagine single track for that distance should still allow an adequate level of service. Given that the right of way runs close to commercial and residential buildings I suspect there will be the usual NIMBY opposition.

There is also the question of motive power since to run into Philadelphia's Center City Tunnel they would need electric motive power (unless they ran say to Fern Rock TC and made everyone change, undesirable). Since it unlikely there would be catenary extended from Lansdale to Allentown at least initially, some sort of dual mode operation would be needed. I don't know what is the current state of battery electric technology such that they could run on Diesel up to the beginning of the tunnel then switch to battery. Alternatively run on overhead to Lansdale then battery to Allentown, probably too long for current technology?

 

[jiml]

Looking through your attachment, it seems like a delicate balancing act between higher up-front cost offsetting eventual cheaper operation. Depending on the how the budget is allocated is there a clear winner? The missing piece is what is actually needed (or wanted) and some ridership estimates. For example, is there a larger market for New York service or Philadelphia? Reading seems like the least practical without a local perspective.

 

[John Santos]

Would there be any precedents for rail service being restored to a route that has become a hiking trail? I can imagine this would be a huge red flag among NIMBYs.

Probably, given the decades delay caused by NIMBYs during the original abandoned rail line to trail conversion of the two closest rail lines to me, and the current 20 year obstructionism to constructing a bike trail on the ROW of my local, very active, commuter rail line, which is more than wide enough to add a path and protective fence without disrupting rail service at all, and with no taking of any additional property except one parking lot that is encroaching on the ROW. The NIMBYs objected to the bike path and would certainly object to re-establishing the 150-year-old rail lines.

 

[JamesWhitcombRiley]

Would there be any precedents for rail service being restored to a route that has become a hiking trail? I can imagine this would be a huge red flag among NIMBYs.

Previous discussion: https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/restoring-rail-service-on-railbanked-rail-trails.86022/