Both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators and two of its U.S. representatives on Tuesday asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his help in getting $401 million needed to move ahead with a proposed Scranton to Hoboken, N.J., passenger rail project.

Last Thursday, hours after a list of 31 projects that would receive $8 billion in federal aid was announced – and did not include the Scranton project and another high-speed rail project for the Pittsburgh area – Sens. Arlen Specter, D-Philadelphia; and Bob Casey, D-Scranton, sent a letter to LaHood voicing their disappointment and requesting a face-to-face meeting.

Joining the senators and the secretary in the late-afternoon meeting in Specter’s office were U.S. Reps. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke; and Tim Holden, D-St. Clair.

After the hour-long get-together, Casey and Specter issued statements.

“The meeting with Secretary LaHood was a productive one and I’m optimistic that Pennsylvania’s important high-speed rail projects will receive the support they need to advance,” Specter said. “The Lackawanna Cutoff is vital to the long-term economic vitality of Northeastern Pennsylvania. …”

The project, according to the senators, could create more than 4,300 jobs.

“These projects will create jobs in the short-term and promote economic growth in the long-term,” Casey said.

The meeting came on the heels of last week’s announcement by the Obama administration that it would fund 31 of more than 40 rail projects that filed requests for money. Only two Pennsylvania projects made the cut.

About $26.3 million was allocated for enhancing the Amtrak line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia to eventually increase the corridor’s maximum operating speed to 125 mph. The funding will also be used for a planning study to further the Keystone Corridor high-speed rail system to Pittsburgh.

In addition to the Scranton project, $2.3 billion requested for a magnetic-levitation rail project in Pittsburgh was also left off the funding list.

According to the senators’ release, during the meeting the senators discussed the economic benefits of the Lackawanna Cutoff and advocated for the Department of Transportation to support this project through upcoming funding opportunities.

The senators, with the DOT, planned a follow-up meeting with federal and state partners to advance these efforts.

There will be another round of funding announced later this year and President Obama has asked Congress to include another $1 billion a year over the next few years for additional high-speed rail grants.

After the list was announced, Larry Malski, president of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, which owns the tracks from Scranton to the Delaware Water Gap, said he is “confident” the region’s delegation will be successful in making sure it makes the list in future funding rounds.

Read more in the Wilkes Barre Times Leader

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