Lehigh County says it will cover half the cost of next step in passenger rail study, despite concern from some planners

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It was not all hope and enthusiasm as transportation planners met Tuesday morning to discuss a study of passenger rail in the Lehigh Valley.

The Lehigh Valley Transportation Study Technical Committee recommended to its Coordinating Committee, the other half of the organization, to pursue the second phase of study related to the potential project to restore intercity passenger rail service to the Lehigh Valley.

It's estimated the process will take more than a decade.

The idea still is in an extremely early phase, with no project sponsor agency established and no official communication on potential coordination with agencies such as SEPTA, NJTransit or Amtrak.

A decision also would need to be made as to which presented alternative would be the one to pursue — be it connections to Philadelphia, New York City or Reading.

Despite an extensive existing rail network in the region, the tracks have remained dedicated solely to freight since passenger rail service was first discontinued in the Lehigh Valley in 1979.

A big-picture passenger rail feasibility study published in March analyzed the potential to restore it, and what that would look like.

The Phase Two step would include a thorough travel demand analysis and feasibility study, looking at commuting patterns to determine whether it could fulfill a need and what the possibility is given existing infrastructure.

The question of funding

It was estimated $450,000 is needed for the next step, and would involve hiring a consultant and dedicating staff time from LVPC and LANTA.

The recommendation is contingent on acquiring the funding required to pursue it, which does not yet have a clear-cut solution.

Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Executive Director Becky Bradley said that if the project is further pursued, the planning commission would also need to hire a new staff member.

"We cannot take money out of the construction budget, which is the [Transportation Improvement Program], because this is planning, and planning funds are completely separate from the long range transportation plan funding," Bradley said.

"So that does mean we have to get the money from someplace else."

Lehigh County General Services Director Rick Molchany said that if it came down to cost, Lehigh County's leadership is willing to commit half of the cost of this next step of the project.

In addition, Molchany emphasized the need to communicate to state and federal officials the unique needs of the Lehigh Valley to cover such transportation costs.

"We need to focus on things for growth," Molchany said.

"That means PennDOT Central, that means Federal Highway, all of them need to be aware that we are not a typical [municipal planning organization] across the United States.

"We're challenged with maintenance but we're equally and maybe in some ways more challenged with our growth and our continued growth. And those needs cost money."

Representatives for Northampton County were not present.

Some members doubt feasibility

Easton Public Works Director Dave Hopkins did not hold back his doubts regarding a future passenger rail project.

Hopkins said that because of the current funding structures in place, while there is a "romantic idea of passenger rail," it "seems impossible to me."

"Is this thing real?" Hopkins asked. "Let's forget the politics here. There are so many impediments to getting a passenger rail from here to New York.

"Like I've heard whispers that it's possible to get from maybe Allentown to Philly. And that's fine and maybe that's why Lehigh County wants to do it.

"But has anyone come up with like a true assessment of what this thing is doing?"

Bradley assured that the next steps would be to see what the exact possibilities are going forward from the baseline of possibilities provided by the initial feasibility study.

"Phase two will definitively tell us what we can or cannot do," Bradley said. "And then I think it's a very tough decision on what has to happen after that."

Bradley spoke of the difficulty in managing the desire for increased external transit opportunities as well as the desire for greater internal Lehigh Valley public transit to continue evolving options.

Such options include the recent implementation of the enhanced bus service and the potential for a future light rail system.

"Are we giving up something if we choose one or the other?" Bradley said.

"So there's all of these other questions. And I think they're related, but they have to be answered. And quite frankly, it's good that we're having these conversations, because it forces us to prioritize."

'It's not an either/or'

Brett Webber from activist group All Aboard Lehigh Valley voiced the belief that it was worth it, advocating the potential economic benefit of a better connection to the nearby metros, the Lehigh Valley's historic rail connections, and that intercity service can work well with local public transit.

"It's not an either/or," Webber said. "It's a connected system. "If you look at transit systems around the world, they're all interconnected rail and buses."

Other concerns raised so far related to passenger rail implementation based on the initial study include the reliance on freight lines, non-competitive estimated trip-times, and the potential acquisition of publicly used rail trails.

Molchany said prior plans proposed by the Biden administration through Amtrak involved using buses to connect the region better to commuter rail stops in Lansdale and New Jersey, and the need to see if that outlook has changed.

Bradley said that was ultimately a "massive letdown," but that they were able to instead partner with PennDOT for the initial phase of the study.

Previously, Project Manager Liz Hynes with WSP, a consultant for the project, said broadly, that each corridor has difficulties and advantages, but that none have insurmountable challenges.

"Data beats nonsense," Molchany said. "And we need the data to move forward."