Passenger rail service connecting New York and the Poconos is a major issue for many who make that long commute on a daily or weekly basis.

But for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials who guide the state’s investment in rail, the estimated $650 million cost of the line means that there are many other projects which get a higher priority.

“No matter where I am, I hear it - from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg to Lehigh Valley to Lackawanna Cutoff, Berks County. It’s a good position to be in to hear that people want (passenger service). It’s not a good position that we don’t have unlimited funding,” said Jennie Granger, deputy secretary for multimodal transportation for PennDOT.

PennDOT is currently finalizing its state rail plan, documenting the next 25 years of proposed rail projects from the state’s 63 freight railroads, as well as Amtrak and SEPTA.

Before the plan is completed, members of the public have a chance to make comments.

The first of two public meetings to discuss the rail plan took place on Monday. The second meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with registration available at planthekeystone.com. However the draft plan will be available at that website for comments until Dec. 2.

States are required to pass rail plans every four years. Projects must be included in the plan to receive federal funding. Pennsylvania’s last plan was approved in 2015.

In addition to laying out proposed projects, the plan also provides an economic forecast for the state’s rail system. Putting aside the short-term impact of COVID-19, PennDOT is predicting that passenger ridership is expected to increase.

The outlook for freight traffic is less certain. Coal makes up a large portion of the freight moved by railroads in Pennsylvania, and the plan cites estimates that a decline in demand for bituminous coal from western Pennsylvania will only get worse in the coming years.

According to the plan, over the next five years there will be an estimated $3 billion invested in rail projects across the state.

The plan does not include any major investments in the Carbon County area. In contrast, the 2015 plan included Reading Blue Mountain and Northern’s now-completed $14 million bridge over the Lehigh River at Nesquehoning Junction.

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern has millions in projects in the long-range plan, but none in Carbon County. It has $9 million proposed in Schuylkill County.

In Monroe County, the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad has proposed approximately $1.5 million in improvements.

In Northampton and Lehigh counties, the only proposed projects are improving warning signals at railroad crossings.

During Monday’s public meeting, there was lots of curiosity about other passenger services - including the Lehigh Valley, a Reading-Philadelphia line, and service in Western Pennsylvania. They face the same financial obstacles as the Lackawanna cutoff, and the added challenge of sharing lines with the freight railroads that own them.

“The long-term vision and the desire to have passenger rail is often in conflict with available funding,” Granger said.

Granger said the commonwealth invests a significant amount in its railroads, both freight and passenger. While there is a lot of desire to expand those services, PennDOT also needs to invest in its current infrastructure, and work on making it more compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“The list is lengthy for improvements to passenger and freight - I believe there will always be a lengthy list but I am very proud of the efforts the commonwealth has put forth in passenger and freight rail,” she said.