Lehigh County officials announced the next phase of the Lehigh Valley Passenger Rail Transportation Study, a step they said is critical to advancing the long-discussed restoration of passenger rail service to the region.

Sen. Nick Miller, D-Lehigh/Northampton, the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong said the recently completed 60-page study outlines the benefits and challenges of restoring passenger rail and establishes a framework for identifying a future project sponsor. That sponsor would be responsible for advancing detailed feasibility studies and alternatives analyses.

Phase 2 of the study will take an estimated 12 to 16 months and cost $400,000, including $300,000 in state funding and $100,000 from Lehigh County, according to the LVPC.

“To keep the Lehigh Valley at the forefront of the commonwealth, we must invest in additional modes of transit that connect people to jobs, education and opportunity,” Miller said. “Restoring passenger rail is about creating opportunity and improving quality of life for future generations.”

LVPC Executive Director Becky Bradley said the funding will allow officials to further evaluate feasibility, determine a preferred route and identify a potential operator. “This is a long process, but this step is the only path for us to move forward,” she said.

Armstrong emphasized the importance of local and state investment. “For us to meet the transportation needs of the future we must provide the funding today,” he said.

According to the LVPC, passenger rail service last operated in the Lehigh Valley in 1979. The study notes renewed public and private interest in restoring service that could connect the region to New York and Philadelphia. While previous studies explored the concept, the current effort provides a clearer framework for moving the project forward.

The study reviewed 12 corridors and identified five consolidated corridors most likely to succeed, based on projected costs, environmental impacts, current rail operations, engineering constraints and capital needs. The preferred corridors include:

• Allentown to New York via Hackettstown.

• Allentown to New York via High Bridge.

• Allentown to Philadelphia via Lansdale.

• Allentown to Philadelphia via Norristown.

• Allentown to Reading, connecting to the planned Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority service.

The LVPC report outlines significant challenges that any future project sponsor would need to overcome, including missing or redeveloped rail segments, operational conflicts with freight railroads, capacity issues with existing passenger rail systems, the need to construct new stations and maintenance facilities, and long-term funding requirements.

Estimated capital costs range from $450 million to $739 million, with annual operating costs estimated between $2 million and $29 million. The study notes that while potential capital funding sources exist, operating costs would require a permanent subsidy. The projected timeline to restore service is approximately 10 to 12 years.

The study concludes that identifying a project sponsor is the critical next step. That entity would be responsible for planning, funding, constructing and operating the service, while navigating what the report describes as a complex series of next steps.

The full study is available at lvpc.org/passenger-rail.