Efforts to restore passenger rail service between NYC and Scranton took a significant step forward with the announcement of $9 million in federal funding by Representative Matt Cartwright and Senator Bob Casey. Numerous officials, including the aforementioned congressmen, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, Joseph Barr of Amtrak, and Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority official Larry Malski, spoke at the announcement event to elaborate on how the state will use the grant funding, what else is required to restore the Amtrak service, and the benefits that the service will provide to the residents along the route. Amtrak estimates that the service could generate $84 million in new economic activity annually for towns along the route, including those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.