In Pennsylvania, the Delaware and Hudson Diamond branch and part of the Laurel Line interurban were both reopened by the Delaware and Lackawana Railroad, this is in the Scranton area. The D-L is also restoring the old Lackwanna Main south of Scranton, it has a lot of business now, there was nothing on this line 20 years ago.
The Reading and Northern reopened part of the old Reading St Clair branch and is working on reopening an old Lehigh Valley line to Mahanoy city, PA, Reading and Northern also reopened a freight yard in Mountaintop , Pa that was abdanoned in the 70’s. Also R and N reopened a part of the old Jersey Central in the Jim Thorpe area, I know they have reopened various other abandoned lines.
The Buffalo and Pittsburgh reopened the B and O Indiana branch a couple months ago, this was closed in the early 90’s. In the Philly area SEPtA plans to restore a line in the Westchester area for commuter service.
In New Jersey/New York a big project is reopening the old B and O Staten Island Railroad trackage last used in the early 80’s. Also a part of the Reading Trenton line was reopened to haul waste and trash in Bround Brook, NJ. The Cape May Railroad in South Jersey is reopening trackage for freight and passenger service. I know there have been several other reopenings.
Around here, they keep saying that they will rebuild the famous “Lackawanna Cut-off” across western New Jersey, since Conrail went out of its way to make sure it was ripped up in the 80s. NJTransit has checked the line,but I don’t know if they officially own it or not, it seems to be on hold again. I can vouch that they have done work on the abandoned Paulinskill bridge,however, as I have seen it myself on one of my trips there.
Here is my 2 cents, for what it is worth:
Here in the Black Hills of South Dakota there is a group of private investors who are trying to raise 22.5 million dollars for the purpose of restoring some passenger rail service between Rapid City and Deadwood. Deadwood itself was once served by the Burlington Route and the Chicago & Northwestern. The CN&W abandoned their operations in the Black Hills in 1970.
Kevin Costner had wanted to build a gambling resort on the outskirts of Deadwood, but his plan never materialized due to funding problems. Costner’s original scheme was to have included a railroad that would have brought people to Deadwood from Rapid City to gamble. The railroad part of it as been reborn, so to speak, and Costner is involved as an investor or major stockholder. A friend of mine who practices law in Deadwood is the corporate attorney for Black Hills Transportation, Inc. And he told me in November 05, that this group had so far raised 95% of the 22.5 million dollars to get this project off the ground and running.
The name of the proposed railroad is the Deadwood, Black Hills & Western Railroad, and my friend told me that one of the reasons that he feels this endeavor will be successful is that the gambling industry in Deadwood has grown to the point where people who make the drive to Deadwood from Rapid City are finding a lack of parking spaces for their cars. They would have the option of leaving their cars in Rapid City and riding the train into Deadwood, and then back at the end of the day.
Black Hills Transportation Inc. is negotiating with the DM&E to purchase the ex-C&NW railroad line which runs between the Rapid City airport and Whitewood, South Dakota. Whitewood is 9.5 miles from Deadwood. They are hoping to be able to run steam power on this one 9.5. mile segment of the line, and my friend told me that they are going to lay all new rail through this area, using the original C&NW grade. There is an abandoned tunnel just outside of Whitewood