The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Aug. 3--WILKES-BARRE -- The Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority is buying a historic train station downtown with the hope it will someday serve again as a terminus on a passenger rail line connecting Northeastern Pennsylvania to Hoboken, N.J. Authority officials authorized an agreement of sale with Thom Greco, the owner of the 6.5-acre Market Street Square property on Monday. The authority will pay $5.8 million for the land, which includes the vacant train station along Wilkes-Barre Boulevard. "It's going to tie into all the downtown projects," said Allen Bellas, authority executive director. "It's obviously going to help out the passenger rail service." The proposed rail line between Scranton and the greater New York metropolitan area received a shot in the arm last week when Congress approved a $286 billion transportation bill that includes authorization for $120 million for the project. But the passenger line remains years away, said U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke. "This is not a high priority for the New Jersey transit authority," Kanjorski said. An environmental study for the rail project is nearly completed, he said, and the type of rail service -- either regular or high-speed -- is still being discussed. The rail link between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, however, is not included in the language of the transportation bill. If the project satisfies the requirements of the Federal Transit Administration and funding is released, "it wouldn't help the line we want to get between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton," Kanjorski said. A feasibility study on the connection has been completed, but county officials have failed to join with Lackawanna and Monroe counties to from a tri-county rail authority, he said. "As a result, they're not a part of this package as yet," Kanjorski said. Steve Barrouk, head of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, sees a rail connection as vital for Wilkes-Barre and the region. "I think it's absolutely essential that we become a part of that process," he said. While some may regard the local project with an air of skepticism, he believes the connection to Scranton is a real possibility. "I think the connection between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre can happen a lot quicker than most people think," Barrouk said. The county redevelopment authority will pay Greco a $200,000 down payment on the property -- bounded by the rail line, Market and Northampton streets and Wilkes-Barre Boulevard -- as an application for federal funding from the Office of Housing and Urban Development is processed. If the authority fails to secure the funding to purchase the project, the down payment is refundable, Bellas said. In the meantime, Bellas said the authority will do what it can to renovate the old station. "We'll see what funding is available," he said.
