Rail service to the Lehigh Valley is back on the table.

Mayor Robert Donchez told city council at its Jan. 20 meeting that he recently met with Mayor Sal Panto of Easton and Mayor Ed Pawlowski of Allentown to he possibility of bringing passenger rail service back to the Lehigh Valley.

Kirk Raup of Suburban-Metro Area Rail Transit Lehigh Valley has stood before council several times in recent months to request that council get behind his efforts to reinstate passenger rail service in the valley. His proposed plan would connect the Lehigh Valley with the markets of both New York City and Philadelphia by rail.

Donchez confirmed that the resurgence of passenger rail in the Lehigh Valley is a real possibility. When questioned by council President J. William Reynolds regarding more details, Donchez said it's too preliminary to discuss.

Also during the brief meeting, Emerson Process Management's offer to provide licensed software support for the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system at the Bethlehem Water Treatment Plant and Water Distribution center was approved unanimously. Emerson, a Pittsburgh based company, offered a price reduction of 5 percent for its services this year compared to last.

In other council business, council member Brian Callahan announced that there will be a Human Resources and Environment meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 in the mayor's conference room. The subject of the meeting will be reviewing the mayor's climate protection agreement and the city's future energy projects.