Gov. Tom Wolf announced new project approvals through the State Transportation Commission totaling more than $40 million in funding that will support an estimated 375 jobs in rail freight projects statewide.
“Keeping our extensive rail freight system in good shape is a common-sense way to ensure a sound foundation for the state's economy,” said Wolf. “Pennsylvania is ranked first when it comes to operating railroads, and we are committed to working with this vital industry to serve the state's business community and keep our job picture bright.”
The State Transportation Commission voted to approve $40 million for nine projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and 25 projects through the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP).
Following is a county-by-county list of approved rail freight projects:
RTAP Projects: Allegheny County
• Allegheny Valley Railroad Co. — $1,032,168 to rehabilitate the 36th Street Trestle bridge to increase capacity by eliminating weight restrictions.
• Norfolk Southern Corp. — $20 million to alter 14 bridges by raising overhead clearances or lowering track to accommodate doublestack train cars.
• U.S. Steel Corp. — $279,830 to rehabilitate approximately 1 mi. of track, install two switches and improve drainage.
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clearfield, Elk, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean and Warren Counties
• Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Co. — $1,861,142 to rehabilitate about 220 mi. (354 km) of track by rail grinding and replacing more than 2,700 ties and 35,000 ft. (10,668 m) of rail.
Cambria, Centre and Clearfield Counties
• R.J. Corman Railroad Co., Pennsylvania lines — $1,071,485 to rehabilitate 65 mi. (104.6 km) of track including ties and ballast.
Dauphin County
• Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad — $220,500 to rehabilitate about 5 mi. (8 km) of track, a wye and a turnout.
Susquehanna County
• Central New York Railroad — $3 million to rehabilitate the Starrucca Viaduct and Bridge.
Washington and Westmoreland Counties
• Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway LLC — $1,799,000 to install 14 mi. (22.5 km) of continuous welded rail.
York County
• York Railway Co. — $735,875 to repair three bridges and rehabilitate about 14 mi. of track.
RFAP Projects Allegheny County
• Tube City IMS LLC — $700,000 to rehabilitate more than 1 mi. (1.6 km) of track including ties, ballast, turnout reconfiguration, and surfacing.
• Union Railroad Co. — $700,000 to rehabilitate more than 4 mi. (6.4 km) of track including about 4,750 new ties and ballast.
Allegheny and Washington Counties
• Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. — $700,000 to replace the deck timbers on four bridges.
Blair County
• D Holdings — $700,000 to rehabilitate about 3,200 ft. (975 m) of track and five turnouts and pave an existing loading dock at a transload facility.
Bradford County
• Lehigh Railway LLC — $244,125 to install a turnout on an existing siding at the Rock Station fracking sand facility.
Bucks County
• Tyburn Railroad LLC — $420,000 to construct more than 1,000 ft. (304.8 m) of new track and install a crossover.
Bucks, Chester and Montgomery Counties
• East Penn Railroad LLC — $594,912 to install 2,500 new ties and complete 5 mi. of surfacing on the Wilmington Northern line and install 4,000 new ties on the Quakertown line.
Chester County
• Arcelor Mittal Plate LLC — $274,179 to replace seven turnouts and reconstruct 327 ft. (100 m) of track throughout the company's Coatesville steel plant.
• Mittal Steel USA Railways — $308,315 to reconstruct 790 ft. (241 m) of track and replace six turnouts throughout the company's Coatesville property.
Clearfield County
• American Rock Salt, $700,000 to rehabilitate 4,500 ft. (1,372 m) of existing track, construct 1,000 ft. (304.8 m) of new track and install a new conveyor at an existing Clearfield County transload facility.
Cumberland County
• Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. — $107,250 to rehabilitate and install a new turnout to an existing dead-end stub track siding to create a 2,400-ft. (731.5 m) turnaround track.
Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties
• Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County — $175,000 for repairs to seven bridges including tie alignment and replacement, tree removal and walkway replacement.
Lackawanna and Monroe Counties
• Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Co. — $639,249 to replace bridge timbers and back wall ties on the two Carbondale Main bridges and repair spalling and cracking on a bridge on the Pocono Mainline.
Lancaster County
• Landisville Railroad LLC — $700,000 to rehabilitate nearly 2 mi. (3.2 km) of track, including surfacing, installation of eight turnouts, tie replacement and resurfacing of a public road crossing.
Lawrence County
• The Hill Railroad Car Co. — $243,177 to relocate a turnout and install new ties and rail on the 1,350-ft. (411.5 m) South Sample spur.
• Kasgro Rail Corp. — $344,347 to replace and strengthen yard track at the company's manufacturing and repair facility.
• New Castle Industrial Railroad — $266,952 to realign and rehabilitate less than 1 mi. of track including new ties, plates and two switches.
• Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad — $700,000 to rehabilitate more than 17 mi. (27.4 km) of track, including 7,500 new crossties, re-timbering of two mainline turnouts, reconstruction of a two-track highway crossing and ballasting and surfacing.
Mifflin County
• SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority — $145,021 to rehabilitate less than 1 mi. of the West Park track including ditching and drainage.
• Standard Steel LLC — $303,450 to replace three turnouts and 1,500 ft. (457.2 m) of track at the steel plant.
Philadelphia County
• Philadelphia Regional Port Authority — $609,161 to rehabilitate the rail approaching and alongside the Tioga III warehouse at the Tioga Marine Terminal.
Pike County
• Central New York Railroad — $210,000 to repair and strengthen various components of a four-span steel deck truss bridge over the Delaware River to New York.
Somerset County
• JIDC — $176,656 to repair spalling on bridge abutments and piers and replace 300 ties on a siding.
Venango County
• Oil Creek Titusville Lines, $69,825 to repair a two-span, through-truss bridge at Petroleum Centre.
Wyoming County
• Proctor & Gamble Paper Products, $249,900 to improve the company's rail yard, including new rail and ties, stone ballast and resurfacing.
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