CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners voted, 3-0, to approve a resolution to endorse the establishment of a Regional Rail Authority at Tuesday’s regular meeting.
This past fall, Timothy Potts of RJ Corman Railroad proposed re-opening an approximately 20-mile railroad segment between DuBois and Curwensville during local coal industry meetings, said Commissioner John A. Sobel.
The North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission has developed plans to re-open this segment of railroad. This segment of railroad was abandoned after being closed in 1954, according to previous GantDaily reports.
According to Sobel, freight to and from the short line railroads in north central Pennsylvania are handled primarily by short line railroads. He said generally, they must be interchanged with larger railroads for transportation outside of the area.
Sobel said that the benefits of re-opening this segment of railroad included providing direct local rail access to the Great Lakes and Canada, and more direct access to eastern shipping ports.
“Rail connection is vital to the region in order to foster continued economic development and to provide efficiencies in goods movement throughout the North Central region, primarily coal, lumber and oil/gas activities related to Marcellus Shale,” stated the commissioners’ resolution.
“There is a strong recognition of the need to identify and expand upon opportunities to improve connections between people and centers of employment and other services and providing connections between regional railroads will be instrumental in establishing new economic development opportunities and opening up vital new markets for existing rail customers in the region.”
The commissioners, Sobel said, have embraced the proposed DuBois-Curwensville Rail Project and gained support from the offices of U.S. Senators Bob Casey Jr. and Pat Toomey and U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson. He said the commissioners hope that other member counties in the North Central region adopt the resolution in support of the project, as well.
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken mentioned that he sits on the North Central board and the momentum continues to build around the proposed rail project. Officials in the other member counties have shown great interest and shared their own ideas to extend rail lines in their own counties, he said.
If the Regional Rail Authority is established with the DuBois-Curwensville Rail Project in Clearfield County, he said it’ll be in place for future rail projects. “It’s a very big step in a very important project,” said McCracken.”
