HARRISBURG – An estimated 9,200 jobs will be created and more than 39,000 will be retained over the next five years due to 31 rail projects being made possible by two PennDOT-managed grant programs.
“Pennsylvania has the most railroads in the country and these make up a vital component of our economic and transportation activities,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “These investments underscore our role in supporting jobs and economies across the state.”
The State Transportation Commission (STC) voted Thursday to approve $36 million for 15 projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and 16 projects through the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP).
RTAP is a capital budget grant program funded with bonds and RFAP is underwritten through the new Multimodal Fund, created by Act 89.
Act 89 is a far-reaching transportation program that clears the way for significant investments in all transportation modes.
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Following is a by-county list of approved rail freight projects under the programs with the state share:
RTAP Projects:
Allegheny County:
- CSX Transportation Inc.– $3 million to construct new main lead track, crossovers, turnouts, and derails to allow intermodal trains to pull off the McKees Rocks mainline to serve the Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminal.
- Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad — $420,000 to install 2,650 feet of track and one new turnout in the Scully Yard.
- Union Railroad Company — $3.4 million to repair and rehabilitate the East Pittsburgh Viaduct, including concrete repairs, structure drainage corrections, a 1,600-foot passing siding and adding a new walkway and handrails.
Allegheny and Washington Counties: Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co. — $1.2 million to install nearly 20 track miles of continuous welded rail on the railway’s Pittsburgh subdivision.
Butler County: Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Inc. — $3.6 million to improve the Butler Yard and shop tracks as well as yard tracks the company leases, as well as restoring a crossover connection and repairing eight bridge structures on its northern subdivision.
Carbon County: Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad — $5 million to construct a new bridge across the Lehigh River and approximately 1,200 feet of new track related to the construction of the new bridge.
Centre, Columbia, Lycoming and Northumberland Counties: SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority — $3.5 million to upgrade five bridges and replace one bridge.
Chester County: East Penn Railroad LLC — $665,000 for turnouts, rail, ties, resurfacing and rebuilding a 2,000-foot siding, as well as replacing 3,800 mainline ties, 110 mainline switch timbers, surfacing five mainline turnouts and 18,750 feet of mainline track.
Dauphin County: Steelton and Highspire Railroad — $2 million to construct and rehabilitate 13,026 track feet and 22 turnouts serving the Durabond pipe plant, Chemtron weld plant, Arcelor-Mittal’s interchange loading area, and connecting track to Norfolk Southern’s interchange as well as Steelton & Highspire Railroad’s main yard.
Fayette County:
- D&I Silica — $1.3 million to extend the switching lead track and two unloading pit yard tracks, replace track and relocate a turnout to create a yard for operational flexibility.
- Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad Company — $2 million to install five yard tracks, and a runaround track to improve Bowest Yard.
Lackawanna County: Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority — $630,000 to install 9,000 new ties on the Carbondale mainline track.
McKean County:
- American Refining Group Inc. — $1.6 million to construct 50 feet of track, rehabilitate 1,400 feet of track, one turnout and two crossings, as well as modify six existing loading tracks.
- Western New York PA Railroad Company LLC — $500,000 to install 7,500 crossties, reconstruct two crossings, and track surfacing.
Westmoreland County: Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation – Nearly $1.1 million to replace existing rail and steel components on the Radebaugh Subdivision Rail Relay.
RFAP Projects:
Allegheny County: Leetsdale Industrial Corporation — $299,862 to construct two new spurs and raise, line and surface track.
Beaver County:
- Middleton Properties West LLC — $633,711 to rehabilitate 4,800 feet of track and construct 2,700 feet of new track.
- Pennsylvania Southwestern Railroad — $535,610 to rehabilitate five tracks, a pit track and a turnout.
Berks, Lancaster and York Counties: East Penn Railroad LLC — $560,000 to rehabilitate the Lancaster Northern and York Line, including tie replacement and resurfacing.
Blair County: The Everett Railroad Company — $360,150 to replace 4,000 linear feet of rail, 1,200 ties, one public grade crossing and surface two miles of track.
Bradford and Wyoming Counties: Lehigh Railway LLC — $292,713 to install a runaround track at ROCK station and install five rail flange lubricators along Lehigh Railway’s mainline.
Centre County: SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority — $298,232 to rehabilitate the Robinson Lane track including replacing one turnout, installing culvert boxes and drainage pipes, surfacing, as well as deck timber and bridge planking deck replacement.
Delaware County: Consolidated Rail Corporation — $259,748 to replace three existing railroad diamonds.
Lackawanna County: Kane Warehousing Inc. — $227,500 to construct a 1,000-foot track spur and one turnout.
Lackawanna and Wayne Counties: The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Company Inc. — $690,900 to repair the Delaware-Lackawanna railroad bridge over the west branch of the Lehigh River, including wingwall and backwall restoration, bridge seat cleaning, resurfacing and re-establishment of original bridge elevation.
Lancaster County: Alumax Mill Products Inc. — $250,000 to construct a 1,500-foot double rail spur including two new turnouts.
Mercer County: Wheatland Tube Company — $262,500 to construct two industrial spur tracks, two turnouts and a loading/unloading pad.
Montgomery County: Mittal Steel USA Railways Inc. — $312,550 to repair a 310-foot stone masonry retaining wall, improve 1,085 feet of track and install two turnouts.
Schuylkill County: Reading Anthracite Company — $700,000 to reconstruct grade crossings and improve drainage.
Union County: Lewisburg & Buffalo Creek Railroad Corporation — $217,000 to repair a stone masonry box culvert and install a 60-inch steel pipe south of the existing structure.
Westmoreland County: Three Rivers Marine Rail Terminal LP — $133,945 to rehabilitate mainline track including replacing crossties, bolts and bridge timber, surfacing and installing ballast.