HARRISBURG – Gov. Tom Wolf announced the approval of 26 rail freight improvement projects that will enhance freight mobility while creating or sustaining more than 390 jobs across Pennsylvania.
“Investing in our extensive rail freight system increases mobility options and improves the efficiency of freight travel,” said Wolf.
“These investments underscore our continued commitment to building a world-class infrastructure system that supports the business community and the creation of new jobs.”
Pennsylvania has 65 operating railroads, which is more than any other state in the country. PennDOT’s focus remains working with private rail operators and rail-served businesses to construct new rail lines and assist in maintaining and improving Pennsylvania’s roughly 5,600 miles of freight lines.
Following is a list of 26 approved rail freight projects with the state share:
Adams County
- Gettysburg & Northern Railroad — $487,900 to replace 2,600 ties over 24 miles of railroad and install 0.60 miles of new rail on five key curves.
Allegheny County
- Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad — $399,105 to replace deteriorated open deck bridge timbers on the McKees Rocks Bridge.
- TMS International — 700,000 to complete the final phase of a project to rehabilitate and construct approximately .5 miles of track and increase storage capacity.
- United States Steel Corporation — $689,500 to complete various track upgrades to accommodate increased rail volume from USS’s new hot rolling mill in Braddock, PA.
- Allegheny Valley Railroad — $2.5 million to repair a bridge located on a route utilized by three railroads in the Allegheny County region.
- ATI Flat Rolled Products Holdings LLC — $2 million to construct approximately 2 miles of new track to increase rail capacity.
- Union Railroad Company — $457,450 to construct approximately 0.30 miles of new track and one new turnout on URR’s East Pittsburgh viaduct serving USS’s new hot rolling mill.
Armstrong County
- Freeport Terminals — $699,999 to construct and rehabilitate less than .5 mile of track and install new transloading equipment to expand capacity at its Allegheny River barge/rail/truck transload site.
Armstrong and Indiana Counties
- Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Company — $1.9 million to install new bridge timbers, walkways, and handrails as well as super-elevation correction involving three bridges.
Beaver County
- Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminals, Inc. — $700,000 to rehabilitate approximately 1 mile of track in critical operations areas, including replacement of ties and switch timbers, new ballast, and surfacing.
Blair County
- Everett railroad — $232,554 to upgrade 3 miles track to facilitate service to a new cement transload terminal.
- Union Tank Car Company — $1 million to rehabilitate the transfer table pit retaining walls.
Bucks County
- Blue Ridge Wood Products, LLC — $249,420 to rehabilitate 700 ft. of existing track to improve the efficiency of its inbound railcar unloading operations.
Cambria County
- Gautier Steel — $289,343 to complete the final phase of rehabilitation project that will rebuild approximately 1.5 miles of track, resulting in more efficient rail operations and better access within the plant.
Chester County
- Arcelor Mittal Plate — $2.2 million to rehabilitate approximately 2 miles of track, turnouts, and private crossings serving its rolling mill and electric melt shop sites.
Clearfield and Indiana Counties
- RJ Corman Railroad — $3 million to replace 25 linear miles of rail and 4,800 ties and to construct a 4,000 ft. siding and two turnouts on its Cherry Tree Subdivision to support export metallurgical coal.
Columbia County
- SEKISUI SPI — $2.7 million to construct two spur tracks and install unloading equipment at its manufacturing facility.
Delaware and Philadelphia Counties
- CSX Transportation — $14.4 million to lower tracks under nine overhead obstructions to permit routing of double-stack container and multi-level auto rack traffic to/from Port of Philadelphia.
Lackawanna County
- Linde Corporation — $297,528 to rehabilitate approximately 0.5 mile of rail infrastructure and address drainage issues to support growth of rail-truck transload terminal.
Lancaster County
- Strasburg Rail Road Company — $1.7 million to construct less than 1 mile of track by extending interchange track and constructing new bulk, ladder, and lead tracks to more than double current yard capacity.
Luzerne County
- Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County — $311,500 to replace 1,500 ties, surface 5 miles of track, and rehabilitate a culvert.
Mifflin County
- Standard Steel, LLC — $529,890 to replace a 50 ft. scale to accommodate 60 ft. rail cars and replace two No. 6 turnouts and 900 ft. of track.
Northampton County
- Lehigh Valley Rail Management — $456,269 to replace 3,515 ties and 218 bridge timbers and surface approximately 3 miles of track to increase storage capacity for rail-truck transload.
Northumberland County
- North Shore Railroad — $813,834 to construct 1,350 ft. of track and install three turnouts to develop a multi-purpose transload site.
Washington County
- National Lime and Stone — $249,900 to construct 1,600 of track for rail-truck transload facility for the distribution of crushed stone.
- Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway — $1.1 million to repair structural and drainage issues in State Tunnel to bring it into a state of good repair.