More than a dozen freight projects receive Pennsylvania state grants

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
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Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway

The Pennsylvania Department of Transporation has released $25.8 million in rail freight grants, which will help improve facilities, help businesses expand operations and ensure safety across the state.

 

“Pennsylvania’s numerous transportation options make us a great place to do business and put people to work,” Pennsylvania Gov.Tom Corbett said. “Having reliable investments will help even more businesses and facilities expand and operate safely because they know Pennsylvania values transportation.”

The grants were approved by the State Transportation Commission, which evaluates and assesses the resources needed to maintain and expand the state’s transportation system and will be distributed through the Capital Budget/Transportation Assistance Program.

Rail Projects, which will see funding from these grants include:

• Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad – $525,000 to replace more than 12,000 feet of track, install a rail crossover and improve nearly five miles of track.

• Allegheny Valley Railroad Co. – $1.3 million to make improvements to track between Bruceton and Washington required for heavier freight traffic to move safely.

• Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, Co. – $2.8 million to remove deteriorated rail, install nearly 13 miles of new track and improve additional track and four public railroad crossings.

• East Penn Manufacturing Co., Inc. – $644,815 to construct a new three-track rail spur off of Norfolk Southern’s east mainline.

• R.J. Corman Railroad Group PA Lines – $3.9 million for track renewal in two tunnels, tie installation and expanding an existing building in the Clearfield yard for equipment maintenance.

• Greater Erie Industrial Development Corp. – $2.6 million to acquire an existing sidetrack from the Port of Erie and construct three new sidetracks (totaling approximately 2,250 track feet) to provide rail-car storage, active product unloading and transfer and a locomotive run-around. This will support a new biomass terminal producing wooden pellets for export.

• Strasburg Railroad – $1.1 million to make track and grade-crossing improvements to increase capacity in the East Strasburg yard to support increased freight movement.

• County of Lycoming – $370,113 to rehabilitate 2,000 feet of track that has been inactive for decades, which will provide much-needed rail service to the NuWeld facility.

• Pennsylvania Northeast Railroad – $463,400 to rehabilitate 10 miles of track, repair six switches, install crossties and other infrastructure improvements.

• Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining and Marketing – $10 million to construct nearly 30,000 feet of track and a railcar maintenance area; install 16,000 feet of pipeline to transport crude oil from the offloading facility to the storage tank area and complete improvements to yard facilities.

• Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad – $840,000 to install new crossties on 14.5 miles of the Oil City branch and replace nine grade crossings on railroad property.

• Three Rivers Marine Rail Terminal, LP – $1.1 million to build 8,000 feet of track and three switches to enhance storage tracks from the mainline, enabling the company to be a train destination for coal and sand for gas drilling.

• York Railway Co. – $168,000 to upgrade 4.5 miles and one rail crossing of the company’s west branch.

 

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