Work continues on NYS&W service restoration in New York
Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editorThe Rail Revitalization Project begun by the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) in 2011 will mark a major milestone March 23, when Frontier Railroad Services, LLC, begins removing brush and other obstacles along the 45.5 miles of New York Susquehanna and Western (NYS&W) rail right-of-way in Chenango County, N.Y.
This will allow access to damaged sections of track that are scheduled to be repaired during the 2016 construction season. Starting in the Sherburne area and working their way south, workers will fill washouts, resurface bridge decks and make other repairs. The final phase of the project will involve the replacement of several thousand crossties and the reactivation of crossing signals. Once complete, the project will allow restoration of NYS&W service between Binghamton and Utica and provide freight customers with access to both Norfolk Southern and CSX lines.
NYS&W’s Utica mainline was taken out of service after flooding in 2006 rendered the track unusable. In 2011, CCIDA was awarded New York State Department of Transportation funding in the amount of $772,000 towards the required repairs. That funding leveraged an additional $4.7-million from the federal Economic Development Administration. NYS&W, Chenango County, Development Chenango Corporation and CCIDA are supplying a total of more than $400,000 to complete the non federal match.
Construction is expected to continue through June 2017.