The railroad company involved in a derailment that resulted in the spill of lye and contamination of a pristine fishing creek is leasing part of its rail line, including the site of the derailment.

Norfolk Southern announced it will lease 98 miles of rail lines in Pennsylvania and New York state to the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad. The lease became effective Aug. 3.

An agreement like this is reached to benefit both entities, according to Rudy Husband, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern.

“Instead of just abandoning the line or to stop running trains, we just lease it out so the rail service is preserved through that area,” Husband said.

Husband said the site of the June 30, 2006, derailment near Gardeau is part of the lease, but added the derailment had nothing to do with the agreement.

“No, this was in the works long before,” Husband said.

The rail segments included in the lease are the Buffalo Line between North Driftwood and Machias, N.Y.; the Farmers Valley Secondary between Clermont and Farmers Valley; and a small portion of the Olean Secondary in Olean, N.Y.

A portion of a rail line in southern McKean County was the site of a derailment last year.

The train was going 76 miles per hour in a 15 mile per hour zone when 31 cars derailed. The derailment caused 42,000 gallons of lye to seep into the ground and Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek.

More than eight miles of streams in McKean and Cameron counties were devastated by the spill.

Norfolk Southern, as well as the engineer, Michael J. Seifert, have been charged with environmental crime charges.

Seifert was also charged with causing a catastrophe, risking a catastrophe and recklessly endangering another person.

In the year that has passed since the incident, Norfolk Southern has spent nearly $4 million on its environmental response and to restore the area and waterways impacted by the incident. The company’s site restoration activities were completed during the week of June 18.

“It’s all cleaned up,” Husband said, adding the survey of the affected waterways indicate the fish and waterlife are at “very healthy numbers.”

Norfolk Southern remains responsible for any environmental issues related to the derailment and sodium hydroxide spill in McKean County, according to information provided by the company.

Under the lease, the WNY&P interchanges rail traffic with Norfolk Southern at North Driftwood and Meadville.

The WNY&P is responsible for all rail operations on the leased lines, including track and signal maintenance, as well as customer service, while Norfolk Southern continues ownership.

Husband likened the agreement as if someone were to lease a house.

The WNY&P was created in 2001 to revitalize rail service on the 190-mile former Erie-Lackawanna rail line between Hornell, N.Y., and Meadville. Since that time, rail traffic has grown on the line, as have economic development opportunities in the Southern Tier region of New York state.

“We do it whenever it makes sense for us to do it,” Husband said. “It’s a line that doesn’t see very much traffic and we just think that a short line could do a better job serving the existing customers and growing business on the line than we could.”

Husband declined to disclose the amount WNY&P is paying for the lease.

The Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad is a Class III short line railroad which has its headquarters in Falconer, N.Y. Bill Burt, a spokesperson with the company, was not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

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