HARRISBURG — Two railroad companies have been awarded grant funding for improvements to railroad tracks that cross into McKean and Elk counties.
On Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced approval through the State Transportation Commission for funding to be used to rehabilitate tracks of the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Co. and the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad.
Buffalo & Pittsburgh will receive $1,861,142 for work on 220 miles of track through several counties, including Elk and McKean, according to a press release from Wolf’s office, which stated that work would include “rail grinding and replacing more than 2,700 ties and 35,000 feet of rail.”
For the Elk County portion, “There is track in Jones, Ridgway and Spring Creek townships and Ridgway Borough,” said Erin Waters-Trasatt, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
In McKean County, the track runs through Bradford City; Bradford, Hamlin, Keating, Lafayette, Sergeant and Wetmore townships; and Lewis Run and Mount Jewett boroughs, she said.
Charles Hunter, a spokesman for Genesee & Wyoming Railroad, of which Buffalo & Pittsburgh is a part, talked about the company’s process when taking on a new project.
“Normally, we go through formulating a work plan,” he said, explaining they start by getting a contract in place with PennDOT. The project goes out to bid, and any contractors awarded bids develop a work plan.
A plan is put in place designating timeframes during which contractors can work, according to Hunter.
“We allow them a period of time where we will not run trains,” said Hunter, who explained these may be day-long or week-long shutdowns, then customers will be able to have access to the tracks in the time between shutdowns. “We coordinate those, and we just want to be able to work with customers so they know.”
Hunter said the company is aiming to begin construction in spring 2018.
“We do constant maintenance of the rails and the track infrastructure, but this is more involved,” he said, noting that for this project, some of the rail will be replaced, and a machine will be used to grind some rails to extend their life.
“We certainly look forward to working with PennDOT on the project and are very thankful that we got the award from PennDOT,” said Hunter.
The Buffalo-Pittsburgh project will also include track in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Clearfield, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence and Warren counties, according to Wolf’s office.
The governor reported that Western New York & Pennsylvania will receive $700,000 in funding for work on more than 17 miles of track in McKean County. Work is to include “7,500 new crossties, re-timbering of two mainline turnouts, reconstruction of a two-track highway crossing and ballasting and surfacing,” the release stated.
The 17-mile section of track “runs from north Eldred to Port Allegany,” said Erin Waters-Trasatt, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
An official for the Western New York & Pennsylvania did not return a call for details by press time Monday.
Altogether, the State Transportation Commission approved grant funding of more than $40 million to be used for 34 projects through either the Rail Transportation Assistance Program or the Rail Freight Assistance Program.
“Keeping our extensive rail freight system in good shape is a common-sense way to ensure a sound foundation for the state’s economy,” Wolf said. “Pennsylvania is ranked first when it comes to operating railroads, and we are committed to working with this vital industry to serve the state’s business community and keep our job picture bright.”
