HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania will pour nearly $53 million into rail freight upgrades statewide, funding 30 projects aimed at speeding freight movement and creating or sustaining an estimated 450 jobs, the state announced.
The investment, unveiled by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, will be financed through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program. State officials said the funding strengthens a freight network critical to Pennsylvania’s economy and global competitiveness.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said the projects will reinforce family-sustaining jobs while linking communities and businesses to international markets. He said the upgrades are designed to deliver long-term benefits by expanding capacity, improving safety, and modernizing aging infrastructure.
Pennsylvania is the only state with a dedicated rail freight grant program and has invested more than $150 million in its rail freight network since 2023 under the Shapiro administration, according to PennDOT. The state also touts having the most operating railroads in the nation, with 65 carriers and roughly 5,600 miles of freight lines.
The funded projects span urban yards, rural main lines, ports, bridges, sidings, and industrial spurs across nearly every region of the Commonwealth. Major allocations include $4 million to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad to improve 218 miles of track across multiple counties, $5.9 million to the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to rehabilitate three bridges in Washington County, and $3.4 million to the Central New York Railroad to rehabilitate a major bridge in Susquehanna County.
Southeastern Pennsylvania projects include nearly $1 million for rail improvements at PhilaPort’s Tioga Marine Terminal, $1.7 million for turnout replacements at Conrail’s Stoney Creek Yard in Delaware County, and $1.2 million for track rehabilitation and transloading upgrades at the Strasburg Rail Road in Lancaster County.
Additional investments target manufacturing, logistics, and resource industries statewide, from new sidings and spurs at distribution centers to bridge repairs and welded-rail replacements intended to improve reliability and reduce maintenance disruptions.
PennDOT said it will continue working with private rail operators and rail-served businesses to expand capacity and preserve the freight corridors that underpin Pennsylvania’s economy.
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