Rescar Receives $500,000 Grant for Railyard Rehabilitation

HARRISBURG – Gov. Edward G. Rendell announced the investment of $10.2 million in rail freight infrastructure in an effort to help create and maintain jobs at expanding businesses throughout the commonwealth. The 38 grants are part of PennDOT’s rail freight assistance program.

In Clearfield County, RESCAR Inc. will receive $500,000 for rehabilitation of its rail yard to sustain and enhance the capacity of its rail car repair facility serviced by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad.

“Rail freight provides a dependable and efficient method for moving goods around Pennsylvania and provides an important link to the global marketplace,” Rendell said. “This investment will help stimulate economic development, while also preserving and improving the commonwealth’s rail system.”

Two Beaver County projects that received grants show how the program helps to preserve existing rail service and ensures the retention of industries and jobs in the community. Aliquippa and Ohio Railroad will use its $357,000 grant to rehabilitate the seven-mile railroad on the former LTV Steel site outside Aliquippa to provide service to existing and new customers who are experiencing increased cargo volume. One of these new customers is Wolfpac Technologies, a manufacturer of extruded plastic products, which is receiving a grant of $82,527 to rehabilitate a rail siding to service its new facility.

In addition to grants that preserve existing service, many grants help establish new or expand existing rail freight service. In Huntingdon County, for example, New Enterprise Stone and Lime will receive $537,000 to reestablish rail service and expand rail infrastructure to increase aggregate shipments from its Union Furnace Quarry.

Another grant recipient is Kinder Morgan, the operator of the port at the Keystone Industrial Port Complex along the Delaware River in Bucks County.

A $700,000 grant will be used to replace and repair existing track and for the relocation and new construction of an outbound train loading yard. The upgrades will ease the movement of cargo from ships to freight rail cars.

This is the third consecutive year the state-funded rail freight assistance program awarded at least $10 million. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the nation with more than 6,000 rail miles; and more than 7,000 Pennsylvanians are employed by freight railroads.

Allegheny County
- Azcon Corp. will receive $210,800 for the rehabilitation of yard track for a steel scrap processing facility along the AVR Allegheny Branch.
- McConway & Torley LLC will receive $125,799 for the rehabilitation of existing track and construction of a new rail siding at a steel castings facility along the AVR Allegheny Branch.
- The Techs Industries Inc. will receive $250,000 for construction of a new siding at Metal Tech facility and spur track at Nex Tech facility to better facilitate rail transportation of finished metal products.
- Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Co. will receive $194,750 for replacement of crossties and bridge timbers along Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway’s Pittsburgh Subdivision.

Beaver County
- Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad will receive $357,000 for rehabilitation of mainline track and rail bridge deck replacement.
- Colona Transfer LP will receive $327,750 for rehabilitation of yard track at its rail/barge transfer facility serviced by CSX.
- Wolfpac Technologies will receive $82,527 for rehabilitation of an old rail siding to service an extruded plastic manufacturing facility relocating to the area to be serviced by the Aliquippa and Ohio River Railroad.

Blair County
- Blair County Development Corp. will receive $250,000 for track rehabilitation at the former Hollidaysburg Car Shop facility to serve a wind energy component supplier to be serviced by Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Bucks County
- Junell Corp., doing business as Advanced Lubrication Specialties, will receive $397,650 for track rehabilitation and construction of an oil/water separation system and loading pad at a lubricant blender/producer along Conrail Shared Assets’ Morrisville Line.
- Kinder Morgan will receive $700,000 for replacement and repair of existing track along with the relocation and new construction of an outbound train loading yard located within the Keystone Industrial Port Complex along the Delaware River.
- SMS-Penn Jersey Rail Lines Inc. will receive $223,569 for construction of double-ended siding to more efficiently serve customers within the Penn Warner Industrial Park.

Carbon County
- Horsehead Corp. will receive $322,575 for track and bridge rehabilitation along the Chestnut Ridge Railroad to better serve its zinc processing facility.

Chester County
- Hyponex will receive $250,000 for construction of a rail siding and an unloading facility to serve a fertilizer plant along East Penn Railroad’s Octoraro Branch.
- ISG Plate Inc. will receive $197,250 for reconstruction of yard track at a steel processing facility.

Clearfield County
- RESCAR Inc. will receive $500,000 for rehabilitation of its rail yard to sustain and enhance the capacity of its rail car repair facility serviced by the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad.

Clinton County
- Croda Inc. will receive $88,585 for rehabilitation of track and construction of a new siding along the Mill Hall Industrial Track, to increase safety and expand service for this chemical manufacturer, serviced by the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad.
- SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority will receive $191,800 for extension of an existing siding to construct a runaround track located along the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad main line.

Columbia County
- Impress USA Inc. will receive $95,900 for construction of a new rail siding to serve a manufacturer of cans for the food and pet food industries, to be serviced by the North Shore Railroad.

Erie County
- Erie Western Pennsylvania Port Authority will receive $77,860 for rehabilitation of the railroad spur that leads into the O-N Minerals Stone Dock.

Fayette and Westmoreland counties
- Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. will receive $500,000 for a track rehabilitation project on the Mount Pleasant Branch that serves the Westmoreland Freight Terminal and the future ethanol facility at the former Sony plant outside Mount Pleasant.

Huntingdon County
- New Enterprise Stone and Lime Corp. Inc. will receive $537,000 to reestablish and expand rail service to the Union Furnace Quarry located along Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Pittsburgh Line.

Lackawanna County
- Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad will receive $208,006 for track rehabilitation along the Pocono Mainline.

Lawrence County
- Bridges & Towers Inc. will receive $33,750 to rebuild a rail spur servicing an industrial plant for bridge fabrication located along the New Castle Industrial Railroad.

Lebanon County
- Pennsy Supply Inc. will receive $321,429 for rehabilitation of yard track at its quarry, located along the Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Harrisburg Line.

Luzerne County
- Avoca Borough will receive $210,000 for realignment of existing curve track and removal of a small bridge along the RBMN Susquehanna Branch to alleviate flooding issues for the borough and the railroad.
- Community Area New Development Organization will receive $478,756 for rehabilitation of the Norfolk Southern Catawissa & Hazleton Running Track within the Humboldt Industrial Park, serving various businesses in the industrial park.
- Hazleton Creek Properties will receive $250,000 for construction of new track to serve a bulk unloading facility adjacent to Humboldt Industrial Park; the facility will dispose of dredge material from the Delaware River.
- Western International Gas & Cylinders will receive $250,000 for construction of a new siding and grade crossing near Berwick to serve an industrial gas wholesaler.

Luzerne and Schuylkill counties
- Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad will receive $499,995 for track rehabilitation projects servicing a number of businesses at four different locations along the Crestwood Running Track, Mahanoy & Shamokin Running Track, Susquehanna Branch, and Delano Running Track.

McKean County
- Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad will receive $75,000 for extension of a tail track serving the Glenn O. Hawbaker stone unloading facility.

Mercer County
- Mercer Company will receive $265,345 for rehabilitation of yard track at a scrap metal processing facility located along Norfolk Southern Railroad’s Wheatland Industrial Track.

Mifflin County
- Standard Steel LLC will receive $150,000 for rehabilitation of rail infrastructure within its facility that manufactures wheels and axles for rail cars from scrap steel, which is serviced by the Juniata Valley Railroad.

Schuylkill County
- Sapa Industrial Extrusions will receive $375,000 for rehabilitation of rail within an aluminum processing facility along the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, Pottsville Branch; the rail will transport incoming aluminum billet for further processing.

Venango County
- Oil Creek & Titusville Lines Inc. will receive $159,250 for bridge rehabilitation and construction of new track at the terminus of the Titus Main.

Washington County
- Prime Plastics Inc. will receive $102,899 for construction of a new sidetrack at a recently established manufacturing facility serviced by the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
- Washington Penn Plastic Co, Inc. will receive $160,300 for construction of a siding to serve a thermoplastic compounding facility serviced by the Allegheny Valley Railroad.

Westmoreland County
- Lehigh Specialty Melting Inc. will receive $319,996 for rehabilitation of track at a scrap steel processing facility serviced by Norfolk Southern Railroad.

York County
- York Railway Company will receive $463,250 for rehabilitation of track along various branches of the YRC.