New York Construction Report staff writer
$101 million in state funding has been awarded to support 25 projects across New York that will modernize key freight lines and port facilities under the state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program (PFRAP).
Projects focus on track and bridge rehabilitation, capacity expansion, procurement of cleaner rail equipment, and the modernization and expansion of rail infrastructure in freight yards and at seaport facilities.
The New York City Department of Small Business Services (NYCSBS) and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have each received two $10 million awards. The NYCSBS will use its funding for two projects: building a fully electrified maritime hub in Hunts Point and rehabilitating Pier 10 to support the Red Hook Container Terminal. The LIRR’s two awards will fund upgrades to the Fresh Pond Yard and English Kills bridges to meet modern loading and clearance standards.
Eligible project activities included track and bridge rehabilitation; yard, terminal and siding construction; elimination of clearance obstructions; wharf, dock and bulkhead construction and reconstruction; dredging; at-grade crossing railroad crossing resurfacing; material handling equipment storage facilities; wayside detectors and other projects that enhance the safe movement of goods, economic competitiveness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Port and Freight Rail Infrastructure Projects List
Capital Region
- $4.2 million to Pan Am Southern, LLC for rehabilitation of the Rotterdam Branch to install continuous welded rail, replace cross ties, turnouts, and ballasts, and surface five miles of track.
- $555,655 to Corinth & Hudson Railway LLC to install new railroad ties and replace the crossing surface.
- $1.3 million to NYSDOT for the Hudson Line Passive Crossing Improvement Project, which will upgrade passive crossings with active warning devices.
Central New York Region
- $3.8 million to New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway for the construction of 5,280 feet of new track and two turnouts to be used as a Serving Yard Track in Onondaga County.
Finger Lakes Region
- $6 million to Rochester & Southern Railroad for the replacement of the Oatka Creek Bridge as well as tie replacement on the RSRR main line.
- $3.1 million to Rochester & Southern Railroad to replace the Spring Creek Bridge with a new substructure and superstructure, perform tie replacement, and rehabilitate three grade crossing surfaces.
- $1.8 million to Seneca County IDA to connect a grain facility to the Finger Lakes Railway in Waterloo, NY, improving freight access for local producers.
- $3.3 million to Wyoming County IDA to construct and install additional rail spurs, pads, switches, and driveways to increase the capacity of the Wyoming Transfer Station.
- $1.7 million to Arcade and Attica Railroad Corp to make necessary upgrades and replacements.
- $4.6 million to Livingston County IDA for the construction of the Jaguar Tubulars New Rail Facility, which will allow for the loading and unloading of rolled coil steel from railcars.
Mohawk Valley
- $3 million to Mohawk Adirondack & Northern Railroad to upgrade the yard ladders in the Utica Yard with new, heavier rail.
- $673,300 to Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society to expand its rail facilities in Cooperstown Junction.
- $1.7 million to Oneida County IDA for the Sangerfield Rail Efficiency Project to enhance rail infrastructure for efficient grain and feed loading and unloading, improving access to profitable local and international markets.
New York City
- $10 million to New York City Department of Small Business Services for the Hunts Point Marine Terminal Development Project, which will support a new fully electrified maritime hub while also reducing GHG emissions, creating jobs, and mitigating congestion.
- $10 million to New York City Department of Small Business Services to rehabilitate and extend the functional life of Pier 10.
- $10 million to Long Island Rail Road to replace the LIRR Fresh Pond Yard Bridge with a new structure that meets all modern loading and clearance standards.
- $10 million to Long Island Rail Road to rehabilitate the LIRR English Kills Bridge to meet modern loading and clearance standards.
North Country
- $5.6 million to Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority to replace approximately 10 miles of rail, one turnout, four private crossings, and line/surface track, as well as continue bridge rehabilitation and upgrade a segment of the Ogdensburg Branch.
- $1.6 million to St. Lawrence IDA to rehabilitate track, reconstruct grade crossings.
Western New York
- $4.4 million to Erie County IDA for the Welded Tube USA Rail Spur Project, which will construct a new rail spur to support the operation of Welded Tube USA.
- $1.7 million to Erie County IDA for the Buffalo Southern Railroad Track Improvement Project, which will restore five miles of rail corridor on the Buffalo Southern Railroad Main line. Upgrades include replacing failing timber deck, missing stone ballast, and a concrete culvert, as well as rehabilitating siding to return the track to a FRA Class 2 status for improved safety, efficiency and reliability.
- $3.6 million to Falls Road Railroad Company to replace aging rail in the mainline and use the released material to construct new sidings to improve capacity.
- $3.3 million to South Buffalo Railway Company to establish direct rail access at the UFP facility in Lackawanna, NY, by constructing three new rail spurs that connect to the South Buffalo Railroad.
- $4.7 million to Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad to replace over 21,000 feet of rail, repair four bridges, rehabilitate four turnouts, and improve nine grade crossings on the BPRR Main Line and Machias Secondary between Buffalo and the Pennsylvania state line.
