Pennsylvania will receive an upgrade to its regional rail infrastructure thanks to a number of recently announced PennDOT grant awards.

According to a release published by PennDOT, nearly $53 million in grant awards will be distributed for projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program, with nearly $5.5 million earmarked for south-central Pennsylvania.

PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said in the Jan. 21 release that “these investments expand and improve the network (and) will create opportunities for generations of Pennsylvanians to come.”

Local investments

According to the release, the Everett Railroad in Blair County will use $285,000 of grant funding to complete comprehensive improvements to a bridge in Freedom Township.

The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority — which operates six railroads across a nine-county region that includes Blair and Centre counties — will rehabilitate five bridges along the Nittany and Bald Eagle Railroad.

JRA Executive Director Steven Beattie said that these repairs are part of the organization’s broader focus on improving local rail infrastructure that has seen 25 bridges fully replaced since 2019.

According to Beattie, this latest project will remove a slow speed order on the railroad to improve operational efficiency.

Centre County Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins said that he and his two commissioner colleagues are “thrilled” about the grant awards.

The JRA currently serves several mining, transportation, construction and manufacturing companies in Centre County, Higgins said, so the commissioners are excited to see the state support their work.

State Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, said in a statement that the investment is “vital” in sustaining Pennsylvania’s rail network and supporting industries that rely on efficient freight transportation.

“By strengthening these corridors, we are fostering economic development and improving safety for communities across the commonwealth,” Ward said.

Cambria County will receive about $3.1 million in total funding through grant awards for Lehigh Valley Rail Management to improve its Johnstown facility and for the R. J. Corman Railroad Group LLC to rehabilitate nearly eight miles of track, according to PennDOT.