An additional $3.17 million federal award will fund track repairs on a New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway freight line between Cortland and Virgil, part of a corridor linking Cortland County with the Syracuse area.
Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements award on Monday. The $3,168,302 award covers about 4.5 miles of the railway's main line.
The work calls for continuous welded rail, new ties and renewed ballast, the stone that supports the track. The railway plans to use the improvements to remove slow zones, reduce maintenance needs and allow railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds on the upgraded segment.
Railway President James Bonner said the project is intended to improve operating safety, fuel efficiency, train speeds and service for freight customers.
Another award for the same corridor
The new funding follows three earlier federal awards for the railway project: $2,931,122 in fiscal 2021, $3,467,348 in fiscal 2022 and $3,961,750 in fiscal 2023-24. Together with Monday's award, they total $13,528,522, according to the senators.
Schumer announced the $3.96 million award in 2024.
The senators said a modern freight link is important as Central New York manufacturing expands, citing Micron's planned semiconductor investment.
The award comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation's CRISI program, which supports rail safety, reliability and efficiency projects. The bipartisan infrastructure law provided $5 billion over five years for the program. Schumer said he had urged Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Fink to support the Cortland County project.
NYS&W operates more than 400 miles of track across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and serves more than 85 customers. Its freight includes feed ingredients, lumber, other building materials, chemicals and aggregates.
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