Two freight railroads serving the Rochester-Finger Lakes region have received a combined $20.8 million in federal funding for track, crossing and bridge repairs, including $11.2 million for a Wayne County line used by local manufacturers and agricultural businesses.
The awards announced Monday by Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand include $11.2 million for Ontario Midland Railroad and $9,643,235 for Falls Road Railroad Co., totaling $20,843,235 through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, known as CRISI.
Wayne County line to get new rail and crossing work
Ontario Midland's Wayne County Mainline Safety and Reliability Project will rehabilitate about 10 miles of track. The work includes replacing approximately nine miles of rail, resurfacing eight crossings where roads and tracks meet, replacing seven track switches and removing three others. Crews also will place ballast — the stone that supports the track — and adjust and resurface the line.
Schumer's office described the aging east-west line as a bottleneck for freight service. The railroad carries shipments for agricultural, manufacturing and other commercial customers, and the planned work is intended to improve track integrity and make deliveries more reliable.
The release named Coca-Cola Fairlife and Xerox's Webster campus among employers that rely on the corridor. It also cited Keurig Dr Pepper/Motts, Sodus Cold Storage and Fleischmann's Vinegar in Wayne County. Other rail-served businesses named were Thatcher Chemical, Baldwin Richardson Foods, CRC Polymer Systems, Maco Packaging, K.M. Davies Co. and Nutrien Ag, a fertilizer supplier to Wayne County farms.
Matt Hurlbutt, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise, said replacing old rail and ties should help remove current operating bottlenecks. Brian Pincelli, Wayne County's economic development and planning director, said the line supports agricultural and manufacturing businesses and that the investment would help the railroad serve them more efficiently.
Ontario Midland Chairman Robert Babcock and President Jeffrey Bauman called the award important to maintaining reliable service. Schumer said he had urged Federal Railroad Administration Administrator David Fink to support the Wayne County project.
Brockport-to-Lockport line gets $9.6M
Falls Road Railroad's $9,643,235 award is for the Falls Branch Track, Crossing, & Bridge Project. It will rehabilitate about 40 miles of track and related infrastructure between Brockport and Lockport, according to the senators' announcement.
That work includes replacing rail and ties, adding ballast, resurfacing the main track and six road crossings, and rehabilitating a bridge.
Schumer and Gillibrand said the repairs are meant to improve freight safety and reliability for businesses along the two routes. Schumer also projected that stronger rail service could reduce truck traffic and fuel use.
Congress provided $5 billion over five years for the CRISI program through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The federal program supports rail projects intended to improve safety, efficiency and reliability, including freight-line upgrades and work at road crossings. It also funds projects aimed at easing passenger and freight bottlenecks and strengthening connections between rail and other forms of transportation.
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