Work on the railroad to begin this week
CHENANGO COUNTY – Five years after initiating efforts to restore the defunct 45.5 mile-long Utica Main Line railroad, the Chenango County Industrial Development Agency expects to see repair work finally get underway this week.
The CCIDA announced Monday that the Rail Revitalization Project started in 2011 will see construction as early as Wednesday. Frontier Railroad Services, LLC of New Stanton, Penn. – the engineering firm contracted to repair the railroad – will remove brush and other debris from the tracks beginning in Sherburne before working their way south to Greene.
According to the CCIDA, pre-construction clean-up will allow access to damaged sections of track that are scheduled for repairs during the 2016 construction season. Frontier Railroad Services hopes to fill washouts, resurface bridge decks, and make other necessary repairs before freezing temperatures set in again later this year.
The final phase of the project includes replacement of several thousand rail crossties and the reactivation of crossing signals. Work is expected to carry over into the spring of 2017 with a goal of having the railroad operable by next June.
“It’s always possible that things may change, but that’s the schedule that we’re working with now,” said CCIDA Director Steve Craig. “In some cases, crews will be working literally in people’s back yards, so we want people to be aware that work is starting ... This is a project we’ve been looking forward to for more than five years. We have our funding in place and we believe we’ve met all the requirements to get started.”
The Utica Main Line is owned by the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway; however it’s been inoperable since being damaged by heavy flooding in 2006 and more so in 2011.
Intentions are to restore the Utica Main Line to what is mostly a “Class Two” railroad, meaning freight trains will be allowed to travel at 25 miles per hour. Only portions of the railroad will be designated “Class One,” which limits freights to 10 miles per hour.
The CCIDA has cleared a number of financial hurdles since embarking on the project. In 2013, the organization received a $4.7 million grant from the Federal EDA to cover 80 percent the estimated cost of the project. EDA funding supplements an additional $772,722 grant awarded by the NYS Department of Transportation 2011 (contingent on the entire project being completed).
Remaining costs of the project will be footed by private and local entities: $58,755 from the CCIDA; $112,500 from the Development Chenango Corporation; approximately $150,000 from the Chenango County government; and $85,825 from New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation, proprietor and operator of the railroad.
In February, 2014, county officials authorized release of government funding. A resolution adopted by the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in 2012 promises the CCIDA up to $200,000 local share, though new estimates predict the county’s share may range lower – between $150,000 and $180,000.
In 2013, the CCIDA also renewed a 10-year PILOT agreement with New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation. The agreement gives title to the line to the CCIDA while NYS&W is required to maintain the railroad upon completion of the project. NYS&W has already shown interest in maintaining the tracks by filling in a major washout near the Village of Earlville caused by flooding in 2013.
When finished, the project will allow restoration of NYS&W service between Binghamton and Utica, and give freight customers access to the interstate Norfolk Southern and CSX railways.
The CCIDA announced Monday that the Rail Revitalization Project started in 2011 will see construction as early as Wednesday. Frontier Railroad Services, LLC of New Stanton, Penn. – the engineering firm contracted to repair the railroad – will remove brush and other debris from the tracks beginning in Sherburne before working their way south to Greene.
According to the CCIDA, pre-construction clean-up will allow access to damaged sections of track that are scheduled for repairs during the 2016 construction season. Frontier Railroad Services hopes to fill washouts, resurface bridge decks, and make other necessary repairs before freezing temperatures set in again later this year.
The final phase of the project includes replacement of several thousand rail crossties and the reactivation of crossing signals. Work is expected to carry over into the spring of 2017 with a goal of having the railroad operable by next June.
“It’s always possible that things may change, but that’s the schedule that we’re working with now,” said CCIDA Director Steve Craig. “In some cases, crews will be working literally in people’s back yards, so we want people to be aware that work is starting ... This is a project we’ve been looking forward to for more than five years. We have our funding in place and we believe we’ve met all the requirements to get started.”
The Utica Main Line is owned by the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway; however it’s been inoperable since being damaged by heavy flooding in 2006 and more so in 2011.
Intentions are to restore the Utica Main Line to what is mostly a “Class Two” railroad, meaning freight trains will be allowed to travel at 25 miles per hour. Only portions of the railroad will be designated “Class One,” which limits freights to 10 miles per hour.
The CCIDA has cleared a number of financial hurdles since embarking on the project. In 2013, the organization received a $4.7 million grant from the Federal EDA to cover 80 percent the estimated cost of the project. EDA funding supplements an additional $772,722 grant awarded by the NYS Department of Transportation 2011 (contingent on the entire project being completed).
Remaining costs of the project will be footed by private and local entities: $58,755 from the CCIDA; $112,500 from the Development Chenango Corporation; approximately $150,000 from the Chenango County government; and $85,825 from New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation, proprietor and operator of the railroad.
In February, 2014, county officials authorized release of government funding. A resolution adopted by the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in 2012 promises the CCIDA up to $200,000 local share, though new estimates predict the county’s share may range lower – between $150,000 and $180,000.
In 2013, the CCIDA also renewed a 10-year PILOT agreement with New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation. The agreement gives title to the line to the CCIDA while NYS&W is required to maintain the railroad upon completion of the project. NYS&W has already shown interest in maintaining the tracks by filling in a major washout near the Village of Earlville caused by flooding in 2013.
When finished, the project will allow restoration of NYS&W service between Binghamton and Utica, and give freight customers access to the interstate Norfolk Southern and CSX railways.
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