AASHTO Journal - PennDOT Seeks Feedback on 2025 State Rail Plan

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is seeking public input on its proposed 2025 Pennsylvania State Rail Plan through October 24. A virtual public meeting to discuss the plan will be held on October 16, the agency said.

[Above photo by PennDOT]

Updated every four years in collaboration with the Federal Railroad Administration, stakeholders, and the public, Pennsylvania’s State Rail Plan focuses both passenger and freight rail needs, funding, safety, policy, environmental issues, and economic development.

PennDOT added that the plan also evaluates and documents opportunities for improvement and growth in passenger and freight rail over the next 25 years to guide investments.

The agency also noted that Pennsylvania has 65 operating railroads and PennDOT stressed it is committed to working with private rail operators and rail-served businesses to construct new rail lines and assist in maintaining and improving the state’s roughly 5,600 miles of freight rail lines.

“With more operating railroads than any other state in the country, rail is a critical part of Pennsylvania’s transportation landscape,” noted Mike Carroll, PennDOT secretary, in a statement. “Through this comment period, Pennsylvanians can share their visions for passenger and freight rail across the commonwealth – and we look forward to their feedback.”

[Editor’s note: In June, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials profiled Carroll as part of the organization’s “State DOT 2-Minute Update” video series.]

To support rail needs across the state, PennDOT made $41 million worth of grant funding via its Rail Transportation Assistance Program or RTAP and the Rail Freight Assistance Program or RFAP in August.

The agency said RTAP is a capital budget grant program funded through bonds, while RFAP is funded through the Multimodal Fund created by Act 89 of 2013.

Both programs provide financial assistance for investment in rail freight infrastructure, with the intent of preserving essential rail freight service and stimulating economic growth through new or expanded rail freight service, PennDOT said.