CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A nearly $20 Million federal grant will help upgrade a short line railroad operating in northern and central parts of West Virginia.
The Appalachia and Ohio Railroad was recently awarded $19.4 Million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for upgrades and maintenance work. The money will help upgrade the mainline ties and continuous welded rail and rehabilitate nine tunnels on A&O’s 158-mile rail line, which runs from Grafton, W.Va. to Cowen, W.Va. It will cover about 9 miles of track and it’s expected most of that work will be done in the area of Allegheny Met’s new Sentry Mine and Arch Coal’s Leer South mines in Barbour County.
“We have heavier traffic for two new coal mines that are now in operation on the east end of our railroad near Philippi where we’ll be putting in the majority of the upgrades,” said A&O General Manager Matt Reese.
Additionally the money will also be used for improvements to the railroad fleet.
“We have six locomotives to haul coal and freight. This grant also allows for those to be rebuilt to new emission standards. That work will be done in-state by CSX at their Huntington locomotive shop, ” Reese added.
USDOT awarded the grant as part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements competitive grant program. Under the program the railroad will be required to contribute a minimum of $15.9 Million to the project.
“We are grateful for the bipartisan supporters at the Federal and State levels, who helped secure today’s federal grant, and for the opportunity to continue to provide ongoing employment and safe and reliable rail service in West Virginia,” said A&O CEO Tom Greene.
The company indicated in a press release announcing the funding the allocation will improve the safety of rail operations over the A&O
Line and bring the entire line into a state of good repair for decades to come.
“The Project will also preserve the viable Class I connection to CSX Transportation, Inc. for the communities and customers on its line.” the statement read.
The A&O provides connective transfer for coal, timber, freight and other goods from local operations to nearby terminals to be loaded onto CSX trains for worldwide shipping.