(File Photo of Representative Aaron Bernstine)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Harrisburg, PA) According to a release in Harrisburg from the offices of Representatives Aaron Bernstine and Marci Mustello, Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence) and Mustello (R-Butler) announced today more than $7 million in rail freight investments will improve transportation infrastructure, strengthen supply chains and support hundreds of family-sustaining jobs in Butler County and across western Pennsylvania. Funding was awarded through Pennsylvania’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP) and according to that same release, the railroads that received money and why they will use it are as follows:

• Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad:

$4 million to make extensive upgrades across 218 miles of its Main Line and P&W Subdivisions. The project includes the replacement of 40 grade crossings, installation of 80,000 feet of rail, replacement of 30,000 ties, and surfacing 48 miles of track to improve safety and reliability.

• Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad:

$3.1 million to rehabilitate approximately 20 miles of track on the Laurel Subdivision, along with upgrades to an additional six miles of track. The project also includes the installation of two switch machines and improvements to a grade crossing in the Butler Yard, a key hub for regional freight movement.