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U.S. Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) recently announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has obligated a $3.21 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery II (TIGER II) grant for phase two of the “Central Pennsylvania Infrastructure Expansions to Meet Marcellus Shale Development” project.

In April, the USDOT obligated $6.79 million of an overall $10 million TIGER II award for phase one; in October 2010, the project was chosen to receive the federal funds through the TIGER competitive grant program.
 
Developed by the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority, the project includes 14 individual rail infrastructure improvements and expansions, ranging from new sidings to track construction to bridge rehabilitations. The project is designed to expand rail capacity, boost rail network efficiency and safety, and enable central Pennsylvania short lines to better handle current and future traffic levels.

Rail traffic in the region is growing significantly, “a result from the natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale play, which started in 2008 and is now burgeoning, and is expected to continue in the coming years,” said Casey in a prepared statement.