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On Dec. 8, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the state awarded $785 million for various projects through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.
 
Announced in July, the initiative “represents a fundamental shift in the state's approach to economic development from a top-down development model to a community-based, performance-driven approach, which empowers individual areas to develop comprehensive strategic plans that invest in regional solutions to create jobs and economic growth,” said Cuomo in a prepared statement.

Funds provided for rail-related projects include:
• $11.5 million for the reconstruction of the Rensselaer wharf to double capacity at the the Port of Albany, which is served by the Port of Albany Railroad, a switching railroad owned by Canadian Pacific and CSX Transportation;
• $9.9 million for the Newton Falls Rail Project, which calls for rehabilitating and reopening the 46-mile Newton Falls Line to serve a paper mill in Newton Falls and Benson Mines;
• $4 million for the construction of the Ronkonkoma-MacArthur Transit Hub, which will support the creation of a new transit-oriented development and strengthen ties between Suffolk's busiest rail station and Long Island MacArthur Airport, according to Cuomo;
• $2.5 million to Bombardier Transportation to help pay for an expansion of its main plant in Plattsburgh, including a 57,000-square-foot addition, 2,100-square-foot expansion at an off-site testing facility and electrification of an additional half mile of test facility track;
• $2.2 million for the development of a rail transloading facility in Columbia County to serve businesses in the Capital Region that don’t have rail access;
• $1.8 million to the Wellsboro & Corning Railroad Co. to restore a mainline and reconstruct a former second main track; and
• $1.5 million to B&H Rail Corp. (Bath & Hammondsport Railroad) to rehabilitate the Utica line between Broome and Chenango.