PennDOT updates freight movement plan

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) yesterday unveiled its 2045 Freight Movement Plan (FMP), a comprehensive strategic plan for moving goods throughout the state.

The plan is used to propose strategies, recommend policies and identify projects to improve multimodal freight movement while fostering sustainable economic growth and competitiveness, PennDOT officials said on the FMP webpage.

"While freight rail is primarily a private-sector transport mode, the public benefits are considerable and have long been the basis for state investment," the FMP states. "Chief among these benefits is the reduction of highway and bridge travel demand with mode shift to rail."

CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway serve the state along with three regionals and 57 short lines.

Goals included in the FMP include:

• aligning freight mobility with economic development and land use;
• advancing project investments that enhance freight mobility;
• providing planning, data and analytical tools for improved decision-making and collaboration with freight industry stakeholders;
• improving multimodal freight transportation operations and safety; and
• reducing and mitigating adverse environmental impacts from the state's freight transportation system.

The freight plan aligns with the state's rail plan, which focuses on objectives that include bringing Pennsylvania's rail system to a state of good repair; developing an integrated rail system; and building public support for rail system services and assets.

The FMP was developed in conjunction with the state's 2045 Long-Range Transportation Plan.