First freight shipped on New York Susquehanna's Utica Line in dozen years

Earlier this month, the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway's (NYSW) Utica Line transported freight for the first time in a dozen years, signaling the completion of a restoration project that took more than a decade.

The train consisted of a locomotive pulling two flat cars carrying hollow steel beams, according to a press release issued by the County of Chenango Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA).

Originating from Bull Moose Tube Co. in Elkhart, Indiana, the train traveled to Di Highway Sign and Structure Corp. in New York Mills, near Utica.

NYSW shut down the Utica Line in 2006 after floodwaters severely damaged the line along more than 20 locations in the county. Two years later, the railroad filed papers to abandon the line.

But CICDA, which considered the line a vital transportation infrastructure, objected and began laying the groundwork for the restoration. In 2011, CCIDA obtained a $772,000 grant from the New York State Department of Transportation toward repairing the line. That funding — plus contributions from Chenango County, Development Chenango Corp., CCIDA and NYSW — leveraged a $4.7 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which was awarded in 2013.

Frontier Railroad Services was hired in 2015 to restore the line. The project included washout repair, installation of new culverts and other drainage installations, and the placement of hundreds of ties.

NYSW crews repaired electronic and mechanical equipment at grade crossings along the 45 miles of track in the county. That work was completed earlier this month.

The restored freight-rail service is now being marketed to potential customers in Chenango County and elsewhere on the NYSW system.