ALBANY, N.Y. — The Long Island Rail Road has received $10 million grants for two projects as part of New York state’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program, part of more than $101 million in funding for rail and port infrastructure projects announced on Friday (Jan. 9, 2026).
Those awards, and two $10 million awards to the New York City Department of Small Business Services, are the largest grants among the 25 projects to receive funding across the state.
“New York’s freight rail network is vital to our economy, and these investments represent a down payment on a greener, safer, and more productive state,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a press release. “… Investing in key freight infrastructure is a step forward in reducing New York’s emissions while modernizing our rail system.”
The LIRR funds will go toward a pair of bridge projects. One will replace the Fresh Pond Yard Bridge, at the facility that is the home of New York & Atlantic freight service, with a new structure meeting modern load and clearance standards. The other will rehabilitate the English Kills Bridge to meet those same standards, ensuring continued rail traffic for a key yard in Brooklyn.
The funding for the Department of Small Business Services will go to two port projects. The Hunts Point Marine Terminal Development Project will support electric infrastructure for equipment charging and shore power, as well as new operational facilities and site security. Rehabilitation of Pier 10 will address critical operational needs of the Red Hook Container Terminal.
Other project funding includes:
Capital Region
— $4.2 million to Pan Am Southern for rehabilitation of the Rotterdam Branch. The project will raise track speed on the branch from 10 to 25 mph through installation of welded rail; replacement of crossties, turnouts, and ballast; and 5 miles of track surfacing.
— $1.3 million to the state DOT for a project to upgrade passive crossings on the Hudson Line with active warning devices.
— $555,655 to the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson to install ties and replace crossing surfaces, maintaining Federal Railroad Administration Class 2 conditions for the heritage railway with 37,000 annual riders.
— $464,620 to Albany Port Railroad Corp. to offset cost increases for a Tier 4-compliant switch engine to replace its current Tier 0 unit.
Central New York
— $3.73 million to the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway to construct a mile of new track and two turnouts for a serving yard, supporting regional rail traffic including the railroad’s interchange with CSX in Syracuse.
Finger Lakes Region
— $5.96 million to the Rochester & Southern Railroad fo replacement of its Oatka Creek Bridge, as well as tie replacement on its main line, plus $3.08 million to the R&S to replace its Spring Creek bridge, perform tie replacement, and rehabilitate three grade crossings.
— $4.56 million to the Livingston County Industrial Development Agency for construction of the Jaguar Tubulars rail facility for loading and unloading of coil steel from railcars.
— $3.32 million to the Wyoming County IDA for additional rail spurs, pads, switches, and driveways, expanding the capacity of its Wyoming Transfer Station transload facility.
— $1.77 million to the Senica County IDA to connect a grain facility to the Finger Lakes Railway in Waterloo, N.Y., improving freight access for local producers.
— $1.73 million to the Arcade & Attica Railroad Corp. to make upgrades and replacements to prevent the railroad’s closure.
Mohawk Valley
— $3.03 million to the Mohawk Adirondack & Northern Railroad to install new, heavier rail on the yard ladders at its Utica Yard, increasing capacity.
— $1.66 million to the Onieda County Industrial Development Agency for the Sangerfield Rail Efficiency Project, enhancing rail infrastructure to improve grain and feed loading and unloading.
— $673,300 to the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society for real estate acquisition and addition of a run-around track and equipment storage in Cooperstown Junction, N.Y. This will allow operations to expand 8 miles south of Milford to Cooperstown Junction and an interchange with Norfolk Southern.
North Country
— $5.66 million to the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority to upgrade the Ogdensburg Branch. Work will include replacing 10 miles of rail, one turnout, and four private crossings, as well as lining and surfacing track and rehabilitating a bridge to accommodate industry-standard 286,000-pound railcars.
— $1.62 million to the St. Lawrence Industrial Development Agency for track rehabilitation, grade crossing reconstruction, and improvement of transload capabilities.
Western New York
— $4.68 million to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad to replace more than 21,000 feet of rail, repair four bridges, rehabilitate four turnouts, and improve nine grade crossings on the railroad’s Main Line and Machias Secondary between Buffalo and the Pennsylvania state line.
— $4.39 million to the Erie County Industrial Development Agency to construct a new rail spur to support the operation of steel pipe and tube manufacturer Welded Tube USA; also $1.75 million to the agency to restore 5 miles of the rail corridor on the Buffalo Southern Railroad main line. That project will include replacing failing timber decking, ballast, and a concrete culvert, as well as rehabilitating a siding to return it to FRA Class 2 status.
— $3.65 million to Falls Road Railroad Co. to replace aging rail on its main line, then reuse the older rail to construct new sidings to increase capacity.
— $3.28 million to the South Buffalo Railroad Co. to build three new rail spurs to serve the Lackawanna, N.Y., plant of UFP Industries, which will produce composite decking.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
And it has been in the press that the Arcade & Attica is booming to the point it needed bigger power. Why would it close? How about a little more info.
I don’t see any mention in the above article about rail improvements that were previously shown in a color coded map in past related Trains Mag articles, about the former NJ-NY RR, Pascack Valley commuter line in the upstate Rockland County, NY section???