SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DELIVER $20+ MILLION FOR CRITICAL RAILWAY REPAIRS IN ROCHESTER-FINGER LAKES REGION & SUPPORT MAJOR BUSINESSES THAT RELY ON RAILWAY

New Fed Funding Includes $11M To Replace Ten Miles Of Track In Wayne County And Nearly $10M To Replace Forty Miles Of Track Between Brockport And Lockport

Funding Comes From U.S. Department Of Transportation's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure And Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, Which Senators Boosted In Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law

Schumer, Gillibrand: Getting Rochester-Finger Lakes Rail On Track For Safer Future!

U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $20,843,235 in federal funding to make critical improvements to rail infrastructure in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region. The funding includes $11.2 million for the Ontario Midland Railroad and $9.6 million for the Falls Road Railroad. This federal investment comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program that the Senators fought to boost funding for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law.

"This more than $20 million puts the Rochester-Finger Lakes region on track for a safer future. Thanks to significant federal funding from my Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, New York railroad companies from Lockport to Wayne County now have the resources they need to repair aging tracks that the region's top employers, including Coca-Cola Fairlife, Xerox, Keurig Dr. Pepper/Motts, and more, rely on to grow," said Senator Schumer. "These rail upgrades mean fewer trucks on the road, lower fuel consumption, and more jobs. I will continue fighting to deliver federal support for the infrastructure improvements Upstate New York needs."

"This critical $20-plus million investment thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will upgrade tens of miles of track across the Rochester-Finger Lakes region, ensuring our rail system is safer, faster, and more reliable," said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD). "From Wayne County to Brockport and Lockport, our local railways keep New Yorkers and our businesses moving. These critical repairs will strengthen our supply chains, protect good-paying jobs, and help drive economic growth across Upstate New York."

Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID) received $11,200,000 for the Wayne County Mainline Safety and Reliability Project, which will modernize deteriorating rail infrastructure while advancing several crucial long-term goals for OMID. The project will rehabilitate an approximately 10-mile segment of track in Wayne County, replace approximately nine miles of rail, resurface eight at-grade crossings, replace seven turnouts, remove three turnouts, and perform associated ballast placement, tamping, and surfacing. These improvements will reduce truck traffic, lower fuel consumption, and support workforce growth and economic development. Schumer urged U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator David Fink to deliver this funding for the Rochester-Finger Lakes region.

Ontario Midland Railroad provides important freight rail service to agricultural, manufacturing, transload, and other commercial customers across the region. Schumer explained that current aging infrastructure creates an operational bottleneck, hindering efficiency and long-term success of the businesses and industries that rely on this corridor. Upgrading the East-West line will be the key to unlocking new job growth and sales opportunities for many of the region's top employers, including the Coca-Cola Fairlife milk factory and Xerox's campus in the town of Webster in Monroe County, as well as many of Wayne County's top employers, including Keurig Dr. Pepper/Motts production facility, Sodus Cold Storage facility, and Fleishmann's Vinegar factory. This upgrade would, in turn, benefit the economy of the overall area served by Ontario Midland Railroad and is key to the success of many of the region's top employers, including Thatcher Chemical, Baldwin Richardson Foods, CRC Polymer Systems, Maco Packaging, K.M. Davies Co., and Nutrien Ag, which is a major supplier of fertilizer to local Wayne County farms, and more. This project would provide a critical boost in our efforts to grow new jobs and ensure on-time delivery of raw materials and on-time shipment of these companies' products to market. Upgrades will enhance rail safety and streamline network performance, crucial to maintaining supply-chain continuity in a demanding modern economy.

"We are profoundly grateful to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their relentless advocacy and partnership in securing this critical 2025-2026 grant for the Ontario Midland Railroad. This federal support is a game-changer for our operations, ensuring we can maintain safe, reliable service and continue driving economic growth across the communities we proudly serve. They understand how vital robust short-line rail infrastructure is to Upstate New York, and we thank our Senators for standing with OMID to secure our future," said Robert Babcock, Chairman, and Jeffrey Bauman, President of the Ontario Midland Railroad (OMID).

"We are pleased that the Federal Railroad Administration has approved the Ontario Midland Railroad's application for funding under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program. This funding will support comprehensive modernization of Ontario Midland Railroad's east-west corridor by replacing aging infrastructure with new rail and crossties. These upgrades are essential to eliminating current operational bottlenecks and improving track integrity, which in turn drives greater transportation efficiency across the Greater Rochester, NY region. By revitalizing this line, the project ensures our local manufacturing, agricultural, and transload partners have access to the high-capacity, resilient rail service they need to compete in today's economy," said Matt Hurlbutt, President and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise.

Brian Pincelli, Executive Director, Wayne County Economic Development & Planning, said, "Rail infrastructure is a significant element of economic development, and the OMID system supports key Wayne County agricultural and manufacturing industries. This funding will allow OMID to make key modernization investments that will serve the current and future county economy by removing existing operational bottlenecks, enhancing track integrity, and improving transportation efficiency throughout the region."

In addition, Falls Road Railroad Co. received $9,643,235 for the Falls Branch Track, Crossing, & Bridge Project. The project includes the rehabilitation of approximately 40 miles of track and rail infrastructure between Brockport and Lockport. The project will replace rail and ties, add ballast, resurface main line track, rehabilitate a bridge, and resurface six at-grade crossings.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, which Schumer crafted and led to passage in the Senate, included $5 billion over five years for the CRISI program. The program invests in various projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger and freight rail chokepoints to support more efficient travel and goods movement; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors.

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