(The following story by Amanda Cochran appeared on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website on July 22.)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Eighty cars loaded with coal will move through Indiana County this weekend for the first time on a 16-mile stretch of refurbished track that opened with an inaugural run Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Ed Rendell, elected officials and representatives from Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad Inc., and its parent company, Genesee & Wyoming Inc., opened the line that had not been used for more than 12 years.
The tracks will cut through the borough and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, providing a route to supply coal from area mines to the EME Homer City Generating Station.
Rendell said the project will have a positive impact on the local economy.
“As railroads come back, I think we’ll see renewed economic growth in Indiana County. It’s a win-win situation,” he said, adding that “(Pennsylvania is) blessed with a number of great assets … that have not gone away.”
Later in the day, Rendell also traveled to the nearby Indiana County community of Black Lick to announce that 300 jobs would be created as the result of a $1.05 million PennWorks infrastructure improvements grant. The money will support the relocation and expansion of Conveyor Services Co. and pay for sewer infrastructure improvements in the Sherwood Terrace area.
In Indiana, the $9.6 million railroad project funded by state, federal and railroad monies is a cooperative effort that is the “product of a great partnership of private and public officials,” according to David J. Collins, president of B&P.
“It was truly a railroad lost to the wilderness,” Collins said, explaining the track had been in poor condition for years prior to the project.
Next year, Collins said, it is expected that 1 million tons of coal — equal to 40,000 truckloads — will move on the rail line to the power plant.
State Sen. Donald C. White, an Indiana County Republican, said the project will provide a better way for the area’s coal companies to compete.
“We will get coal there faster, safer and cheaper and that’s what it’s all about,” White said.
Guy Gorney, president of Midwest Generation and vice president of Coal Generation for the Edison Mission Group, which operates the EME Homer City Generating Station, said 260 men and women work at the power plant. He added that the plant actively supports hundreds of other jobs.
“It’s good for us; it’s good for the workers,” he said.
State Rep. Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney, whose district includes parts of Armstrong, Jefferson and Indiana Counties, said if rail lines disappear “they’ll never come back.”
“They’re not just locomotives sitting there — they will drive and pull us into the future,” the state House majority leader said.
Because the line cuts directly through town, police and fire officials are concerned for the safety of residents.
Trooper Ed Smidt, a 17-year veteran of the Pennsylvania State Police, said he planned to ride with the engineer to determine how motorists react at railroad crossings. He said a mock train crash held in September also helped police and fire officials to get an idea as to how to handle casualties in train collisions.
“We’re getting prepared and trying to be prepared,” added Charles Kelly, an Indiana firefighter. He said he anticipates some traffic problems in the area.
During the ceremony, a group of parents and children dressed in hockey uniforms and carrying signs that read “Don’t take recreation for granted” held a quiet demonstration to persuade elected officials to fund a public recreation center for the Indiana area.
Jody Lewandowski, of Indiana, has two children in the hockey programs. She said she’d like to see the Indiana Ice and Expo Center, which is currently for sale, become a public facility.
But others in the group said “the community has no money” to pay for the purchase.
Rendell spoke briefly to the group and agreed to look into the matter.
“We will do what we can do,” he said.
Meanwhile, at a time when programs and services are being cut across the state, Rendell also defended his decision to approve recent pay raises — averaging 16 percent — for state lawmakers, judges and other officials.
“I understand the concern,” he said, adding that he has received around 150 e-mails and complaint letters in recent weeks. He said if he is re-elected, he will not take the pay raise.
“That was the deal I made when I was elected.”