A meeting that included Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s staff, state Senator Frank Farry and officials from Middletown Township, including Supervisor Dana Kane, was held about the Woodbourne Train Station crossing recently.
State Rep Joe Hogan said the meeting focus was to announce the two railroad crossings in Middletown, were chosen for the impact study.
Historically, he said, the crossing at the Woodbourne Train Station is often impacted by blocked crossings and idling of CSX trains.
While the Federal Railroad Administration, under the U.S. Department of Transportation, has jurisdiction over these issues, we have been working closely with our federal counterparts while also exploring what avenues may be to our avail at the state level. We have met with CSX numerous times, explored legislative options at the state level and advocated for possible solutions, Hogan said.
“Through federal legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was able to apply for a grant through the Federal Railroad Administration to study the impacts and effects of crossings. The department picked three crossings to study in the entire Commonwealth. We are pleased to share two of the three crossings chosen for the study are the Township Line and Woodbourne Road crossings. We have been in communication with PennDOT and understand this study is finally moving forward, they executed the grant agreement with the Federal Railroad Administration and selected a consultant to administer the study,” Hogan said in his weekly E-letter.
Hogan invited residents to direct any complaints about this issue, including blocked crossings and idling trains to the Federal Railroad Administration here.
Perhaps a push by locals traveling through and living in the area could get the study off the ground and running seems to be the implication by local, state, and federal officials.
