County of Chenango IDA secures funds to rehabilitate the railroad

11/20/2012 (Updated 10:32:09 PM)

NORWICH -- You can expect to hear the trains rolling through Chenango County once again.
 
The county's industrial development agency announced today that they obtained enough funds to match a $4.7 million grant from the Economic  Development Administration, needed to rehabilitate the Utica Main Line Railroad, which has been out of service since the 2006 Flood and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

President and CEO of Commerce Chenango, Steve Craig, is excited for the boost to the economy that will come with the rumbling of those train tracks:

"First of all, there's going to be a big boost just when they fix it," said Craig. "Perhaps maybe we can even attract some people who aren't doing business here now to say, 'Chenango County looks good. They've got a good rail length, a good transportation system, and we want to do business there.'"

The County Board of Supervisors passed the resolution today, agreeing to commit up to $200,000 toward the project.