Harrington, DE (March 18, 2020) – Delmarva Central Railroad Company (DCR) announced this week that it was awarded a federal grant for up to $18.8 million, for a project to refurbish three moveable rail bridges over navigable waterways in Middletown and Seaford, Delaware, and Pocomoke City, Maryland; upgrade over 100 miles of track between Porter, Delaware, and Lecato, Virginia; and improve nine grade crossings in Delaware and Maryland.
The CORRIDOR Project – Critical Ongoing Railroad Rehabilitation Improving Delmarva Operations & Reliability – is a multi-year project that plans to rehabilitate the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge near Middletown, the Seaford (DE) moveable bridge, and the Cassatt moveable bridge in Pocomoke City, Md. The project also will improve track conditions allowing speeds up to 25mph over most of DCR’s mainline, thereby reducing train delays at crossings and improving freight transit times and service reliability for rail customers. The project also upgrades nine public railroad crossings in Delaware and Maryland, resulting in improved safety and road surface conditions for the public.
Part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, the grants total nearly $250 million and were authorized as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to improve infrastructure safety, efficiency, and reliability.
“We’d like to thank Secretary Chao and the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as Administrator Batory and the Federal Railroad Administration for their support of this critical rural infrastructure project” said Mark Rosner, president. “We are very grateful for all of the support we’ve received from all levels of stakeholders who benefit from vibrant and robust rail freight operations on the Delmarva Peninsula, including customers, economic development entities, local governments and partner railroads. We wish to express special thanks to Delaware Senators Carper and Coons, for their continued support for safe and efficient freight rail service on the Eastern Shore.”
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About Delmarva Central Railroad
The Delmarva Central Railroad Company (DCR), a subsidiary of Carload Express Inc. (CEI), operates 188 miles of rail line in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The lines run from near Porter, Delaware, (south of Wilmington) south to Hallwood, Virginia; and from Harrington, Delaware, to Frankford, Delaware, with branches to Milton and Gravel Hill. DCR interchanges with Norfolk Southern, as well as the Maryland & Delaware Railroad in several locations on the Delmarva Peninsula.
DCR is managed locally from offices in Harrington, Delaware. Freight operations are based out of Harrington, Dover, Seaford and Delmar.
About Carload Express
Carload Express Inc. operates four shortline railroads: The Allegheny Valley Railroad (AVR) and Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad (SWP) serving western Pennsylvania; the Ohio Terminal Railway (OHIO) serving the Ohio River Valley bordering Ohio and West Virginia; and the Delmarva Central Railroad (DCR) serving Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia on the Delmarva Peninsula. The company handled nearly 90,000 shipments last year, equating to roughly 360,000 fewer trucks on local highways, lowering congestion and road maintenance costs, while significantly reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. The company and its 105 employees operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week, serving over 100 customers on 344 route miles of track. For more information, please see: carloadexpress.com.
