Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell awarded more than $8 million to help finance 31 rail freight improvement projects that are expected to create more than 1,300 new jobs in Pennsylvania.

The State Transportation Commission approved the projects and the money will be used for construction, maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of rail lines, rail sidings and grade crossings. Funding for these projects come from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's 2006 Rail Freight Assistance Program.

Pennsylvania leads the nation with 62 operating railroads. With 5,100 miles of track, the state ranks fifth in the nation in total track mileage.

List of each recipient, the project location, amount of each grant and work to be undertaken follows:

Allegheny Valley Railroad Company, Scottsdale, received $420,000 to rehabilitate a portion of the P&W subdivision near Etna, Allegheny County. Approximately 52,700 trucks will be removed from the roadways with this project.

The Tech Industries Inc., Pittsburgh, received $313,250 for track maintenance at the Metal Tech plant in Pittsburgh. More than 9,000 trucks will be removed annually from the roadways with this project.

East Penn Railways Inc., Langhorne, was awarded $168,000 for tie and rail replacement in portions of Bucks and Delaware counties. The project will
create 15 jobs and remove 5,700 trucks from the roadway.

R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines, Nicholasville, KY, received $450,000 to repair the Fulton Tunnel in Clearfield County. Tunnel repairs will increase operational efficiency, allow for safer operations, decrease the risk of derailments and reduce damage to equipment. More than 50,000 trucks will be removed from the roadway.

River Hill Coal Co. Inc., Karthaus, received $450,000 to maintain coal loading operations for domestic and export markets and to serve a new power plant within two miles of the facility near Karthaus, Clearfield County. The project will create five jobs and remove about 4,600 trucks from the highways.

Oil Creek & Titusville Lines Inc., Gowanda, NY, was awarded $146,300 for a maintenance project that will allow heavier rail cars to operate at greater
speeds in portions of Crawford and Venango counties. Service to seven existing shippers will be safer and more efficient, which could attract new rail freight customers. In addition, an estimated 1,000 trucks will be removed from the highways.

Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad Company, Middletown, received $406,848 for a maintenance and construction project that will provide safer handling of hazardous materials and restore interchange capacity. The project will create three jobs and remove approximately 390 trucks from the roadway.

Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation, Erie, was awarded $450,000 to restore rail service to the 120-acre industrial park, initially servicing a multi-million-dollar bio-diesel manufacturing company, a juice-manufacturing plant and a paint/solvent-production facility. The project, when completed, is expected to create 601 jobs and remove nearly 12,000 trucks from the roadway.

Fay-Penn Industrial Development Corporation, Uniontown, was awarded $233,345 to rehabilitate 10 miles of track along the FM&P subdivision near Uniontown, Fayette County. Approximately 13,000 trucks will be removed from the highways.

Compression Polymers Corp., Moosic, received $99,754 for an in-plant track construction project that will double the capacity of rail service at the facility in Scranton. An additional 120-plus jobs will be created and 1,800 trucks removed from the roadways.

Landisville Terminal & Transfer Co., Langhorne, received $123,376 to upgrade the rail line to handle 286,000-lb. rail cars in the East Hempfield, Lancaster County area. Six jobs will be created and 1,700 trucks removed from the highway.

Penn Eastern Rail Lines Inc., Langhorne, was awarded $161,000 for a maintenance project on the Lancaster, Colebrook and Chester Valley branches in portions of Lancaster, Berks and Montgomery counties. Ten jobs will be created and 5,800 trucks removed from the highway.

Alaron Corporation, of Wampum, was awarded $116,634 to reconstruct an existing rail spur and add a new rail spur to handle special rail cars that transport hazardous nuclear waste. Five jobs will be created and 6,000 trucks removed from the highway.

Ellwood Industrial Facilities Company, of New Castle, was awarded $217,917 to rehabilitate track within the industrial complex to help reduce derailments and allow for safer, more efficient rail operations. Approximately 6,000 trucks will be removed from the roads.

Tanner Industries Inc., of Southampton, was awarded $100,000 to construct track to connect with the New Castle Industrial Railroad. The project will create 12 jobs and remove 440 trucks from the highway.

Vortex Recycling, of New Castle, Lawrence County, received $100,000 for construction of track at Riverview Commerce Park. Used oil filters for recycling will be brought into the facility by rail. The project will create 13 jobs and remove 400 trucks from the highway.

Pennsy Supply Inc., of Hummelstown, was awarded $450,000 to rehabilitate track at the company's yard in North Annville Township, Lebanon County. Approximately 140,000 trucks will be removed from the highway.

Brook Contracting Inc., Hazleton, received $100,000 for a project that will allow the company to transport anthracite coal by rail for sale in domestic and export markets. This project will create five jobs and remove 2,400 trucks from the highway.

Community Area New Development Organization (CANDO) Inc., Hazleton, was awarded $561,890 to improve the rail infrastructure within the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. The improved rail service will support new business growth associated with 1,200 developable acres. 150 jobs are expected to be created and 7,000 trucks removed from the highway.

Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad, Port Clinton, was awarded $450,000 for the rehabilitation and upgrading of track on the Scranton branch and the Scranton running track in portions of Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. The project will create two jobs and remove about 50,000 trucks from the highways.

SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority, Lewisburg, received $28,000 to construct an unloading dock in Montoursville, Lycoming County, for a new furniture manufacturer that does not currently use rail. The project will create 15 jobs and remove 35 trucks from the highway.

Mercer Company, Sharon, received $254,100 for major track rehabilitation work that enhances the steel making process of A&K Steel in Sharon, Mercer County. An estimated 5,500 trucks will be removed from the highway.

Standard Steel LLC, Burnham, received $280,000 to rehabilitate 15 miles of rail infrastructure within the Mifflin County facility. The project will
create 50 jobs and remove more than 3,000 trucks from the highway.

Monadnock Non-Wovens of Pocono Summit, Scranton, received $64,750 to construct a new rail siding in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County. Four jobs will be created and 47 trucks removed from the highway.

Lansdale Warehouse Co. Inc., Lansdale, received $360,499 for phase two of a $12 million project to upgrade track and rail freight service in Montgomery
County. An estimated 9,400 trucks will be removed from roadways.

PBS Coals Inc., Friedens, received $289,678 for track rehabilitation on the Cambria line to enable easier access to rail shipment customers. The first
step in a major company expansion, the project is expected to create 156 jobs and remove 80 trucks from the highway.

The Franklin Investment Corp., d/b/a Franklin Industries Co., Franklin, received $249,900 for phase two of a track rehabilitation project that will enable the company to maintain rail service. Five jobs are expected to be created and 3,250 trucks removed from highways.

Galli Beer Distributing Co. Inc., New Kensington, received $184,240 to rehabilitate track and renew a rail crossing at the company in New Kensington, Westmoreland County. The project will remove 1,300 trucks from the highways.

Lehigh Specialty Melting Inc., Latrobe, was awarded $287,669 to upgrade deteriorated track within the plant to ensure safe rail service and to accommodate heavier rail cars of scrap that are shipped in and out of the Westmoreland County facility. The project will create 62 jobs and remove 200 trucks from the highways.

Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation, Greensburg, was awarded $233,345 for track rehabilitation on the Radebaugh subdivision and
the Bullskin branch in parts of Westmoreland and Fayette counties. The project will remove 13,000 trucks from the highway.

York Railway Company, York, was awarded $249,508 for track rehabilitation in York, West Manchester, Spring Garden and Jackson townships. The project
will create 98 jobs and remove 36,000 trucks from the highway.