Federal funding will replace aging track components along a freight corridor serving Central New York businesses.
CORTLAND, N.Y. — Approximately 4.5 miles of freight railroad in Cortland County are in line for upgrades under a $3,168,302 federal award for Cortland County rail upgrades announced October 20 by Representative John W. Mannion.
The funding will go to the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation for work between Cortland and Virgil. According to Mannion’s office, the improvements will span Cortland, Cortlandville and Virgil and are intended to make freight service safer and more reliable.
Mannion said he supported the project in a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The award comes through the Federal Railroad Administration’s fiscal year 2025–2026 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, known as CRISI.
What work will the railroad complete?
The project calls for continuous welded rail, new railroad ties, renewed ballast and track surfacing. Ballast is the stone material beneath and around railroad ties that supports the track. Together, those components help maintain a stable surface for trains.
Mannion’s office said the work will eliminate sections where trains must slow down, reduce maintenance costs and accommodate heavier freight cars. These are expected benefits of the planned improvements, rather than results already achieved.
The announcement concerns freight infrastructure. It does not announce a new passenger route or additional passenger train service.
Mannion and railroad describe economic benefits
“Safe, reliable freight rail helps Cortland County businesses move their products to market and supports jobs across our region,” Mannion said in the release.
He said his advocacy reflected both economic and safety concerns, including conditions for railroad workers and neighboring communities. He also said the upgrades would reduce delays and support reliable service for businesses that use the corridor.
James Bonner, president of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, thanked Mannion for supporting the award. In the release, Bonner said modernizing the infrastructure between Syracuse and Cortland would help the railroad serve existing customers, pursue new business opportunities and support regional industries. He said the project would also help sustain railroad jobs.
Part of a broader modernization effort
Mannion’s office described the work as part of the railroad’s longer-term effort to modernize its Northern Division. Freight businesses depend on reliable track to move goods between customers and larger transportation networks. Removing slow sections is one of the specific operational improvements identified in this award.
Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand separately announced the same $3,168,302 award on October 19. Their announcement identifies the same Cortland-to-Virgil work and approximately 4.5 miles of track. The two announcements refer to the same federal award, so the amounts should not be added together.
For Mohawk Valley readers, this is a regional transportation development in Central New York. The construction described in the release is in Cortland County; the announcement does not identify work in Utica or Oneida County.
What happens next?
The next practical milestone will be the railroad’s construction schedule and implementation of the track improvements. Mannion’s release did not provide a start date, completion date or detailed schedule of potential effects at road crossings. It also did not quantify the number of jobs the project would support.
Those details will matter to businesses that use the line and residents living near the work. The award establishes the announced federal investment, while the expected safety and service improvements will depend on completion of the project.
Sources: October 20, 2026, release from Representative John W. Mannion’s office; Mannion’s letter of support; October 19 announcement from Senators Schumer and Gillibrand.
