Ontario Midland Railroad has secured an $11.2 million federal grant to rehabilitate approximately 10 miles of track in Wayne County, New York, improving infrastructure that supports the region’s agricultural and manufacturing shippers.
The Wayne County Mainline Safety and Reliability Project will replace approximately nine miles of rail, resurface eight grade crossings, replace seven turnouts and remove three others. Work also includes ballast placement, tamping and track surfacing, according to an Oct. 19 announcement from the railroad and U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
The award comes through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, program. The project is intended to modernize deteriorating infrastructure, improve freight transportation efficiency and support economic development.
“This funding will support comprehensive modernization of Ontario Midland Railroad’s east-west corridor by replacing aging infrastructure with new rail and crossties,” Wayne County Economic Development and Planning Executive Director Brian Pincelli said in the announcement.
Ontario Midland provides local freight service across Wayne and Monroe counties, including the eastern Rochester metropolitan area, and interchanges with CSX at Newark. The railroad has served the region since 1979.
“We are profoundly grateful to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their relentless advocacy and partnership in securing this critical 2025–2026 grant for the Ontario Midland Railroad,” said Ontario Midland Chairman Robert Babcock and President Jeffrey Bauman, in a joint statement. “This federal support is a game-changer for our operations, ensuring we can maintain safe, reliable service and continue driving economic growth across the communities we proudly serve.”
The grant is part of a combined $20.8 million in CRISI funding announced for Ontario Midland and Falls Road Railroad. Falls Road received approximately $9.6 million to rehabilitate rail infrastructure along about 40 miles between Brockport and Lockport, including rail and tie replacement, bridge rehabilitation and resurfacing of six grade crossings.
The investments will help strengthen regional supply chains, reduce truck traffic and fuel consumption, and support businesses that depend on freight rail, the senators said.
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