November 24, 2009

Glendale, NY - Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Tim Bishop announced that New York Governor David Patterson has certified the use of $4.8 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to rehabilitate the rail spur at an industrial park located at Calverton on Long Island. New York & Atlantic Railway, as the rail freight operator on Long Island, will serve this industrial park (the Enterprise Park at Calverton, EPCAL) and will work with the Town of Riverhead to attract businesses to EPCAL. When the rehabilitation is complete, EPCAL will be the largest increase in decades of Long Island property accessible by rail freight.

“Investing Recovery Act funding in Long Island’s freight infrastructure is a win- win”, Schumer said. “This project is a great example of how the stimulus is creating jobs and essential new infrastructure to build a stronger economy.”

Congressman Tim Bishop, who has worked to fund the rail extension as a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said, “Transporting goods by freight to and from Calverton will lower the costs of goods, create jobs and remove trucks from our crowded roadways.”  “The reconstruction of the Calverton Rail Spur will result in a great leap forward in the development of EPCAL” said Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale.