Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad, headquartered in Port Clinton and serving companies in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, is one of the 33 recipients for funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

The railroad will receive $700,000 to rehabilitate track in the Buck Mountain Tunnel in Delano, including replacing 2,478 ties.Rail freight improvement projects that will help sustain more than 43,000 jobs across Pennsylvania were approved for funding from three PennDOT-managed programs, Gov. Tom Corbett announced Wednesday."Pennsylvania has more operating railroads than any other state, and investing in our rail freight network keeps these invaluable assets in prime position to generate economic growth and jobs," Corbett said. "Improving rail networks not only spurs our economy, it also increases safety by helping to ease traffic on our highways."The State Transportation Commission voted to approve $33.4 million for 15 projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and 14 projects through the Rail Freight Assistance Program.RTAP is a capital budget grant program funded with bonds and RFAP is underwritten through the new Multi-Modal Fund, created by Act 89.In November, Corbett signed Act 89, a transportation program that clears the way for significant investments in all transportation modes.The transportation commission approved $1.3 million for four projects from Marcellus Shale impact fees designated for distribution through PennDOT's Bureau of Rail Freight, Ports and Waterways.