In a joint effort to move into a new Century of Railroading, the Maryland & Delaware Railroad and the State of Maryland have completed a major track rehabilitation of two principal local rail corridors.

In a $6.8 Million rehabilitation, the routes from Seaford, De., to Hurlock, Md., and Townsend, De., to Massey, Md., have been upgraded to handle 286,000 lb. rail cars. This is a vital move for the survival of the lines as rail cars, especially those specializing in the movement of agricultural products, continue to get bigger and heavier.

During the course of the project, 24 miles of track were resurfaced with a total of 50,000 new ties and 80,000 tons of new ballast. With the new track surface permitting the movement of heavier cars, customers will be able to send and receive more goods at one time, thus improving the logistics of each carload move.