MDDE Resumes Freight Service to Snow Hill, MD

Federalsburg, MD - The Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company (MDDE) has resumed freight service to Tyson Foods in Snow Hill, Maryland.

MDDE made its first delivery to Tyson since 2012 on June 18, 2019.

MDDE and local officials celebrate the return of freight trains to Snow Hill

In 2018, MDDE began a major capital improvement project on its Snow Hill Line – which runs from Frankford, Delaware to Snow Hill, Maryland – that will continue through 2021. The Railroad obtained a $2 million Secretary’s Grant through the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), which is being matched with $1 million of MDDE’s own funds. Also supporting the project, for both the Railroad and Tyson Foods, are the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

MDDE President Cathrin Banks said the following of the service resumption: “I would like to express my deep gratitude for the support this project has received from the Maryland Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. We are indebted to Secretary Rahn, Secretary Bartenfelder, Secretary Schulz, and Secretary Holt for their generosity, not just in terms of the financial assistance being provided, but also with regard to the sweat equity of the many phone calls, meetings and hours of work that have gone into getting us to this point. We are also very grateful to Tyson Foods for their willingness to rebuild our relationship, which I hope will be mutually beneficial. It is truly incredible to see so many entities pulling together towards a common goal.”

The Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company is a short line railroad with a network of approximately 120 miles, and has served freight customers on the Delmarva Peninsula for over 40 years.

MDDE spots the first loaded railcars at Tyson Foods in seven years