Press Release

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved a settlement agreement with Penn Eastern Rail Lines to alter the rail-highway crossing with Locust Street in the Borough of Denver, Lancaster County.

Penn Eastern will prepare a detailed sketch of the alteration of the rail-highway crossing and submit it to the PUC within 30 days of today’s order being entered. A 20-day comment period will follow for the parties of the case to review the sketch. The parties include Penn Eastern; Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot); the Borough of Denver; Lancaster County; and the PUC’s Bureau of Transportation and Safety.

Once the sketch is approved, Penn Eastern will remove the southernmost sidetrack from the Locust Street roadway and pave the roadway approaches, the crossing and the pedestrian crossing with new asphalt. Penn Eastern then will purchase and install new reflective crossbucks on the northern and southern approaches to the crossing. PennDot has agreed to reimburse Penn Eastern up to $1,000 for the new reflective crossbucks.

The borough is responsible for painting stop bars and installing additional warning signs at the crossing.

After the Locust Street crossing alterations are finished, Penn Eastern will stop its trains before they enter the crossing. A member of the train crew will warn the public of the approaching train by stopping traffic at the crossing.

Penn Eastern and the Borough of Denver must alter the rail-highway crossing by Dec. 31, 2002, to the satisfaction of the PUC.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission ensures safe, reliable and reasonably priced electric, natural gas, water, telephone and transportation service for Pennsylvania consumers, by regulating public utilities and by serving as responsible stewards of competition.