SEDA-COG rail authority to become independent next year

The SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) in Pennsylvania yesterday announced that the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) will become a fully independent entity on Jan. 1, 2026.

SEDA-COG created the JRA in June 1983 in response to Conrail’s abandonment of several unprofitable rail lines in central Pennsylvania. Recognizing the critical need to maintain freight-rail service in the region, SEDA-COG formed the JRA, an official municipal authority, to purchase and operate those lines.

The move preserved freight service in the region and established the JRA as a nationally recognized public-private partnership, SEDA-COG officials said in a press release.

JRA has grown from two lines serving freight shippers along 80 miles of track to six lines serving freight shippers along 200 miles of track, they said. SEDA-COG will have no formal role in the JRA’s operations after the transition. However, existing relationships with freight shippers and local partners will remain unchanged, they said.

As a fully independent entity, the JRA will continue its mission to preserve and foster rail service in central Pennsylvania and to further economic development through retention, improvement and expansion of the infrastructure and the rail service it supports, they added.