Rail-served industrial development starts with the right plan.
From site selection and rail access feasibility to conceptual track planning, partner coordination, and potential infrastructure funding, B&H helps companies and communities evaluate practical paths for rail-connected growth across Steuben County and New York’s Southern Tier.
Rail needs to be considered before the site plan is finished.
A parcel may look attractive on a map and still be difficult to serve by rail. Track geometry, grade, switching movements, railcar type, loading methods, utilities, truck circulation, drainage, and future expansion all affect whether a site can support an efficient rail operation.
B&H works with manufacturers, developers, site selectors, property owners, municipalities, engineering firms, and economic development organizations to identify those issues early—when there is still time to improve the plan.
Four parts of a stronger rail-served project.
Begin with the site, freight, and operating need. B&H can help frame the questions, connect the right partners, and determine which next steps deserve further study.
Site selection and location screening
Compare rail-served properties, transload alternatives, highway access, utilities, available land, service territory, and the location factors that affect the freight plan.
Explore Site Selection Support → 02Track feasibility and concept coordination
Review possible connections, track alignment, switching needs, loading areas, clearances, grades, curves, and coordination with qualified engineering and construction partners.
Explore Track Design Support → 03Economic development coordination
Coordinate with local and regional partners to explore sites, infrastructure needs, permitting considerations, and potential public or private funding resources.
Explore Incentive Resources → 04Freight and operating evaluation
Define the commodity, origin, destination, annual volume, railcar type, service requirements, and growth expectations that drive the rail and site decision.
Getting Started With Rail →The right solution may not begin with new track.
Some projects need a greenfield rail-served site. Others can begin at an existing transload facility or adapt an established industrial property with nearby rail access.
Greenfield development
Evaluate available land, facility placement, rail alignment, utilities, highway access, permitting, and future expansion before the layout is fixed.
Existing rail and transload sites
Use established infrastructure to begin moving freight, test a lane, support near-term operations, or reduce the amount of new construction required.
Industrial reuse and expansion
Review existing industrial buildings, former sidings, adjacent railroad property, loading areas, and opportunities to restore or expand rail access.
Move from an early idea to an actionable development plan.
The exact process depends on the project, but strong rail-served developments generally answer the same core questions in a logical order.
Start with the freight.
Commodity, origins, destinations, volume, railcar type, handling, timing, and future growth.
Compare locations.
Rail access, land, utilities, highway connections, buildings, service territory, and community fit.
Evaluate feasibility.
Alignment, grade, curves, switching, loading, storage, drainage, access, and preliminary operating needs.
Engage the partners.
Railroad, owner, engineer, contractor, municipality, utility, agency, and economic development organizations.
Build the next phase.
Detailed engineering, approvals, agreements, funding applications, construction planning, and service preparation.
A useful site plan has to work beyond the property line.
Rail access is part of a larger transportation system. The site must support safe switching, loading, unloading, truck circulation, storage, employee access, utilities, maintenance, and the expected flow of materials through the facility.
Local industrial access with broader network connections.
B&H serves the Wayland–Cohocton–Bath–Coopers Plains–Painted Post corridor, with Norfolk Southern interchange at Painted Post and highway access through I-390, I-86, and I-99.
Development-ready location
Industrial land with rail-development potential and convenient access to I-390 and regional utilities.
Railroad-owned opportunity
Potential transload and industrial-development options near I-390 and B&H’s operating base.
Established transload platform
Rail, warehouse, truck-scale, handling, and industrial capabilities near I-86 and I-99.
Class I connection
Industrial opportunity near B&H’s Norfolk Southern interchange and the I-86 / I-99 corridor.
Infrastructure, incentives, and approvals require coordination.
B&H can help connect a project with local industrial development agencies, municipalities, utilities, regional planning organizations, property owners, engineering firms, contractors, and relevant state or federal resources. Eligibility and funding are never guaranteed, but early coordination can make a project better prepared when opportunities become available.
Bring the railroad into the conversation early.
Share the proposed location, commodity, origins and destinations, annual volume, railcar type, facility concept, timing, and any site plans already available. Jeff and David can help identify the first issues and the right next steps.
Have a site, expansion, or rail access concept to review?
Contact the B&H business development team before the property, building, roadway, utility, and loading plans are finalized. An early conversation can help determine whether direct rail service, an existing rail-served property, or a transload solution is the most practical starting point.