Leadbeter Lands Major Financial Investment for Columbia County

January 22, 2026

HARRISBURG –Rep. Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia) announced he was successful in helping Sekisui Kydex, LLC, in Bloomsburg acquire $1 million in grant funding to remove an existing siding and construct a new extended siding to increase capacity at its Bloomsburg South Campus Facility.

“Securing significant investments, like this, is not just about bringing dollars to the table,” said Leadbeter. “It is about strengthening the freight rail system to ultimately create family-sustaining jobs, connect businesses to markets and provide opportunities to communities – all of which play pivotal roles in a thriving economy.”

The grant was awarded through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP).

RFAP gives money to invest in rail freight infrastructure to keep important rail freight service if it makes economic sense and keep or boost economic development by creating new or expanded rail freight service. The most the state will fund for an RFAP project is 70% of the total project costs, up to $700,000. 

RTAP, also known as Capital Budget, is available to applicants with at least one line item in a Capital Budget Act.

Pennsylvania has 65 operating railroads and more than 5,600 miles of freight track, the most of any state in the nation. The RTAP and RFAP programs are administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Rail, Freight, Ports and Waterways and are designed to support public-private partnerships that maintain and enhance the Commonwealth’s rail system.