Pennsylvania Statutes Title 55 P.S. Navigation § 696.2. Findings and declaration of policy

(1) The welfare and vitality of the Commonwealth, the satisfactory movement of goods within the Commonwealth and the economic health of Commonwealth industries are being jeopardized by the deterioration or inadequate provision of rail freight transportation services within the Commonwealth.

(2) The number of miles of rail track within the Commonwealth which have been abandoned, prepared for abandonment or over which service has been terminated, as a result of the reorganization of rail carriers in the northeast United States, has directly threatened the provision of rail freight transportation services upon which the welfare and vitality of the Commonwealth depends.

(3) State assistance for the preservation, rehabilitation and improvement of efficient and coordinated rail freight transportation services, systems and facilities is essential to the solution of these Statewide problems.

(4) The immediacy of the rail freight transportation problems within the Commonwealth necessitates that a comprehensive rail freight study be undertaken of the Commonwealth's transportation services, systems and facilities and concerning their preservation and improvement.