Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 30, 1994                   TAG: 9408020033
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: New River Valley bureau
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

CORNING GETS STATE FUNDS TO REFURBISH RAIL SPUR

The move will allow the company, which over the past 18 months has invested $12 million to expand its production, to shift a portion of its freight to boxcars instead of tractor-trailers.

In May, Corning applied for $150,000 to rehabilitate a Norfolk Southern rail line that served the company before it closed in the mid-80s. Rail transportation is a "smarter and more economical decision," Corning's facilities engineer Kelly Bridge said then.

With its expansion - and creation of about 40 jobs - Kelly said there's roughly a 50 percent increase in the amount of materials Corning ships out. The company, which reopened in 1988, makes parts for catalytic converters.

Corning anticipates shipping materials on 100 rail cars a year, and hopes to have the rail refurbishing completed around January, Bridge said.

While Corning's $150,000 request was endorsed in resolutions by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, the Montgomery Regional Economic Development Commission and the Christiansburg Town Council, it received only half that amount because of the large amount of funding applications for industrial access railroad track funds, transportation officials said.

Bill Ketron, transportation program supervisor with the department of rail and transportation, said there were $1.8 million worth of requests, with the department budgeted to give out $825,000. It spread its funds around mainly by granting lower amount than requested by parties.