The State of Pennsylvania announced the formal opening of one of the 24 CNG stations planned as part of a Public Private Partnership (P3). Officials from PennDOT, Trillium CNG, and Monroe County Transit Authority (MCTA) marked the start of fueling at the facility in Swiftwater, Monroe County. “This innovative program continues to expand, helping transit agencies save on fuel costs and improve sustainability,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian.
Through the $84.5 million statewide P3 project, Trillium is designing, building, financing, and will operate and maintain CNG fueling stations at 24 public transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement. Other stations will be constructed over the next several years, and Trillium is also making CNG-related upgrades to existing transit maintenance facilities.
“PennDOT is excited to continue expanding this program, to help make transit agencies more sustainable, and create public benefits for years to come,” said PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Jennie Granger. “Compressed natural gas provides a cost savings in comparison to diesel fuel, and it burns cleaner.”
Under the program, MCTA will convert up to 42 vehicles to CNG, with some vehicles already in service. The authority estimates saving roughly $200,000 annually based on current diesel costs and their diesel usage of roughly 180,000 gallons per year.
When the project is completed, the fueling stations will supply natural gas to nearly 700 buses at transit agencies across the state.
Source: State of Pennsylvania
