A proposed $32 million rail spur in Vermont has been put on hold indefinitely.
The 3.3-mile rail spur in Middlebury would be used to alleviate truck traffic between marble processor Omya's quarry and its calcium carbonate plant in Pittsford.
The Rutland Herald reports Omya plant manager Jim Stewart said given the sluggish economy and the cost of the project, the company and Vermont Rail Systems are not pursuing it.
He said an analysis concluded that building the rail spur would be far more costly than continuing to ship the raw material by truck on Route 7.
Vermont Railway President David Wulfson said the project cost about $7.5 million when it was first discussed about 20 years ago. He said it's taken so long to go through the environmental work.
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