WASHINGTON – The company purchasing a closed steel mill in Conshohocken, Pa., from steel company Cleveland-Cliffs also plans to buy the mill’s railroad, according to a regulatory filing.<\/p>\n
According to a notice of exemption<\/a> accepted by the Surface Transportation Board, Conshohocken Rail will purchase the Upper Merion & Plymouth, which operated about 11 track miles to serve the 66-acre Conshohocken plant closed by Cleveland-Cliffs in May 2025. Conshohocken Rail was formed by developer MLP Ventures<\/a> to operate the railroad. MLP seeks to build a large-scale data center at the site, according to a Plymouth Township press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n Conshohocken Rail says it will operate the railroad as a Class III common carrier. The company reached agreement with Cleveland-Cliffs in January to purchase the line, according to Conshohocken’s STB filing<\/a>. It says it will provide service “as needed \u2026 either itself or through a contract service provider.”<\/p>\n MLP’s application<\/a> to the township\u2019s Zoning Hearing Board says it plans to repurpose the property’s 10 buildings into a data center that could encompass almost 2 million square feet. The company argues that warehouses are allowed under the property’s current zoning, and that data centers “are consistent with and have the same general characteristics as a warehouse.”<\/p>\n MLP originally applied for a zoning exemption to redevelop the property last year, but later withdrew that application. WPHL-TV reports<\/a> that neighbors have opposed the project since it was first announced, citing concerns about noise, pollution, and the facility’s potential impacts on energy costs and the Schuylkill River.<\/p>\n The site is about 12 miles northwest of Philadelphia’s Center City.<\/p>\n