ACF Industries’ reopened its rail car manufacturing plant in Milton, Pennsylvania, initially hiring 230 employees. ACF expects to create a total of 333 jobs and retain 20 existing jobs in the next three years, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

ACF closed its Milton plant in 2009 because of declining sales. Current growth in the energy industry has created a shortage of railroad storage tank cars and components, allowing ACF to re-open the plant in the spring of 2013, the PDCEDevelopment said. The company received $483,000 in state funding from the Governor’s Action Team for machinery and equipment purchases, as well as employee training.

“Rail cars manufactured in Milton will be shipped to gas fields in the Dakotas and Canada and will be used to carry crude oil to refineries across the country, including the Philadelphia refineries, Gov. Tom Corbett said. In addition, because of the increased extraction of propane from Marcellus Shale and continued growth in the natural gas industry, the company is making plans to begin manufacturing stationary propane tanks at the Milton location by the end of 2013.

“Just four short years ago, this plant lay idle, one of the countless casualties of a national recession, but now, because of Pennsylvania ingenuity and innovation, our booming energy sector has led to an increase for demand in rail cars to transport goods,” Corbett said.“The rebirth of this company represents growth in traditional manufacturing, re-energized by the natural gas industry. By supporting our expanding energy sector and helping to connect industries, we are helping to create a new Pennsylvania.”