The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) earlier this month announced more than $326 million in grants for a wide variety of state and local railroad infrastructure projects.
The agency gave the grants as part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program and the Special Transportation Circumstances Program. The feds are funding 45 projects in 29 states.
“These investments in intercity passenger and freight rail will benefit surrounding communities, make grade crossings safer and improve service reliability,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a news release.
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorized the CRISI Program. The FRA granted more than one-third of the funds — more than $118 million — to rural projects.
“These are the partnerships that help rural and urban communities thrive economically,” FRA Administrator Ronald Batory said in a news release. “The participation of multiple partners demonstrates the importance of these funds and tells us they will be a key asset in improving safety for communities and railroads around the country.”
As part of the $326 million in grants, FRA is announcing more than $2 million in Special Transportation Circumstances grant funds to the state of Alaska. These are also authorized by the FAST Act.
