Feds Announce More Than $2.3 Billion for Rail Infrastructure, Safety Projects

The Federal Railroad Administration is handing out $2.3 billion for freight and passenger rail projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia.

More than 2,000 miles of track across America will see improvements thanks to funding from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Grant Program, which received a record number of eligible applications this cycle.

Selected projects will also receive over $1.9 billion in non-Federal funding from state, local, and private partners.

Included in the 105 projects in 45 states is:

• $33.6 million for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Company to improve rail infrastructure resilience, including track rehabilitation and improvement between Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Monett, Missouri. The project will replace rail, install new ties, upgrade a siding to a double-ended siding configuration, add two new siding tracks, and install 14 wayside rail lubricators on high-degree curves on the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad Company.
• $43.5 million for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to rehabilitate and modernize the Toledo Swing Bridge over the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The project will rehabilitate eight of the 11 bridge spans and replace the bridge’s timber fender systems, enabling 286,000-pound railcar capacity.
• $37 million for the Maine Department of Transportation to rehabilitate approximately 90 miles of railroad line in Northern Maine as part of the Northern Aroostook Rail Gateway Modernization and Safety project. The project will replace rail, ties, and ballast and rehabilitate the deck of a railroad bridge.
• $20 million for the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway Company in North Carolina to rehabilitate and improve rail infrastructure in Montgomery and Stanly counties. The project will install approximately 30 miles of continuous welded rail, rehabilitate bridges, and modernize crossing signals.
• $30 million for the Texas City Terminal Railway Company to realign the Port of Texas’ vehicle entrance gate and rehabilitate and expand the yard. The project will address a safety conflict between trains and vehicles entering a petroleum facility and enable the Port to meet existing and projected demand for exporting multiple types of petrochemicals.
• The Wisconsin DOT will receive $218 million to support improvements to the Hiawatha West project. The project includes extending existing Chicago–Milwaukee Hiawatha passenger rail service to Waukesha, Jefferson, and Dane counties in Wisconsin; rehabilitating and expanding the capacity of track, bridges, and crossings; and constructing new intercity passenger rail stations.

In a release, the feds said that CRISI applications were evaluated according to several criteria, including project readiness, technical merit, and project benefits.