U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Elaine L. Chao has announced the recipients of $248.5 million in grants for funding 32 state and local railroad infrastructure projects. The grants, which aim to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems, will be administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
“This $248.5 million federal investment will upgrade rail infrastructure and enhance safety on the tracks and at railroad crossings in rural and urban communities across America,” said Secretary Chao.
The following projects were included in the funding:
- Up to $18,803,354 - Delmarva Central Railroad Co. (DCR) to refurbish three DCR rail bridges in Bear and Seaford, Del., and Pocomoke City, Md.; upgrade more than 100 miles of track between Porter, Del., and Lecato, Va.; and improve roughly nine railroad crossings in Delaware and Maryland.
- Up to $14,459,100 - Ellis and Eastern Company for upgrades along roughly 38 miles of Class III Ellis and Eastern rail infrastructure between Brandon, S.D., and Worthington, Minn., on approximately 11 bridges, one siding, approximately six miles of rail, and about 45 grade crossings.
- Up to $27 million - Kansas Department of Transportation to upgrade track, including rail replacement, ties, ballast, turnouts, repair bridges, and grade crossings on the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad Tulsa, Moline, and Neodesha Subdivisions allowing approximately 80 percent of the railroad to be 286K capable.
- Up to $26,600,000 - Wisconsin Department of Transportation to reconfigure the existing Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) rail and yard facilities to double-track the CP’s mainline through the Muskego Yard, moving freight traffic out of the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and reducing the number of grade crossings CP freight trains cross in Milwaukee.
“These grants support the economic vitality of our nation’s rural and urban communities all around the country,” remarked FRA Administrator Ronald Batory.