In a major boost to rail infrastructure, both passenger and freight, the Federal Railroad Administration is awarding $2.4 billion in grants to 122 rail projects that aim to improve the safety, resilience and efficiency of the railway
The grants, which FRA and its parent U.S. Department of Transportation announced Oct. 30, will go to projects in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
The projects cover various types of work, including track improvements, bridge replacements and rehabilitations, and other improvements.
The grants are the latest round of funding from the CRISI (Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement) programme.
Congress created CRISI in 2015, but the program saw its authorization increase to $1 billion annually over five years under the Jobs and Infrastructure Investment Act of 2021 (IIJA).
FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in a statement that with the IIJA funds, the agency is “reversing a half-century of federal underinvestment in America’s rail network and delivering the world-class railroad that our citizens deserve it.”
The group’s largest grant is for up to $215.1 million to the New York State DOT to replace the Livingston Avenue Mobile Rail Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between the capital city of Albany and Rensselaer, New York.
The project will, among other things, allow for simultaneous two-track operations, eliminate speed restrictions, improve operating speeds and increase vertical and horizontal track separations, according to an FRA fact sheet.
New York State will provide a 60% non-federal match for the project.
Other major award recipients include the city of Springfield, Illinois. It was awarded a $157.1 million CRISI grant that will help fund track realignment and construction of a new Amtrak station in the city.
The project will complete the final segment of the track realignment to consolidate the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern corridors into a multi-track corridor.
The City of Springfield, Sangamon County, the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois DOT will provide the 20% non-federal match.
The North Carolina Railroad Co., is receiving $105.6 million for project development, final design and construction of its NC line. The line is facing increased demands, according to FRA.
In California, the Orange County Transportation Authority was selected for a $100 million grant for a project on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner Corridor. The works include the final design and construction and improvements of the track.
The project aims to improve the resilience of the rail service by stabilizing the tracks to protect against the impact of sea level rise and beach erosion. The transportation authority will provide a non-federal match of approximately 68%.
The Wisconsin DOT won a $72.8 million grant for a bypass project in Milwaukee. Funds will go toward final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction to upgrade and reconfigure the railroad and a yard at the Muskego Yard bypass. The work includes a new two-track main line.
The Wisconsin DOT and Amtrak will offer a 20% match.
Many rural projects among those selected
CRISI has a legislative reserve for projects in rural areas, which requires that at least 25% of the program’s allocated funds go to rural areas. FRA said that in the latest round, rural areas received $1.1 billion of the total $2.4 billion awarded.
Short-line railways, which are important in rural areas, praised the new round of the CRISI programme.
Chuck Baker, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, he said the program “has proven transformative for the short-haul industry.”
The association said short lines received $1.29 billion, or 52%, of the round’s total funding and 81 of the 121 selected projects were proposed by short-line railways or their partners.
