The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration awarded almost USD 57 million grants to fund safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems in 18 projects in 16 states. The funding is supported under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) programme.
“These funds will help repair and upgrade rail infrastructure that will increase safety and service,” the Transport Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.
The Department’s Notice of Funding Opportunity reserved at least 25 percent of the awards for rural projects.
USD 10 million is required for restoration and initiation project in North Carolina envisaging three grade separations on the CSX S line north of Raleigh. The improvements will be the first construction projects on the planned Raleigh to Richmond section of the Southeast Corridor Sealed Corridor and will directly improve the safety and reliability of both highway and rail transport.
Eight rural projects will receive a total financing of USD 20.3 million, of which the largest portion, of USD 6.3 million will go to New York for the Hudson line envisaging the replacement of timber bridge decks with ballast decks on three bridges along the line. The project will bring the bridges into a state of good repair, eliminate current speed restrictions, accommodate future speed increases to 180 km/h and reduce maintenance costs. This section of the Hudson Line hosts 26 Amtrak trains per day, as well as freight service.
Other rural rail projects include Arkansas on-system grade crossing approach improvements (USD 685 thousand), the modernisation of the state-owned Heart of Georgia Class III rail corridor (USD 2 million), Iowa’s Booneville Bridge replacement (USD 3.4 million), corridor consolidation and at-grade crossing safety improvement for 30.5 km section in southwest Missouri (USD 2.58 million), the replacement of 4 km section of South Dakota West River Rail (USD 978 thousand), installing 13,682 new rail ties and 13,415 tonnes of ballast on Panhandle Northern Rail in Texas (USD 2 million) and USD 2 million will go to Vermonter Amtrak safety project for passenger and freight transport services.
Other rail projects will receive a total of USD 26.6 million, of which, the largest portion, of over USD 7 million will be allotted to replace the Broadway Truss component of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis’s (TRRA) MacArthur Bridge in Missouri.
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