WASHINGTON D.C. (Associated Press) — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced more than $2.4 billion in railroad grants to help pay for 122 projects nationwide in 41 states and Washington D.C. A large part of the money comes from the 2021 infrastructure law that President Joe Biden pushed for. Last year, the administration handed out $1.4 billion in these rail grants.
Most of the money will go to track and bridge upgrades. But some of the grants will be used to bolster training and explore cleaner-burning alternatives to the diesel railroads have long relied on. Some small railroads will also get help upgrading to more efficient locomotives.
Roughly $1.3 billion of the money will go to 81 projects at smaller short line railroads that often have a harder time investing in major projects. Chuck Baker, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association trade group, said some of these grants will be transformational for the short line railroads that receive them.
Some of the grants will also help address rail safety concerns that have become prevalent since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023 and spilled a cocktail of hazardous chemicals that caught fire. Regulators have urged railroads to improve safety and the industry has undertaken a number of initiatives on its own. But bigger changes that lawmakers proposed after the disastrous derailment have stalled in Congress and little progress has been made in the current election year.
Nearly $1.1 billion of the money will be invested in rural areas.
Projects designed to reduce trespassing will receive $32.79 million. Workforce Development projects are worth $53.59 million. New Intercity Passenger Rail projects will receive $218,581,494. The rest of the money will go to an assortment of project improvements.
The Louisiana and North West Railroad Company, LLC, is undertaking the 286K Upgrade Phase 2 project, with funding of up to $27,320,000. Additionally, Timber Rock Railroad, LLC, is initiating the “Bridge to the Future: The Timber Rock Railroad Network Restoration Project,” which has a funding potential of up to $40,000,000.
