ORDC Supports 4 CRISI Grant Applications

The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved supporting four grant applications to the Federal Railroad Administration.

The four projects are seeking a collective $52 million in federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grant funding.

The four projects include a $4.3 million project by R.J. Corman to rebuild track near Dover and Clinton. The track rehabilitation would eliminate slow orders and restore FRA Class II track speeds.

In the Cincinnati region, Norfolk Southern, CSX, and Genesee & Wyoming, are cooperating to review and establish priorities for projects that would reduce congestion in the vicinity of /Queensgate Yard.

The Kanawha River Railroad and NS are seeking $32.5 million to rebuild a rail route between Columbus and Cornelia, West Virginia.

NS owns the track but rail operations are conducted by the KRR, a subsidiary of short line holding company Watco.

The project will eliminate slow orders and restore Class II track speeds across the line.

In western Ohio, the Napoleon Defiance & Western is seeking $13.2 million to complete rehabilitating track between Defiance and Napoleon.

The project would bring the entire line back to a state of good repair.

CRISI Grant Funding Pool is $1.4B

A notice of funding opportunity was issued last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants.

The agency said it plans to award $1.4 billion in CRISI funding to projects designed to improve freight- and passenger-rail infrastructure. 

In a news release, USDOT said CRISI grant funding has more than tripled due to an infusion of funding provided by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The news release noted that CRISI grants are a major source of funding for short line freight railroads. The deadline to apply for a CRISI grant is Dec. 1.

Under terms of the IIJA, at least $376,035,000, or 25 percent of amounts appropriated, will be made available for projects in rural areas. At least $150,000,000 will be made available for capital projects in support of new intercity passenger rail service routes including alignments of existing routes.
At least $25,000,000 will be devoted to projects seeking to prevent trespassing on railroad property and to reduce associated trespasser injuries and fatalities.

2 Ohio Rail Projects Awarded CRISI Grants

Two Ohio railroad projects have been awarded Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants.

The grants are being awarded by the Federal Railroad Administration, which said 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia will share $368 million in CRISI grants.

In a news release, the FRA said the projects are designed to improve and expand passenger-rail service and fund conventional and high-speed rail lines, as well as increase supply-chain resilience and fluidity, support short lines, invest in new technology and safety advancements and benefit rail industry workforce development and training activities.

In Ohio, the Wheeling & Lake Erie Spencer Connection Project will receive up to $6,868,768 to be used to construct a new connecting track and extension of yard tracks in Spencer.

The project goal is to eliminate switching movements and allow trains to directly access the yard from the Brewster and Akron subdivisions.

Work will include construction of a third connecting track between the two subdivisions and construction of eastward extensions of the existing transfer and pass tracks.

This work will include new turnouts and track relocations, as well as new ballast and drainage improvements. The revised layout will eliminate a number of reversing movements for trains and expand overall capacity.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission and W&LE will provide a 30 percent match.

In Cincinnati, the River Road Highway/Rail Grade Crossing Safety Improvements will receive up to $6,067,200.

The project will make safety improvements to four crossings on CSX and Central Railroad of Indiana including new signal equipment. The City of Cincinnati will provide a 20 percent match.

Two CRISI grants went to rail projects in Michigan.

The Great Lakes Corridor Improvement will receive up to $21.3 million, to rehabilitate track and rail assets of the Great Lakes Central.

Work will involve rebuilding track just north of Ann Arbor, including installing 4.25 miles of new rail, eliminating joints on an additional 41.25 miles, replacing or rehabilitating 11 bridges and culverts, and installing approximately 30,000 ties on mainline and siding track.

The project will eliminate 16 slow orders covering 45 miles of the 260-mile mainline corridor and will result in fewer track defects, derailments, and other maintenance problems associated with rail joints.

The Michigan Department of Transportation and GLC will provide a 50 percent match.

A grant of up to $8,697,910 will be used by the West Michigan Railroad for track rebuilding.

The project involves 10 miles of track in Southwest Michigan. Specific improvements include rail and cross-tie replacements, reconstructed roadbeds, bridge and turnout repairs, upgrades and replacement of two at-grade crossings, and rebuilding approximately 5.6 miles of track.

The work will upgrade portions of the line from 5 mph excepted track to at least FRA Class 2 speeds up to 25 mph and ensure the line can continue to handle 286,000-pound rail cars.

MDOT and WMR will provide a 35 percent match.

In Indiana, the Connecting the Crossroads of America project will receive up to $8,383,761 for track improvements to the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad main line and Decatur Subdivision.

The project will replace ballast and ties along a 54-mile segment of the main line and install 115-pound rail, ties, ballast, and surfacing on a 14-mile segment of the Decatur Subdivision. Additionally, 43 at-grade crossing surfaces are to be replaced with rubber seal/asphalt design for handling heavier loads, longevity of construction, and improved efficiency of travel at crossings.

When finished, the work will enable trains to operate at higher speeds. The Indiana Department of Transportation and CF&E will provide a 51 percent match.

Also in Indiana, the Elkhart & Western will receive up to $2,618,173 to be used to relocate an interchange track with Norfolk Southern, upgrade the 9-mile Elkhart Branch line to Class 1 track safety standards, expand rail siding capacity, and replace three grade crossing surfaces within Elkhart.

This interchange will be relocated out of the city center and into an industrial area. Currently, E&W and NS track intersect two roadways, and when a train is more than nine rail cars long, it blocks the roadway for approximately 15 minutes while trains interchange cars.

The proposed track relocation would eliminate the blocked crossing and improve grade crossings with deteriorating conditions.

The project will receive a 50 percent match from the E&W, INDOT, the City of Elkhart, and the St. Joseph County Redevelopment Commission.

 In West Virginia, the Appalachian & Ohio Railroad will receive up to $1,617,824 to improve its 42-mile railroad corridor from Grafton to Buckhannon.

The project will replace an antiquated traffic control system and install a new and modern broken rail detection system on the entire signaled section of the A&O rail line. The existing traffic control system has reached the end of its useful service life. The A&O will provide a 39 percent match.

CRISI Grants Awarded to Railroads in Pa., Ky.

Federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvement grants have been announced for projects in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

R.J. Corman received two of the grants. They include $14.7 million to rebuild 8.6 miles of track in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The grant also covers rebuilding or replacing 14 bridges between Boyertown and Pottstown.

Some funds from the grant will be used for construction of two rail-served transload yards and to  improve drainage issues that lead to large quantities of water on nearby roadways.

Corman also was approved for a $7.3 million grant for various projects on its Central Kentucky lines.

One project will create a new freight rail-to-truck transload facility near Frankfort. Another project will improve the main yard and transload facility in Lexington.

Repairs will include rehabilitating grade crossings and track, a new office building, switching replacements and expanding transload storage pads, as well as paving truck and traffic areas.

The Gettysburg Northern Railway will receive $1.84 million to rebuild 24 miles of track in Adams and Cumberland counties.

The project will improve safety standards, construct a new runaround track, upgrade more than 15 crossings and repair seven failing culverts.

FRA to Take Applications for CRISI Grants

The Federal Railroad Administration will be taking application soon for the fiscal year 2021 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety grant program.

The agency plans to publish on Aug. 31 a notice of funding opportunity. This year’s grant program has $362 million to award to eligible projects.

To be eligible applicants must demonstrate that their projects reduce congestion; address highway-rail grade crossings; upgrade short line and regional railroad infrastructure; relocate rail lines; improve intercity passenger rail capital assets; target trespassing; enhance multi-modal connections; and facilitate service integration between rail and other modes, such as at ports or intermodal facilities.

FRA officials said applications will be evaluated on how they foster safety and equitable economic strength; improve core assets and ensure racial equity and economic inclusion; address climate change and resilience; and modernize the nation’s transportation infrastructure.

A quarter of the grant money is set aside for rural projects, another $75 million is for projects that support the development of new intercity passenger rail service routes, including alignments for existing routes; and $25 million is earmarked for capital projects and engineering solutions targeting rail trespassing.

CRISI Grants to Fund Railroad Safety Projects

Federal grants will be used for grade crossing safety projects in Michigan and Indiana.

That includes a $15.6 million grant to the Michigan Department of Transportation to improve pedestrian crossings between Dearborn and Kalamazoo on Amtrak’s Michigan Line.

MDOT officials have noted that eventually passenger trains on that segment will operate at 110 miles per hour and currently Amtrak trains operate at more than 90 mph in some places.

The project will involve installation of fencing and other safety enhancements at select crossings where there is a high level of foot traffic.

Among the sites where safety measures will be implemented are Dearborn, Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Albion College, Augusta, Galesburg, and downtown Kalamazoo.

Matching the federal grant will be $14.6 million in state funds and $1 million from Amtrak for a total project cost of $31.2 million. Approximately 62 percent of the total project budget will fund improvements in rural areas.

The corridor is owned by MDOT and used by Amtrak and Norfolk Southern.

Officials said 12 pedestrians have been struck by trains in the past four years and there have been numerous near-miss incidents.

In Nappanee, Indiana, a $1.4 million grant will be used to improve grade crossings on a CSX mainline.

The work will include installation of warning-time circuitry, roadway improvements, improvements at crossings that currently have low ground clearance, and safety and suicide outreach programs.

These improvements will meet the requirements to establish a Quiet Zone.

Another $7.9 million CRISI grant was announced this week to be used in Pennsylvania to develop an onboard GPS sensor system to provide real-time railcar movement information to shippers, car owners, and railroads.

A $900,000 grant was awarded for improvements to the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad’s Green Ridge Yard and its junction with Norfolk Southern.

CRISI Grant Applications Being Sought

The U.S. Department of Transportation is accepting application for this year’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.

The Federal Railroad Administration will administer up to $311.8 million in freight and passenger rail projects that improve transportation safety, efficiency, and reliability as authorized under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.

The FRA said in a notice to be published in the Federal Register that eligible applications for competitive selection include projects that address congestion challenges, highway-rail grade crossings, upgrade short line or regional railroad infrastructure, relocate rail lines, improve intercity passenger rail capital assets, and deploy railroad safety technology.

At least 25 percent of the CRISI grant money will be awarded to projects in rural America.

In considering the applications, the FRA said it will consider how projects support key objectives, including enhancing economic vitality; leveraging federal funding; adopting life-cycle accounting; using innovative approaches to improve safety and expedite project delivery; and holding grantees accountable for achieving specific, measurable outcomes.

Preference will be given to projects in which the proposed federal share of total costs does not exceed 50 percent.

The agency said it may also consider geographic diversity; diversity in the size of the systems receiving funding; the applicant’s receipt of other competitive awards; and projects located in, or that support transportation service in, qualified opportunity zones.

Approximately $45 million will be awarded for projects that require the acquisition of rights-of-way, track, or track structure to support developing new intercity passenger rail service routes.

Applications are due on June 19. In the meantime, the FRA will offer web-based training and technical assistance for eligible applicants.