17 Short Line Rail Projects in Kansas Receive $16.5M
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Watco
TOPEKA, Kan. – Through the Rail Service Improvement Program (RSIP), 17 short line rail expansion and rehabilitation projects will receive a total $16.5 million.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced that $16.5 million from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Rail Service Improvement Program (RSIP) will go toward 17 short line rail expansion and rehabilitation projects.
Funds received will go toward “expansion and capacity improvements, major track rehabilitation, and rail replacement,” as well as enhancing safety, reducing traffic, expanding carload capabilities, and improving operations.
Each recipient will match the state funding by 30%, giving a total of more than $23.5 million overall. According to the release, the program received 26 applications requesting more than $39 million through IKE. IKE is the state’s 10-year bipartisan transportation program.
Governor Kelly said, “These needed rail infrastructure improvements will lift up rural Kansas and, in doing so, will maximize the economic potential of the entire state. . . By strengthening agriculture supply chains, my administration is helping our farmers and ranchers connect to regional, national, and international markets.”
Secretary of Transportation Calvin Reed said, “Rail service lessens the number of trucks that would otherwise be on local roads and Kansas highways, which reduces roadway maintenance and rehabilitation needs. . . Having different modes of quality transportation strengthens our state and creates new economic development opportunities for Kansas communities.”
Below is a list of RSIP recipients for the State Fiscal Year 2024:
| Project Sponsor | Project Type | Award |
| Cimarron Valley Railroad, Ford County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $2,233,946 |
| Summit Sustainable Ingredients, Phillips County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $1,436,595 |
| South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Cowley County | Major rehabilitation | $319,802 |
| South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Elk County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $1,947,101 |
| The Scoular Company, Sherman County | Qualified track maintenance | $230,002 |
| Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, Sedgwick County | Major rehabilitation | $859,221 |
| New Century AirCenter Railroad (JCAX), Johnson County | Major rehabilitation | $1,400,594 |
| Kyle Railroad, Cloud County | Major rehabilitation | $811,440 |
| Viterra USA Grain, Sedgwick County | Major rehabilitation | $562,332 |
| Hutchinson Transportation (HUTX), Reno County | Major rehabilitation | $586,906 |
| Weskan Grain, Scott County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $1,472,240 |
| Central Prairie Co-op, Rice County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $880,110 |
| Garden City Western Railway, Finney County | Preservation/Major rehabilitation | $695,056 |
| Mid-States Materials, Reno County | Expansion/Capacity improvements | $911,826 |
| Midway Co-op, Smith County | Major rehabilitation | $422,835 |
| Farmers Co-op, Sumner County | Qualified track maintenance | $39,057 |
| V&S Railway, Barber/Harper counties | Preservation/Major rehabilitation | $1,657,799 |
| Total Awarded | $16,466,862 | |
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