Indiana Rail Road receives $7M CRISI grant

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
Indiana Rail Road Company

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced that the Indiana Rail Road Company will be the recipient of $7,155,000 in grant funds under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

The Indiana Rail Road is set to use the funds to replace nine timber railroad bridges in Crawford County, Ill., with concrete bridges, preserving safe and reliable rail service connecting Southern Illinois to Central Indiana.

“This infrastructure project will ensure that farmers, businesses, utilities and manufacturers in Southern Illinois, Central Indiana and the Indianapolis metropolitan area will continue to benefit from safe and reliable rail service,” said Peter Mills, Indiana Rail Road Company’s president and CEO.

The nine bridges in line to be replaced are located along a rail line that transports ethanol, coal, grain, fertilizer, chemicals, manufactured and food products, as well as international containers to and from Asia.

Indiana Rail Road’s partners, Marathon Petroleum Company, Crawford County, Illinois, and Canadian National Railway (CN) have committed to providing matching funds to support the project.

“These are the partnerships that help rural and urban communities thrive economically,” said FRA Administrator Ronald Batory. “The participation of multiple partners demonstrates the importance of these funds and tells us they will be a key asset in improving safety for communities and railroads around the country.”

The Indiana Rail Road has received support from Sens. Durbin (D-IL) and Duckworth (D-IL), Reps. Shimkus (R-IL) and Bucshon (R-IN), and former Sen. Donnelly (D-IN), as well as numerous other state and local officials in Illinois and Indiana.

“These investments in intercity passenger and freight rail will benefit surrounding communities, make grade crossings safer and improve service reliability,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

The Indianapolis-based Indiana Rail Road Company is a privately-held, 250-mile railroad. The company hauls the equivalent of more than 600,000 truckloads of consumer, industrial and energy products annually.

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