FRA Awards $1.1B for Rail Crossing Projects

FRA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced more than $1.1 billion in funding via the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program.

The funding will go to 123 rail projects to study and improve more than 1,000 rail crossings across the U.S. According to the release, this is the “largest single investment in grade crossing safety in FRA’s history.” These grants will go to 41 states “that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders.” These projects will seek to construct overpasses and underpasses to eliminate the risk of train-vehicle collisions. Each year, there are more than 2,000 grade crossing incidents and 200 grade-crossing related fatalities. Additionally, emergency vehicles experience delays at crossings for slow-moving or stalled trains. The FRA has “received more than 26,000 complains of blocked crossings through the agency’s Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter.” The FRA is also announcing more than $146 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for intercity passenger rail service on six routes across the country.

The selected services below will be receiving funds from the FRA’s Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program:

• Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service on the LOSSAN Corridor from Los Angeles to San Diego: $27.1 million
• Connecticut’s CTrail Hartford Line service from New Haven to Springfield, Mass.: $11.6 million
• Brightline’s service from Miami to Orlando: $33.8 million
• Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama: $21.1 million
• Amtrak’s Piedmont service from Charlotte to Raleigh in North Carolina: $14 million
• Amtrak’s Borealis service from Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: $38.6 million

“From day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have committed ourselves to making rail safer for all Americas, and since President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have made unprecedented investments to modernize and improve America’s rail networks,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Today’s grants are another example of the Biden-Harris Administration reversing a half-century of federal underinvestment in America’s rail network and delivering for the American people, helping people in communities big and small get to and from their homes, schools, businesses, and workplaces safely and without delays.” 

Projects selected by the FY2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program include:

1. Hualapai Tribal Diamond Creek Road Grade Separation Project in Arizona, $22,989,751: The project was selected for Final Design and Construction to “create a grade-separated overpass and install anti-intrusion fencing along the rail corridor within the traditional lands of the Hualapai in Peach Springs.” Crews will construct a grade-separated overpass/bridge structure and install fencing. Both the Hualapai Tribal Council and BNSF will contribute the 20% non-Federal match.
2. Assembly Street Railroad Separation Project in South Carolina, $204,200,000: RT&S reported on this project separately. It includes Final Design, Right-of-Way Acquisition, and construction to support grade-crossing improvements on Norfolk Southern and CSX infrastructure. Additional information can be found at the post here.
3. CREATE Project GS1 in Illinois, $43,125,000: This project was selected for Final Design, Right-of-Way Acquisition, and construction to support grade-crossing improvements in the Chicago region as part of the CREATE program. It will improve instrastructure that is currently owned by the Belt Railroad of Chicago. According to the release, the project “aligns with the selection criteria of improving the mobility of people and goods and access to communities, as the project will reduce vehicle delay due to gate-down time, improve railroad crossing safety, promote mobility and connectivity, and advance sustainability and resiliency within Chicago’s Clearing West neighborhood, the Village of Bedford Park, and the Village of Summit.” The ILDOT and Belt Railway Company will also contribute a 20% non-Federal match.
4. NC State University/North Carolina Railroad Crossing Safety Training Program in North Carolina, $3,000,000: This project was selected for project planning and includes activities to establish RailTAP, or Rail Technical Assistance Program. It will educate the public about rail crossing risks and promote safety to reduce accidents. North Carolina Railroad Company will contribute a 20% non-Federal match.

A detailed document showing the FY23-24 Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program Selections can be read below:

The FY21-24 Restoration & Enhancement (R&E) Grant Program Selections can be read below: