Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo Wednesday announced the award of $15 million to nine states for emergency repairs to damaged railroad infrastructure resulting from natural disasters. The funding, from FRA’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program (RRRP), will go to state Departments of Transportation to reimburse short line and regional railroads for the cost of repairs.
“Freight railroads are critical to local economies and we are committed to helping them restore rail service after a major disruption,” said Szabo. “This funding will help the carriers defray repair costs and keep the trains running.”
RRRP funds can cover up to 80% of the total cost of a selected project, with the remainder to be provided from non-federal sources. Grants may be used to repair bridges, signals, and other infrastructure.
FRA listed the grant recipients, and amounts, as follows:
AlaskaDepartment of Transportation and Public Facilities
Flood repair for the Alaska Railroad: $637,440
Flood repair for the Alaska Railroad: $945,680
ArkansasState Highway and Transportation Department
Emergency repairs to Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad: $737,292
IllinoisDepartment of Transportation
Flood control on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad: $569,700
KansasDepartment of Transportation
Repair of flood damage to the Gorilla Subdivision on the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad: $405,702
Indiana Department of Transportation
Flood damage repair on the Indiana Southern Railroad: $1,244,217
Iowa Department of Transportation
Flood damage restoration to rebuild a bridge and repair signals on the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway: $6,965,163
Flood damage restoration for the Keokuk Junction RailwayYard: $459,200
Replacement of the Waterloo Bridge over the Cedar River forthe Iowa Northern Railway: $2,174,880
Missouri Department of Transportation
Flood damage repair on Missouri & Northern ArkansasRailroad: $353,600
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Repair of washouts and debris removal on the CarolinaCoastal Railway: $11,101
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Repair of flood damage and washouts on the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad: $354,006
FRA is authorized to make $20 million available for grants to repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure damaged in areas declared by the President as a major disaster. FRA intends to issue another solicitation for the remaining $5 million in funds through a Notice of Funding Availability to be published in the Federal Register that will be available on a competitive basis.