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MassDOT: Grant Applications Welcome for Industrial Rail Access Program

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Grafton & Upton Railroad Company in Upton, Mass., received one of MassDOT’s Industrial Rail Access Program grants in 2022. (Grafton & Upton Photograph)

Grafton & Upton Railroad Company in Upton, Mass., received one of MassDOT’s Industrial Rail Access Program grants in 2022. (Grafton & Upton Photograph)

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has opened a new round of funding for its Industrial Rail Access Program. Up to $3 million is available for FY 2024 grants, which will allow businesses to expand or improve rail or freight infrastructure access. Applications are due June 1.

The Industrial Rail Access Program, established in 2012, is a competitive state-funded public/private partnership program, MassDOT reported May 1.

Projects are implemented through grant agreements with industry rail shippers and/or freight railroads. No more than 60% of a project’s costs will be supported with state funds; at a minimum, the remaining 40% of a project’s costs must be provided by the railroad operator and/or industry project sponsor. The maximum grant award cannot exceed $700,000. Projects are approved “based upon consistency with program requirements and the level of public benefits they offer, such as system preservation, mobility, economic development and safety,” according to MassDOT.  Projects are expected to be completed within two years from startup.

In the most recent round of awards, more than $3.1 million was awarded to seven projects throughout the commonwealth in 2022. Those projects are expected to eliminate a total of 23,000 truck trips per year, support more than 13,000 added railcar deliveries, and add 22 jobs to support the increased railroad activity, according to MassDOT.

“This grant program has been highly successful in supporting the expansion of businesses that move rail freight in Massachusetts, thereby resulting in taking truck traffic off the roads and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca said. “Sometimes a business just needs additional railroad track on their property, a larger loading dock, or equipment to off-load goods in order to grow, and this grant program offers those businesses an opportunity to leverage funds to make these critical investments.”

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