By Kyle Peschler
From the January/February 2025 Issue
In October 2024, a total of 122 projects in 41 states and Washington, DC were selected for the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program. The selected projects slated to receive more than $2.4 billion in funding. Most of the grants will directly fund infrastructure work or planning infrastructure projects. Some grants involve job training and apprenticeship, research, or partnerships with universities.
According to FRA Administrator Amit Bose, grants are “reversing a half-century of federal underinvestment in America’s rail network and delivering the world-class rail our citizens deserve.”
“Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re funding rail infrastructure projects that create jobs and expand workforce development, reduce costs for consumers, and directly benefit communities across the country,” said then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Each project advances a future where our supply chains are stronger, passenger rail more accessible, and freight movement safer and more efficient.”
The awards require a non-federal match of 20% by the organization receiving the grant.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) celebrated the fact that 81 of the projects involve short line railroads and account for $1.29 billion, or around 52% of the dollars awarded. The ASLRRA was a recipient of a grant worth more than 20% to help improve short line infrastructure data.
“FRA’s recognition of the benefits that can be delivered by each dollar invested in these small businesses is evident in the overwhelming success of short line applications in this latest grant cycle,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “Congress and the FRA can be confident that short lines will put these public dollars to good use, providing new and efficient ways of serving customers, linking small town rural America to U.S. and international markets, improving and expanding infrastructure that will drive safety improvements, and investing in next-generation technology and locomotives that will reduce the already low environmental impact of rail.”
Locations awarded included Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
