CRISI program

At Rail Trends: Grants, real estate key to short line rail growth

Short lines are on the headpin as the North American rail business embraces a welcome rebound.

“It’s been a tumultuous eight years but the railroad industry is turning a corner as a whole, and that’s where [short lines] are going,” said Chuck Baker, president and chief executive of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, speaking at the Rail Trends conference in New York.

“This year I have visited with all six Class 1s and they all have engaged short line teams. They all say...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/at-rail-trends-money-real-estate-key-to-short-line-rail-growth

ASLRRA head calls federal grant program ‘godsend’ to short lines

By Chase Gunnoe

WASHINGTON — Thousands of miles of railroad right-of-way have been upgraded, new rail has been built, and emerging technologies have been explored since the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program began injecting federal dollars into the rail industry seven years ago.

CRISI has awarded more than $5.2 billion to the industry since fiscal 2017. Among the largest benefactors are first- and final-mile shortline...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/aslrra-head-calls-federal-grant-program-godsend-to-short-lines

FRA awards more than $1.4B to short-line and passenger rail projects

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded more than $1.4 billion to 70 rail improvement projects across 35 states and the District of Columbia through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. 

FRA said the award total is the largest amount ever given, with nearly two-thirds of the funding affecting rural communities. The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) also called the awards historic because they represented a record $720...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fra-awards-more-than-1-4b-to-short-line-and-passenger-rail-projects

Rail infrastructure projects get over $368M in federal grants

A train with hopper cars crosses a bridge.

The Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday announced the projects across the U.S. that will receive federal grants totaling over $368 million to support rail infrastructure improvements.

The 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia bolster passenger and freight rail infrastructure. They are all recipients of grants through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

The projects improve and expand passenger rail, including high-speed rail, and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-infrastructure-projects-get-over-368m-in-federal-grants

Port of Baltimore nets $15.6M to bolster intermodal rail yards

The Port of Baltimore has been awarded $15.6 million from the Federal Railroad Administration to improve intermodal rail yard infrastructure at the port.

The improvements will include the construction of four working rail tracks totaling 17,670 track feet and two crane rail beams totaling 7,000 linear feet at the Seagirt Marine Terminal. These improvements will help support increased demand for double-stacked trains carrying containerized cargo, according to the Maryland Port Administration. 

Proj...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-baltimore-nets-156m-to-bolster-intermodal-rail-yards

From safety to technology: Rail initiatives in infrastructure bill

A photograph of a train with tank cars crossing a rail crossing.

From positive train control to passenger rail, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed Monday by President Joe Biden covers a gamut of safety, capital improvement funding and technological initiatives aimed at bolstering freight rail. 

Rail-related provisions included in the $1.3 trillion bill, according to the Association of American Railroads, the Association of Short Line and Regional Railroads, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Coalition for America’s...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/from-safety-to-technology-rail-initiatives-in-infrastructure-bill

Federal Railroad Administration awards CRISI grants

A photograph of a train traveling through a snowy forest.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded $320.6 million to 50 projects in 29 states as part of a grant program aimed at helping localities, short lines and passenger railroads improve the safety and efficiency of their rail networks. 

The monies came from the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, a five-year program authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of intercity...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-railroad-administration-awards-crisi-grants