$1.1 billion in federal grants to fund safety improvements at rail crossings

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will fund numerous rail projects that improve the safety, efficiency and service of the nation’s rail networks and rail crossings.

The DOT is announcing more than $1.25 billion in funding through two federal grant programs, seeking to modernize rail crossings and strengthen intercity passenger rail service across the country – the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program and the Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) Grant Program.

Both programs, jointly administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), advance broader federal goals to develop a world-class rail system nationwide, make the country’s rail network safer for all Americans and ensure that communities have access to reliable services, service upgrades and restored lines.

The DOT’s larger initiative, the RCE program, is recognized as the only federal competitive discretionary grant program to address the safety and efficiency of railroad crossings. By funding new overpasses and underpasses, safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements, RCE grants are meant to create safer communities that will reduce the risk of accidents, save lives and alleviate the frustrations of blocked crossings.

This funding announcement will conclude RCE’s fiscal year (FY) 2023-2024 notice of funding opportunity in July, awarding more than $1.1 billion to 123 rail projects that study, advance and improve the safety of rail crossings nationwide.

The RCE’s highest-funded projects, locations and total funding allocations are listed below:

City of Columbia in South Carolina – Up to $204.2 million for the Assembly Street Railroad Separation Project in Columbia. The grant will fund the project’s final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction aspects and support grade crossing improvements on Norfolk Southern and CSX-owned infrastructure. The project will also consolidate freight operations from two corridors to one.

California High-Speed Rail Authority in Merced County – Up to $89.6 million for the Le Grand Overcrossing Project on the Merced Extension. The project will support grade crossing-related improvements on Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) owned infrastructure to improve travel efficiency, mobility options and freight operations in Merced County.

Michigan Department of Transportation in Trenton – Up to $73.4 million for the Grade Separation of M-85 and CN Railroad Project. The initiative will improve grade crossing-related infrastructure in the city’s Downriver Region, eliminating a dangerous at-grade crossing and improving overall transit efficiency.

Texas Department of Transportation in Farwell, Texas and Texico, New Mexico – Up to $73.1 million to enable the right-of-way acquisition and construction of the Eliminating Rail Crossing in Texas and New Mexico Project. The multistate initiative will conduct work on three rail crossings along BNSF track, constructing a new Texico bypass roadway alignment to allow for grade separation and crossing closures.

City of Lincoln in Nebraska – Up to $66.7 million for the final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction aspects of the 33rd/Cornhusker Viaduct Project in Lincoln. The project will build a new bridge over the rail corridor to eliminate two at-grade crossings, enhancing safety, efficiency and mobility across the corridor.

New Mexico Department of Transportation in Gallup – Up to $44.9 million for the construction of the Allison Road Grade Separated Crossing Project. Seeking to improve safety and vehicular congestion, the project will develop a grade-separated crossing to carry cars and multimodal transportation options, connecting to a newly aligned Allison Road to the north of the rail corridor.

Illinois Department of Transportation in the greater Chicago region – Up to $43.1 million for the CREATE Project GS1.The grant will advance the project’s final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction activities and will enable grade crossing and bridge-related improvements. The project will also improve infrastructure owned by the Belt Railroad of Chicago.

The full list of FY 2023-2024 RCE awards, including project descriptions and grant totals, is available here.

The FRA is also announcing more than $146 million in funding to empower intercity passenger rail service on six routes throughout the country. Aligning with several federal passenger rail expansion goals, the administration delivers grants to projects that expand and modernize the country’s passenger rail network and ensure long-term success for newly initiated, restored or enhanced services.

Specifically, this round of funding, imparted through the R&E’s FY 2024 grant period, will support the expansion of existing services, frequency of operations, on-board service upgrades, new service lines, extension initiatives and restorations of previously operated services.

The six projects set to receive grant funding for restoration and enhancements include:

$38.6 million for Amtrak’s Borealis Service from Chicago to Minneapolis. The project will roll out a new service called the Borealis. Allowing for more flexible travel operations in urban and rural communities, the new service would fill scheduling gaps for Amtrak Empire Builder trains.

$33.8 million for Brightline’s Florida Service from Miami to Orlando. The project will increase the availability of seats on trains by developing longer trains, extending from five to seven passenger cars by the end of 2025.

$27.1 million for California’s Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service on the LOSSAN Corridor from Los Angeles to San Diego. The project would reduce demand on certain trains that are currently overcrowded by adding frequencies 11, 12 and 13 to the Pacific Sunliner service.

$21.1 million for Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. The proposed project will provide two daily roundtrip passenger trains to communities not currently served by intercity transportation services, allowing for connections to Amtrak’s broader rail network.

$14 million for North Carolina’s Amtrak Piedmont service from Charlotte to Raleigh. The project will upgrade customers’ experience by adding a cafe car service to the Amtrak Piedmont service.

$11.6 million for Connecticut’s CTrail Hartford Line service from New Haven to Springfield, Massachusetts. The project will expand and upgrade service times as well as improve frequency and intercity passenger operations on the multistate CTrail Hartford Line.

Following this round of grants, the DOT will have now invested approximately $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to expand, modernize and reinvigorate America’s passenger and freight rail networks.

Interested parties looking to get involved or explore federal railroad crossing and passenger rail service initiatives can find more information on the DOT’s RCE program and R&E program websites.

Image by Lisette Brodey from Pixabay