Associated Press
Updated Mon, September 25, 202
A passenger disembarks from Amtrak's Sunset Limited at its final stop in New Orleans, Nov. 2, 2008. The Biden administration announced Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with much of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law.
(AP Photo/Pat Semansky, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Monday that it has awarded more than $1.4 billion to projects that improve railway safety and boost capacity, with roughly $1 billion of the money coming from the 2021 infrastructure law.
“These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable, and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located, and strengthening supply chains for the entire country," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
The money is funding 70 projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Railroad safety has become a key concern nationwide ever since a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. President Joe Biden has ordered federal agencies to hold the train's operator Norfolk Southern accountable for the crash, but a package of proposed rail safety reforms has stalled in the Senate where the bill is still awaiting a vote. The White House is also saying that a possible government shutdown because of House Republicans would undermine railway safety.
The projects include track upgrades and bridge repairs, in addition to improving the connectivity among railways and making routes less vulnerable to extreme weather.
Among the projects is $178.4 million to restore passenger service in parts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi along the Gulf of Mexico for the first time since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.
“This is a significant milestone, representing years of dedicated efforts to reconnect our communities after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement. “Restoring passenger rail service will create jobs, improve quality of life, and offer a convenient travel option for tourists, contributing to our region’s economic growth and vitality.”
The grant should make it possible to restore passenger service to the Gulf Coast after Amtrak reached an agreement with CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads last year to clear the way for passenger trains to resume operating on the tracks the freight railroads own.
“We’ve been fighting to return passenger trains to the Gulf Coast since it was knocked offline by Hurricane Katrina. That 17-year journey has been filled with obstacles and frustration — but also moments of joy, where local champions and national advocates were able to come together around the vision of a more connected Gulf Coast region,” Rail Passengers Association President & CEO Jim Mathews said.
The single biggest grant — nearly $202 million — will help eliminate seven rail crossings in California as part of the larger project to build a high-speed rail line in that state. That will reduce traffic delays and help ensure that first responders can get where they need to go.
In one of the biggest other grants, the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad in Washington state will get $72.8 million to upgrade the track and related infrastructure to allow that rail line to handle modern 286,000-pound railcars.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who championed the additional funding in the infrastructure law as chair of the Commerce Committee, said the grant will let grain trains safely travel twice as fast along the 297-mile route.
A project in Kentucky will receive $29.5 million to make improvements to 280 miles of track and other infrastructure along the Paducah and Louisville Railway.
And in Tennessee, $23.7 million will go to helping upgrade about 42 bridges on 10 different short-line railroads.
Biden administration announces $1.4B for railway safety improvements
A.L. Lee
Mon, September 25, 2023
The Biden administration has stepped up railway safety improvement efforts across the country after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Monday announced $1.4 billion for a range of projects to improve railway safety and repair the industry's tattered infrastructure across the country.
The funding for 70 improvement projects in 35 states is being provided through President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is the largest federal investment in rail safety upgrades in the nation's history, the Transportation Department said in a statement.
The lion's share of the money will flow to rural communities to help fix crumbling rail infrastructure and boost the national supply chain.
Work will include track improvements, bridge restorations, rail crossing upgrades and better methods for carrying hazardous materials.
The effort is part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program in which the Transportation Department and Federal Railroad Administration have devised a plan to address a barrage of safety issues that have led to recent rail disasters.
Under the plan, Amtrak will get more than $178.4 million in federal funding to complete work on the Gulf Coast Corridor Improvement Project, which will restore passenger service in parts of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi that hadn't fully recovered since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region nearly 20 years ago.
The investment will add two new daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., and provide new reliable transport lines to help freight companies like CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern expand their shipping capacity.
The project will also address connectivity issues while seeking to reduce shipping costs and cut emissions, all while boosting the nation's workforce.
"Under President Biden's leadership, we are making historic investments in rail, which means fewer accidents and delays, faster travel times and lower shipping costs for the American people," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "These projects will make American rail safer, more reliable and more resilient, delivering tangible benefits to dozens of communities where railroads are located and strengthening supply chains for the entire country."
The effort takes places as the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February.
Four months after the accident, the NTSB issued preliminary findings showing Norfolk Southern dismissed safety concerns about the weight of the train before 38 cars went off the tracks on Feb. 3.
Meanwhile, railway improvements were set to launch in many pockets of the country.
More than $72.8 million is being spent in Washington state to improve tracks, grade crossings and other equipment on the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad.
In Tennessee, more than $23.7 million was being used to upgrade roughly 42 bridges along 10 railroads in need of immediate repairs.
Kentucky will get $29.5 million to fix 280 miles of track between Paducah and Louisville, including track upgrades, multiple bridge repairs and locomotive restorations.
Nebraska is getting $15.2 million to modernize the Cornhusker Railroad line, including renovations to multiple grade crossings and peripheral facilities.
Maryland is set to receive more than $11.5 million to begin using zero-exhaust emissions locomotives at the Port of Baltimore.
Ohio will get more than $16.2 million in federal money to fix bridges and tracks along 180 miles of the Kanawha River Railroad.
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