The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has selected nine rail capital projects in Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming for Special Transportation Circumstances grants totaling more than $108 million.
The Special Transportation Circumstances Grant Program awards funding to states that lack intercity passenger rail service or are not connected to the national rail system, and provides directed grant funding as a set-aside from several FRA grant programs, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI), Restoration and Enhancement (R&E), Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE), and Interstate Rail Compacts (IRC) programs, FRA reported Oct. 10. For Alaska, eligible projects must be a freight or passenger rail-related capital project in that state, and for South Dakota and Wyoming, eligible projects must be freight rail capital projects that are on a state rail plan developed under Chapter 227 and that provide public benefits as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 22701(2), according to the federal agency. The federal share for a Special Transportation Circumstances project must not exceed 80% of the total cost; the required 20% non-federal share may be composed of public sector (state or local) and/or private sector funding.
In this round of grant funding (FY 2022-2023), FRA said that almost all projects will benefit short line railroads and allow for track upgrades, new railcar acquisitions, and highway-rail grade crossing improvements or eliminations, for example.
The projects, by state, include:
Alaska:
- ARRC Terminal Track Rehabilitation Seward & Fairbanks project: Awarded up to $11,645,455 to the Alaska Department of Transportation for rail yard improvements at Alaska Railroad Corporation’s (ARRC) Seward and Fairbanks terminals. According to FRA, the work will improve existing operations and accommodate future growth at these terminals, where freight volumes continue to grow.
- ARRC Flat Car Acquisition project: Awarded up to $4,009,111 to the Alaska Department of Transportation to procure approximately 20 new general-service flat cars necessary to haul pipe, machinery, lumber, and other products along the ARRC corridor serving Seward, Whittier, Anchorage, Fairbanks and North Pole.
South Dakota:
- Sisseton Milbank Railroad Culvert Rehabilitation Project: Awarded the South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $3,241,040 to upgrade culverts along the Sisseton Milbank Railroad (SMRR) main line to improve drainage and increase track stability, making the rail line more resilient in the event of extreme weather, according to FRA.
- Ringneck & Western RR Grade Stabilization and Repair Project: Awarded the South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $8,310,932 to correct subgrade problems and conduct resurfacing from Chamberlain to Presho to reduce the risk of future embargoes, according to FRA.
- RCP&E Upper Black Hills Corridor Upgrade Project: Awarded South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $14,062,328 to upgrade more than 16 miles of track and 34 structures on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc. (RCP&E) main line to improve operations and safety and support economic development and growth along the Upper Black Hills corridor.
- DMVW SD Britton Line Rehabilitation project: Awarded the South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $17,600,361 to replace four switches and install four new concrete crossings along the Dakota Minnesota Valley & Western Railroad (DMVW) Britton Line. The project also includes new ties and ballast, skew tie correction, surfacing work, anchor replacement, and rail installation to increase safety and resiliency, according to FRA.
- D&I Railroad Main Line Rail Relay Project: Awarded the South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $9,957,246 to upgrade 17 grade crossings and approximately 12 miles of track to increase safety, capacity, and speeds on the D&I Railroad, according to FRA.
- Belle Fourche Industrial and Rail Park Track Expansion Project: Awarded the South Dakota Department of Transportation up to $963,440 for approximately 110 feet of track realignment, approximately 2,695 feet of new track, and the installation of one new turnout. The operational flexibility afforded by the project, FRA said, will result in increased industrial and economic development in the area of Belle Fourche.
Wyoming:
- College Drive Grade Separation project: Awarded the Wyoming Department of Transportation up to $38,683,896 to close a “potentially dangerous” highway-rail grade crossing on College Drive/Wyoming State Highway 212, and build a new overpass bridge to prevent collisions between motorists and trains and improve mobility, according to FRA.
“No matter where you live in this country, rail systems play a critical role in getting people and goods where they need to go, and the STC [Special Transportation Circumstances] grants ensure that no state is left behind when it comes to the development of a robust freight rail transportation system,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said.
