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7/10/2024
The Federal Railroad Administration yesterday announced the availability of $1.1 billion in grant funding for projects designed to improve rail-crossing safety and efficiency.
The Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant program invests in projects that involve grade separations, upgrades to safety devices at crossings or closures to crossings where roads and train tracks intersect.
Addressing collisions and blockages at crossings has been a top priority for FRA — especially as growing train lengths lead to more frequent and longer blocked crossings — and the funding announced today will improve safety and access to communities separated by rail crossings, FRA officials said in a press release.
Project applications will be evaluated on whether they improve safety, increase community connectivity, enhance access to emergency services, improve the mobility of goods, strengthen supply chains and reduce noise. At least 20% of the funding, or about $230 million, will be set aside for projects in rural communities or on Tribal lands, and around $38 million will be available to fund planning projects.
“Railroads play a vital role in our nation’s transportation network by moving people and goods in a sustainable and efficient way, and [the RCE grants] will help ensure that railroad operations are compatible with safety and mobility in the communities through which trains move," said FRA Administrator Amit Bose.