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The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently provided the city of Sylacauga, Ala., a $1.6 million Rail Line Relocation Program grant to relocate Eastern Alabama Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway interchange tracks away from the downtown area.

The railroads operate four trains through the area daily, resulting in motorist delays of 20 to 30 minutes per train, disrupting local traffic patterns at critical peak hours of the day, hindering emergency responses and raising vehicle exhaust levels, FRA officials said in a news brief.

The project calls for upgrading track through the city of Sylacauga to improve the safety of transporting heavier carloads for area industries. The East Alabama Railway will contribute $858,338 toward project costs, FRA officials said.