The Granite City, Ill.-based Tri-City Regional Port District recently broke ground on a South Rail Loop. Funded through a $6 million TIGER grant award, the project is part of a larger plan for the Southwestern Illinois Regional Intermodal Freight Transportation Hub that incorporates a new inland waterway barge harbor.
The South Rail Loop will feature 9,600 feet of new mainline track designed to support the intermodal transfer of commodities within the planned harbor, providing a link between the harbor and existing rail infrastructure within the port. The loop will support existing rail operations and increase track capacity to optimize the flow of goods.
The port district is seeking a second TIGER grant to help fund other parts of the $23 million intermodal hub project.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News
