advertisement

---

Last week, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced it will award more than $1.7 million in Industrial Rail Service Fund (IRSF) grants to 11 short lines.

The grants will help the railroads fund projects designed to upgrade track to accommodate 286,000-pound rail cars. In addition to the IRSF grants, the short lines plan to spend a total of $2.1 million on the projects.

The department will award:
• $200,000 to the 124-mile Indiana Northeastern Railroad Co. to rehabilitate a five-span ballast-deck concrete bridge in Hamilton;
• $200,000 to the 107-mile Louisville & Indiana Railroad Co. to replace ties between Indianapolis and Columbus;
• $200,000 to the 22-mile Hoosier Southern Railroad to improve track;
• $200,000 to the 16-mile Dubois County Railroad to rehabilitate track between Huntingburg and Jasper;
• $200,000 to the nine-mile Elkhart & Western Railroad to replace ties and ballast;
• $180,000 to the 33-mile Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad to build a track connection;
• $175,000 to the 28-mile C & NC Railroad Corp. to repair and upgrade five bridges;
• $175,000 to the 26-mile Wabash Central Railroad to replace ties and ballast between Craigville and Van Buren;
• $100,000 to the 26-mile Madison railroad to rehabilitate one bridge;
• $91,500 to the 51-mile Maumee & Western Railroad to upgrade bridges, and replace ties and ballast; and
• $50,000 to the 75-mile Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad to rehabilitate track.

Thirty-five short lines operate a total of 1,346 track miles in Indiana.