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Yesterday, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it’s granting $1 million to the Port of Umatilla, Ore., to help fund the replacement a gantry crane installed in the 1940s.

The port will use the grant to install a new crane, upgrade an electric supply system and expand a container storage area. Last year, the FRA granted $2.7 million to the port to jump start the project.

The port handles agricultural products — including alfalfa, dried grains, frozen beef, vegetables and potatoes — that arrive via rail from northeastern Oregon farms. The port loads containers, which are moved via barge down the Columbia River to the Port of Portland, then transferred to ocean vessels headed for Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.

“The new crane will nearly double the number of containers that can be loaded onto barges per hour,” said FRA Administrator Joseph Boardman in a prepared statement.