Media Kit » Try RailPrime™ Today! »
Progressive Railroading
Newsletter Sign Up
Stay updated on news, articles and information for the rail industry



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.




railPrime
View Current Digital Issue »



Rail News Home Safety

1/10/2025



Rail News: Safety

FRA awards $1.1B in grants to improve grade-crossing safety


FRA Administrator Amit Bose
Photo – Federal Railroad Administration

advertisement

The Federal Railroad Administration today announced it has awarded more than $1.1 billion in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding to 123 rail projects designed to improve or study more than 1,000 grade crossings nationwide.

Projects to be funded in 41 states will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders, FRA officials said in a press release.

The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings, which delays drivers and emergency responders.

Among the grant awards is $204.2 million to the city of Columbia, South Carolina, for the final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of the Assembly Street railroad separation project, including activities to support grade crossing-related improvements on Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX-owned infrastructure in the city. The project will consolidate freight operations from two corridors into one.

Accidents at grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities occurring at grade crossings each year, according to the FRA. Furthermore, blockages resulting from slow moving or stalled trains at crossings cost time and resources and may cut off access roads and delay first responders from reaching emergencies.

Over the last 12 months, the FRA received more than 26,000 complaints of blocked crossings through the agency’s Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter. Today's announcement is the largest investment in grade-crossing safety in the FRA’s history, agency officials said.

Combined with previous rail investments announced under the Biden-Harris administration, the FRA has now invested a historic $48.5 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak.

“Today’s grants are another example of the Biden-Harris administration reversing a half-century of federal underinvestment in America's rail network and delivering for the American people, helping people in communities big and small get to and from their homes, schools, businesses, and workplaces safely and without delays," said FRA Administrator Amit Bose.

The full list of FY 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program selections can be found here.

Also today, the FRA announced more than $146 million in funding to strengthen intercity passenger rail service on six routes across the country. Administered through FRA’s Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program, selected services benefiting from IIJA grants being announced today include:

• California’s Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service on the LOSSAN Corridor from Los Angeles to San Diego, $27.1 million;
• Connecticut’s CTrail Hartford Line service from New Haven to Springfield, Massachusetts, $11.6 million;
• Brightline’s Florida service from Miami to Orlando, $33.8 million;
• Amtrak’s Gulf Coast service from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, $21.1 million;
• North Carolina’s Amtrak Piedmont service from Charlotte to Raleigh, $14 million; and
• Amtrak’s Borealis service from Chicago to Minneapolis-St. Paul, $38.6 million.

The full list of FY 2021-2024 Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program selections can be found here.



Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 1/10/2025