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4/13/2023
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly yesterday attended a ceremony to mark the start of a Cimarron Valley Railroad infrastructure improvement project in southwest Kansas.
The railroad will fund the project with nearly $15 million awarded from private and public sources, including an $11 million grant obtained through the federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program and funds from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The project calls for replacing 50,900 ties, relaying 3.7 miles of rail in curves, surfacing 85 miles of track, laying new ballast and completing more than 3,500 flash-butt welds.
The investment will help upgrade rail infrastructure and boost the state’s agricultural industry, Kelly said in a press release.
"By rehabilitating over 85 miles of an essential rail line in southwest Kansas, this project will make it easier and more efficient for local businesses to transport biodiesel and other agricultural products," she said.
The rail line slated for rehabilitation stretches from Dodge City to Hugoton. The railroad currently can’t provide adequate service along the 85-mile line between Dodge City, Kansas and Hugoton because train speeds are limited to 10 mph.
Track conditions require a two-day round trip that increases costs and limits asset productivity, railroad officials say. After the project is completed in about 12 months, train speed on the line will increase to 25 mph.