FRA awards nearly $57 million in CRISI grants

Rail projects in 16 states will benefit from the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) awarding of $56.93 million as part of the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.

The funds will go to 18 projects to  improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems.

“These funds will help repair and upgrade rail infrastructure that will increase safety and service,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

This round of awards was part of FRA's appropriations for Fiscal Year 2017. The 2017 Appropriations Act required $10 million for projects that contribute to the restoration or initiation of intercity passenger rail service and the Notice of Funding Opportunity reserved at least 25 percent of the awards for rural projects. 

A total of $24.79 million will go to eight projects with passenger rail elements to them; they include:

• New York State Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $6.36 million for the Hudson Line Bridge Decks Replacements.
• The proposed project will replace timber bridge decks with ballast decks on three bridges on the Hudson Line in Dutchess and Columbia Counties, N.Y. The project will bring the bridges into a state of good repair, eliminate current speed restrictions, accommodate future speed increases to 110 miles per hour and reduce maintenance costs. This section of the Hudson Line hosts 26 Amtrak trains per day, as well as freight service.   

• Vermont Agency of Transportation, which will receive up to $2.08 million for the Vermonter Amtrak Safety Project for Passenger and Freight Rail Service.
• The proposed project will construct slope stabilization measures along an 80-mile section of the New England Central Railroad in Vermont. Specifically, the project includes remediation of identified slope and rock stability risks, culvert repairs, and implementation of advanced rockfall detection warning systems. In addition to safety improvements, the project will eliminate slow orders that have resulted in 216 hours of annual passenger delays and 520 hours of annual freight delays.

• Brightline Trains LLC, which will receive up to $2.37 million for the South Florida East Coast Rail Corridor Intrusion Prevention Project.The proposed project will install supplemental safety features at 48 grade crossings from West Palm Beach to Miami.
• The project includes installing delineators at 11 crossings, exit gates at nine crossings, and active signs at 28 crossings. The proposed improvements are being installed to reduce the frequency of grade-crossing violations by keeping motorists and pedestrians from trespassing the railroad corridor when trains approach.

• Illinois Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $5.08 million for the  Lenox Interlocking Reconfiguration Project in the Village of Mitchell, Madison County.
• The proposed project will reconfigure the Lenox Interlocking, located in Mitchell, Ill., approximately 16 miles northeast of St. Louis, to increase speeds and operational flexibility for both passenger and freight services. Four rail lines intersect at the location, with six railroads operating approximately 46 daily trains over the interlocking, which is a critical gateway into St. Louis. The project is estimated to reduce Amtrak trip times by three minutes, reduce freight train delays by more than two hours per day, and reduce gate downtime at a nearby grade crossing by two hours per day.

• Oregon Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $1.3 million for the Peninsula Junction Passenger and Freight Rail Improvements.
• The proposed project is the final component of a multiphase project to increase speeds and alleviate congestion as trains merge onto and off the BNSF mainline at two junctions in Portland, Ore. This project will replace and upgrade two switches and realign track curvature to allow trains to maintain a constant 30 miles per hour through both the North Portland and Peninsula junctions. Forty-one trains, including 12 Amtrak trains, pass through these junctions every day. Congestion on the Union Pacific and BNSF tracks currently causes over seven hours of delay per day to Amtrak and freight operations.

• Washington State Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $2.03 million for the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor Reliability – Landslide Mitigation Phase II project.
• The proposed project will construct landslide mitigation measures at two locations along the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor in the city of Mukilteo, Wash., approximately 26 miles north of Seattle. Specifically, the project will install fencing that will automatically trigger speed restrictions when a landslide is detected, as well as catchment walls and drainage improvements to help prevent landslides from reaching the tracks. The project locations have experienced 13 landslides in the last nine years. Each time a landslide covers tracks near coastal bluffs, passenger train service is suspended for 48 hours. Between 2010 and spring 2018, there have been more than 816 hours of passenger train service disruptions, or annulments, between Mile Post 26 and 27. The project will improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of Amtrak Cascades and long-distance services, Sound Transit commuter rail, and BNSF freight traffic.

• Washington State Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $500,000 for the Washington State Service Development Plan (Pre-NEPA).
• The proposed project will conduct service planning to develop an initial range of reasonable alternatives for potential infrastructure investments to improve the reliability, safety, and competitiveness of intercity passenger rail service along the Washington State segment of the Pacific Northwest Rail Corridor between Vancouver, B.C. and Portland, Ore. The BNSF-owned corridor hosts Amtrak Cascades and long-distance services, Sound Transit commuter rail, and BNSF freight traffic.

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which will receive up to $5.05 million for the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station Second Platform Project.
• The proposed project will construct a second platform at the Milwaukee Airport Rail Station, as well as elevator towers and an overhead pedestrian bridge to connect the new platform to the station. The station’s existing, single platform configuration forces both eastbound and westbound Amtrak trains to use the eastern main track to serve passengers, rather than using both tracks, which results in congestion for both passenger and CP freight trains. The new platform will improve fluidity in the corridor by enabling trains to operate on both main tracks and meet in a 10.7-mile segment of track surrounding the station, which will improve schedule flexibility and reliability. The project will also improve safety and access for passengers with disabilities by eliminating the use of an emergency platform.

“We’re extremely pleased that the CRISI grant program directs much-needed critical investment to rural America,” said FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory.

FRA considered several criteria as stated in the NOFO when selecting projects, including key departmental objectives such as: supporting economic vitality; leveraging federal funds to attract other sources of funding; preparing for project life-cycle costs; using innovative approaches to improve safety and expedite project delivery; and holding recipients accountable for achieving specific, measurable outcomes.