FRA 03-09
Contact: Warren Flatau or Rob Kulat
Tel.: (202) 493-6024
Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Disaster Assistance Grants Awarded to States to Cover Costs of Railroad Emergency Repairs Following Natural Disasters

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo today announced the award of $15 million to nine states for emergency repairs to damaged railroad infrastructure resulting from natural disasters.

Funding from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program (RRRP) will go to state Departments of Transportation to reimburse short line and regional railroads for the cost of repairs.

“Freight railroads are critical to local economies and we are committed to helping them restore rail service after a major disruption,” said Szabo.  “This funding will help the carriers defray repair costs and keep the trains running.”

Funds awarded under the RRRP can cover up to 80 percent of the total cost of a selected project, with the remainder to be provided from non-federal sources.  Grants may be used to repair bridges, signals and other infrastructure which are part of the general rail transportation system.  The grant recipients are as follows:

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

• Flood repair for the Alaska Railroad                                               $637,440
• Flood repair for the Alaska Railroad                                               $945,680

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department

• Emergency repairs to Missouri and

Northern Arkansas Railroad                                                                    $737,292
Illinois Department of Transportation

• Flood control on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad                         $569,700

Kansas Department of Transportation

• Repair of flood damage to the Gorilla Subdivision

on the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad                                              $405,702

 

 

FRA 03-09

Indiana Department of Transportation

• Flood damage repair on the Indiana Southern Railroad                  $1,244,217

Iowa Department of Transportation

• Flood damage restoration to rebuild a bridge and repair

signals on the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway                                 $6,965,163

• Flood damage restoration for the Keokuk

Junction Railway Yard                                                                              $459,200

• Replacement of the Waterloo Bridge over the

Cedar River for the Iowa Northern Railway                                              $2,174,880
Missouri Department of Transportation

• Flood damage repair on Missouri & Northern

Arkansas Railroad                                                                                    $353,600
North Carolina Department of Transportation

• Repair of washouts and debris removal

On the Carolina Coastal Railway                                                               $11,101
Wisconsin Department of Transportation

• Repair of flood damage and washouts on the

Wisconsin & Southern Railroad                                                                $354,006

Under the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009, FRA was authorized to make $20 million available for grants to repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure damaged in areas declared by the President as a major disaster.  

The FRA intends to issue another solicitation for the remaining $5 million in funds through a Notice of Funding Availability to be published in the Federal Register that will be available on a competitive basis. 

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