This article has been reprinted from the March 19 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
Last week, the U.S. DOT announced the project recipients of $248.5 million in grant funds under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.
Authorized by Congress in 2015, the CRISI program aims to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems.
The grants span 32 projects in 27 States, with about half of the funds going to rural areas.
For example, one project will enable the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (a short line railroad) to handle 286,000-pound cars on about 80 percent of its network.
This is the car size used to move a majority of rail-transported grain volumes.