$2.4B now on track for 122 rail improvement projects in 41 states

Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Railroad projects designed to make rail safer, more reliable and more resilient will get more than $2.4 billion in taxpayer funding, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

The funding will support projects 122 rail projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C., that enable goods and people to get to where they are going faster while lowering shipping costs and reducing pollution, the DOT said in a news release.

"Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, we're funding rail infrastructure projects that create jobs and expand workforce development, reduce costs for consumers and directly benefit communities across the country," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

"Each project advances a future where our supply chains are stronger, passenger rail more accessible and freight movement safer and more efficient," Buttigieg said.

The DOT's Federal Railroad Administration will administer the grant funding for the 122 projects through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program.

The projects will benefit every region in the United States, especially rural areas, and represents the nation's "most significant investment in American rail in more than 50 years," the DOT announced.

The FRA "is investing more than ever in communities nationwide, reversing a half-century of under-investment in America's rail network and delivering the world-class rail our citizens deserve," FRA Administrator Amit Bose said.

The $2.4 billion in grants will "enhance rail safety; better connect towns, cities and ports; introduce more environmentally friendly locomotives; support the current rail workforce; and provide workforce development opportunities essential to the future of our industry and the national economy," Bose added.

The funded projects include more than $157 million to consolidate Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern rail corridors in Springfield, Ill., $105.5 million to improved the North Carolina Railroad Company's NC-Line in North Carolina and $67 million to improve the Livernois Intermodal Facility in Detroit.

The DOT and FRA also are finalizing new safety regulations, conducting safety audits and encouraging freight railroads to provide their workers with paid sick leave benefits.