Railroads to Receive $1.4 Billion for Fixes and Upgrades

livemint.com:

Dozens of aging U.S. rail bridges and tracks have been chosen to receive $1.4 billion in federal grants for repairs and upgrades, with businesses and rail commuters expected to benefit from these funds as early as next year. The 70 approved projects, including around 40 that involve bridges, were judged on how they would improve safety, increase capacity of both freight and passenger railroads, and bring economic benefits to the country, officials in the Biden administration said in a briefing.

The Federal Railroad Administration said it received 234 eligible applications with requests totaling $6.1 billion for the grants. There are more than 70,000 railroad bridges in the U.S. The selected projects span 35 states and the District of Columbia.

“I think across the country it’s fair to say that people look at America’s rail system and correctly say that it needs improvement," said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, pointing to derailments on freight lines, protracted blocked crossings and lagging intercity passenger rail. Part of the problem has to do with prior underinvestment in rail infrastructure, he said. The grant program is part of the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden in 2021.

Disagreements over the use of federal funds for rail infrastructure have persisted for years. Some senators have argued against government assistance, saying that the largest freight railroads have made billions in profits and paid billions in stock buybacks and dividends. The freight railroads are operated by publicly listed and private companies that own the tracks, bridges and locomotives.