The Federal Railway Administration (FRA) has released a report on the possibility of financing infrastructure projects in the amount of $362 million through the grant program Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI).

дизель-электрический локомотив
Picture: Amtrak

The aim of the initiative is to increase capacity in congested areas, improve the infrastructure of small and regional railways, strengthen the system of multimodal transportation through the development of terminals and connections with seaports. This was reported by the railway magazine Railway Supply with reference to Zdmira.

The CRISI grant program aims to support rail transport, one of the main drivers of the country’s economy. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national passenger operator, Amtrak, transported more than 32.5 million people annually. Private freight railways transported 1.6 billion tons of materials and products worth more than $600 billion.

Amtrak to receive $ 1.69 billion in COVID-19 relief

The CRISI program under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) provides funding for projects to improve the reliability and safety of passenger and freight transportation. Part of the funds from the new package can be allocated to projects in three areas:

  • small and regional lines — not  less than $93.7 million;
  • new long-distance passenger connections (including measures to improve existing routes) — not less than $75 million;
  • a set of engineering measures to prevent unauthorized access to railway infrastructure, associated with a risk to life — not less than $25 million.

In addition to the CRISI grants, additional funds are allocated for the implementation of the FRA strategy for the prevention of unauthorized access to railways (National Strategy to Prevent Trespassing): to finance law enforcement agencies — more than $2 million, for targeted information campaigns among the population — $207 thousand

Related:

USA: huge investment in rail transport

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