Indiana railroad projects share in $40M in federal funding
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The Chicago, Ft. Wayne & Eastern Railroad has been awarded more than $21 million in federal funds to expand its services, among nearly $40 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to Indiana rail projects.
The short line railroad runs 279 miles between Gary and Crestline, Ohio, and will receive the funding to acquire a 26-car continuous welded rail train and 75 ballast cars, the DOT said Tuesday.
The rail line, a division of Connecticut-based rail operator Genesee & Wyoming, and the Indiana Department of Transportation will provide a 35% non-federal match.
The grant is among more than $2.4 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding awarded to 122 rail improvement projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C., to improve safety and reliability and reduce costs and pollution, the news release said.
“Today’s investments in our rail systems reflect the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to building a stronger, safer, and more resilient transportation network,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend. “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.”
The other Indiana rail projects to receive funds:
- Up to $6,492,000 to improve the Clagg Lift Span of the Fourteenth Street Bridge that connects Louisville, Kentucky, and Clarksville. The Louisville and Indiana Railroad Co. will contribute a 50% non-federal match.
- Up to $5,431,083 to replace the 130-year-old North Muscatatuck River Bridge on the Madison Railroad in Vernon. The Madison Railroad will contribute a 20% non-federal match.
- Up to $4,620,559 to design and build a full-scale rail joining machine to implement low-force friction welding on rail, a process that is expected to improve safety while lowering installation costs. The University of Notre Dame and South Bend-based Manufacturing Technology Inc. will contribute a 22% non-federal match.
- Up to $772,800 to extend Patriot Rail’s Elkhart and Western Railroad to connect with Canadian National Railway’s Chicago-Toronto rail line in St. Joseph County. Elkhart and Western Railroad and St. Joseph County will contribute a 20% non-federal match.