Friday, September 18, 2009 (Washington, DC) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced selection of seven Rail Line Relocation and Improvement projects, to receive a total of $14.3 million. These grants provide funding for communities to relocate or make capital improvements to rail lines in order to improve safety and increase the benefits of the line for local communities.

“Safety is our number one transportation priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Funding for these projects will reduce the risk of train derailments through track rehabilitation and help avert highway-rail grade crossing collisions by moving tracks to less densely populated areas.”

Grants are being awarded to:

Pennsylvania DOT
Dillerville Yard Relocation
$4,000,000

Schuyler County, NY
Watkins Glen Track Relocation
$349,680

City of Pleasantville, NJ
Southern Railroad Track Rehab
$152,664

North Carolina DOT
Aberdeen & Rockfish RR Improvements
$2,845,581

North Carolina DOT
Greenville CSX Yard Relocation
$967,375

Cameron County, TX
Brownsville Rail Relocation
$4,000,000

City of Tukwila, WA
Strander Blvd Rail Realignment
$2,000,000

To be eligible for grant funding, a project must reduce the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, community quality of life or involve a relocation of any portion of the rail line. Grant recipients are required to pay at least 10 percent of the shared costs of the project. The Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program was created in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users of 2005, which authorized up to $350 million a year for the program for fiscal years 2006 through 2009.