$6.4 million in grant money planned for railroad-track upgrade

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal grant of up to $6.4 million is planned to upgrade railroad-track infrastructure owned by the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority and operated by the Northern Ohio & Western Railway.The Federal Railroad Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday in a news release that it has invested more than $43.9 million in new rail grant funding in Ohio. Nationally, more than $2.4 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is being invested in 122 rail-improvement projects in 41 states and Washington, D.C., with the intention of making rail travel "safer, more reliable and more resilient, getting goods and people where they need to be quickly with fewer disruptions, lower shipping costs and less pollution."The grants are being administered under the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Program and particularly aim to benefit rural communities.In the area, the Rural Freight Railroad Improvements NOW proposal, through the Ohio Rail Development Commission, "includes activities to upgrade track infrastructure across the approximately 24-mile rail line owned by the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority and operated by the Northern Ohio & Western Railway," the news release says."The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety and improving system and service performance as the project will make it so the line again meets FRA Class 2 classification and a state of good repair."The release also says: "The Ohio Rail Development Commission and the Sandusky County-Seneca County-City of Tiffin Port Authority will contribute to the 20-percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas."U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was quoted in the release as saying: "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. Each project advances a future where our supply chains are stronger, passenger rail more accessible and freight movement safer and more efficient."