When the Biden administration announced recently $368 million in railroad improvement projects, Oklahoma was left at the station.
None of the several projects were located in Oklahoma. The nearest are in Kansas including an $11 million upgrade to the Cimarron Valley Railroad in southwest Kansas and $9.3 million to improve the Kyle Railroad line between Beloit and Yuma Junction.
The Cimarron Valley Railroad improvements will help agricultural and biodiesel producers more goods more quickly while the Kyle Rail line will be able to increase the speed of their rail cars.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the $368 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements for more than 46 projects to improve safety and broaden the nation’s rail infrastructure.
“Passenger rail represents an affordable way for millions of Americans to travel between cities for work, to visit families and more, while freight rail helps to get essential goods to our store shelves with lower costs and a lower carbon footprint than most other modes of transportation,” Buttigieg said in making the announcement.
“Railroads have become congested when cargo moves from shipyards to trains, leading to “higher costs and longer delays for Americans and for businesses,” Buttigieg added.
The projects are in 32 states and nearly double the 25% minimum investment going to rural communities, according to Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration Amit Bose.
The federal railroad grant program will expand next year to provide $1 billion in grants under the bipartisan infrastructure law that Congress approved last year.
“That’s going to allow us to fund even more projects like these, because I can tell you we saw more good applications in this round of the program than we were able to support,” Buttigieg said. “As we do that, we will be creating jobs, reducing delays and enhancing the movement of people and goods across the country.”
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