WASHINGTON — Very little of the $1.8 billion in Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday went to rail projects. Of the 148 projects awarded construction or planning funds, most of the money went to road realignments, sidewalk and walkway construction and highway elevations to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Travel and transport financing plans
Grants related to passenger rail or public transportation are for planning only, not construction. Grants include:
— Sprinter (California): $10.2 million for a study to complete 3.6 miles of double tracking on a seven-mile section east of Palomar College Station to a terminus in Escondido, Calif. The North County Transit District line, operated by Stadler DMUs, will connect with NCTD’s Coaster and Amtrak at Oceanside, Calif., north of San Diego.
— Valley Metro (Arizona): $15.9 million to study the construction of a spur line from Mesa to Tempe.
— America’s central port (Illinois)$550,000 to explore the construction of a “Y-interchange” rail connection to the Port of Granite City and the Port of Madison Harbor on the Mississippi River, which would allow unit trains from all six of the St. Louis metropolitan area’s Class I railroads to serve the port.
— Aberdeen MARC-Amtrak Station (Maryland)$800,000 to study “right-of-way needs” if the facility were to expand.
— Interborough Express Light Rail (New York)$15 million to study the feasibility of building a light rail line between Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.
Funding railroad crossing projects in five states
One construction project involving a freight rail line is underway in Menominee, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Lake Michigan port expansion project will cost $21.3 million, including rehabilitation of a rail spur. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2026.
Some of the benefits of grade separation that railroads can enjoy include:
— Round Lake, Illinois ($18.8 million, construction scheduled to begin February 2026): Improvements around Metra stations.
— Santa Ana, California ($25 million, January 2027): An elevated road to eliminate a highway crossing near the Metrolink Amtrak station.
— Dubuque, Iowa ($25 million, April 2027): Grade separation of the CPKC tracks downtown.
— Belgrade, Montana ($25 million, July 2026): Elevated highway over BNSF’s former Northern Pacific Main Line.
— West Fargo, North Dakota ($23.8 million, July 2025): Grade separation over BNSF tracks.
Competitive bidding must be conducted before construction can begin.These big-ticket safety-critical projects are funded through RAISE grants, even though all states receive annual flat-rate grants from the Highway Trust Fund based on vehicle miles traveled and other factors.However, multi-mode grade separations and the installation of highway crossing warning devices are not paid for through that source.
Full list of RAISE grants It is available on the U.S. Department of Transportation website.
