Passenger rail corridors set to benefit from $431.5M in new rail crossing grants

Of the 91 projects recently selected by the Federal Railroad Administration under the Railroad Crossing Elimination/Crossing Safety Program, 23 projects—totaling $431.5 million—explicitly support passenger rail corridors. That investment, which will use federal grant program funds for projects that make roads, sidewalks, and trails crossing railroad tracks safer, will support existing passenger rail service and advance critical safety and expansion efforts.

Transportation for America is especially proud of our work with the Rankin County Board of Supervisors and Waggoner Engineering on a successful $56.2 million grant application that will address the existing at-grade crossing at Highway 18 and the CPKC Meridian Speedway rail line, bringing immense safety benefits near Mississippi’s capital.

This project paves the way for the Interstate 20 Corridor, an expansion of passenger rail from Meridian, Mississippi, to Fort Worth, Texas, along the CPKC main line through Rankin County. The I-20 would effectively connect central Mississippi, northern Louisiana, and the megaregions of Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. This route would improve access to healthcare services, local businesses, employment centers, and educational institutions, especially along the technology corridor from Meridian, Mississippi, to Monroe, Louisiana. 

We congratulate Rankin County and look forward to working with the Federal Railroad Administration to continue expanding passenger rail across the region.