Columbia receives $204M in federal funding for rail project

Columbia has received a massive federal funding boost for a railroad infrastructure project.

The city received $204 million as part of more than $1.1 billion in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding that was dispersed to 123 rail projects across the country from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

The program will fund 123 rail projects, improving or studying more than 1,000 highway-rail crossings nationwide, according to a news release, and marks the largest single investment in grade crossing safety in FRA’s history. Combined with previous rail investments announced under the Biden-Harris Administration, FRA has now invested a historic $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak, the release stated.

Here are the details on Columbia’s project:

South Carolina – Assembly Street Railroad Separation Project ($204,200,000)

The proposed project was selected for final design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction and includes activities to support grade crossing-related improvements on Norfolk Southern and CSX-owned infrastructure in Columbia. The project will consolidate freight operations from two corridors into one. The project aligns with selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will improve safety, reduce delays and enhance freight mobility. The city of Columbia, Richland County, and South Carolina Department of Transportation will contribute the 20% non-federal match.

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“Today’s announcement of $205 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be transformative for two major rail crossings in Columbia and Charleston,” said U.S. Rep James E. Clyburn, D-South Carolina, in a statement. “By making crossroads safer, we are ensuring South Carolinians can get to their destinations safely, avoid traffic delays, provide smoother pathways for freight rail without risk of collision and improve air quality. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we are tackling long-standing issues in moving people and goods efficiently and safely.”

Rail grants being awarded to communities in 41 states will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders, the release stated. The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings — which delays drivers and emergency responders alike — greatly enhancing safety, mobility and connectivity for local communities nationwide.