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BRGR Successfully Represents R.J. Corman Railroad Group and Burlington Junction Railway in CRISI Program Federal Grant Applications

Blank Rome Government Relations (“BRGR”) supported two successful federal grant applications by clients in the latest round of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (“CRISI”) program.

R.J. Corman Railroad Company was awarded $7.4 million for the “Bluegrass Freight Multimodal Improvement Project” that will take place on their Central Kentucky Lines railroad that provides service between Frankfort and Lexington. This project will make a total of $12.3 million in capital investments to construct a new freight transload yard in Frankfort, to improve the line between Frankfort and Lexington to increase train speeds, and to rehabilitate and reconfigure the railroad’s main switching and transload yard in Lexington. The project will reduce congestion and delay on the railroad, improving the quality of service for shippers, and will divert freight traffic from trucks on highways to more efficient and less polluting railroad transport. R.J Corman Railroad company operates 17 “short line” freight railroads in addition to the RJCC, and also provides railroad construction and emergency response services. The company has operations in 22 states. This award was applauded by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who noted “This project will have a positive impact on the Central Kentucky freight economy and we are grateful for the investment from the US DOT in supporting this effort.”

Burlington Junction Railway was awarded $1.8 million for their “Western Illinois Freight Rail Revitalization Project” to replace two 100-year-old bridges on the Marblehead Spur in the vicinity of Quincy, Illinois. The entire project will cost $3.6 million. The bridge replacements will preserve freight rail service that was threatened to be discontinued for several freight shippers in this rural area.   

The BRGR team was led by Richard Sherman.