This project on Watco’s South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL) was funded in part by a CRISI grant. The project modernized and revitalized the regional railroad in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma. NRC member Bottom Line Co. constructed the project and came in on schedule, with no safety incidents, and under the $2.78 million agreed-upon budget.

NRC Introduces CRISI Grant Resource Webpage

Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program

This program provides funding for projects that improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail.

CRISI Program Background

Congress created the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI) in 2015 to improve freight and intercity passenger railroad safety, efficiency and reliability.

CRISI has enabled hundreds of short line and passenger rail projects which otherwise would not have happened due to limited resources. The program accommodates smaller and simpler, but still transformational projects, as well as larger scale initiatives.

Baseline funding of $1 billion per year is guaranteed through advance appropriations through FY 2026. Up to $1 billion more each year may be appropriated by Congress.

Per the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), since the program was enacted, some 240 CRISI grants have been made for short line projects, over $2.7 billion. In the last round, short lines secured 81 of 122 grants, $1.29 billion, about half of the available funds.

Other CRISI Resources

 

What our members say…

The NRC scholarship was an important component of my undergraduate studies at St. Ambrose University. It enabled me to take an internship in physical therapy in Costa Rica the summer before my junior year. It was a rewarding experience that solidified my academic direction to become a Physical Therapist. Receiving the scholarship my senior year allowed me to reduce my working hours to focus more time on my academic studies.

Margaret (Maggie) Konczak

Student, Future Doctorate of Physical Therapy Class of 2026

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