FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety

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justalurker66
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FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety

Unread post by justalurker66 »

FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety at Railroad Crossings, Stations

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today awarded $25 million in grants to increase safety at railroad crossings, train stations and tracks across the country. A total of 23 projects in 14 states and the District of Columbia received funding. FRA received 40 eligible applications requesting $67.5 million, nearly three times the $25 million that Congress provided in the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act that funds DOT.

Indiana projects include:

Indiana Rail Road Co. – Ind.
$129,537 to make improvements at 321 grade crossings in 10 Indiana and Illinois counties (Marion County, Ind.; Greene County, Ind.; Johnson County, Ind.; Monroe County, Ind.; Vigo County, Ind.; Daviess County, Ind.; Sullivan County, Ind.; Brown County, Ind.; Crawford County, Ill.; Jasper County, Ill.) by clearing trees, brush, and other vegetation from 201 railroad highway grade crossings and installing grade crossing warning signs that include stop signs at 120 private road crossings intersecting with the Indiana Railroad.

Indiana Department of Transportation – Ind.
$640,000 to upgrade four major at-risk grade crossings with improvements that include flashing signals, over-lane cantilevers, automatic gates, constant warning time circuitry, and warning bells. The four crossings are:
- SR #64 (Oakland City)
- Kilgore Avenue (Muncie)
- SR #49/Knapp Road (Wheatfield)
- US #41 (Shelburn)

Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District – Ind.
$2.69 million to add two platform access points at the East Chicago Train Station in East Chicago, Indiana, to distribute passengers along the full length of the train to reduce congestion and improve egress operations. The project will also enhance safety and operational efficiencies, decrease passenger delays, and reduce the probability of derailments through track geometric improvements and reconstructing turnouts to increase train approach speeds from 10 m.p.h. to 40 m.p.h.

(The East Chicago project should be interesting as it is a center high level platform. The old platform the high level platform replaced had two points of entry ... one at Indianapolis Ave and one just east of Indianapolis Ave at the old station building. The new station building was built east of the old with the entire platform length extending west from a single set of doors on the high level platform.)

9xs
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Re: FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety

Unread post by 9xs »

Probably will be similar to the Loyola station on the CTA Red Line, where one end is used to northbound and the other end for southbound. Right now, passengers are trying to exit the station when the train starts moving. And several times a day, ther's a train coming the opposit way. An accident waiting to happen

Dave

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Re: FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety

Unread post by hoborich »

Meanwhile, congress will be debating whether to shutdown the government, or continue to borrow and spend like drunken sailors.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09 ... weeks.html
"Ask your doctor if medical advice from a TV commercial is right for you".

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justalurker66
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Re: FRA Awards $25 Million in Grants to Upgrade Safety

Unread post by justalurker66 »

Here are a few pictures of the East Chicago station (older pictures at the bottom of the page) ...
http://southshore.railfan.net/ss-67.html

I wonder if the two old access points are being reopened.

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