Rep. Cramer receives railroad planning funds for Midwest

According to a recent announcement, Rep. Kevin Cramer accepted $2.7 million in funds for planning a railroad in North Dakota and the Midwest.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) dedicated more than $2.7 million to the area’s multi-state passenger railroad planning. The FRA intends to use the financing to encourage stakeholders to engage in the project in the Midwest and Southeast regions.

The purpose of the railroad is to create a more comprehensive regional governance organizations in order to sustain the current planning work. The organizers also hope to create a long-term passenger rail vision for a wide range of regions.

The funds can also be used to improve the current passenger rail network planning tool that the FRA uses. Updating cost and trip table data, benefit-cost analysis features and new mapping abilities will help the organizers plan their railroad.

All of the planning efforts will be founded on the pilot Southwest Passenger Rail Study from FY 2010, which was published in Oct. 2014.

“Access to passenger rail is vital to many citizens in North Dakota,” Cramer said. “This program helps federal and state governments develop a long-term strategy to meet the passenger railway needs of North Dakota and the region.”