Federal agency awards $10M to upgrade, close rail crossings

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded nearly $10 million in grants to upgrade or close dozens of railroad crossings in eight states, including a $1.1 million grant to Louisiana.

FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg visited Baton Rouge today to announce the federal grants, which are funded by the Safe Transportation of Energy Products by Rail Program.

Louisiana's grant will pay for closing six crossings and upgrading nine others along a 6-mile stretch of Baton Rouge railroad owned by Kansas City Southern Railway Company. The FRA says four people have been injured in 11 accidents at these 15 crossings since 2000. An average of eight trains per day travel along the route.

The other states receiving grant money are Arkansas, California, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.