This week, Governor Kelly announced nine short line rail maintenance and rehabilitation projects are being awarded nearly $5 million as part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Short Line Rail Improvement Fund (SLRIF) program.
Six SLRIF recipients will use the funds for major track rehabilitation and rail replacement, while three projects were awarded funds for siding extensions and storage tracks. These projects aim to support rail enhancements that will expand carload capabilities, reduce truck traffic, increase operating speeds, and improve operating efficiencies.
State funding for the nine projects will be enhanced by a 30% match from each recipient, resulting in a total rail infrastructure investment of nearly $6.5 million.
The program received 19 applications requesting more than $18 million in program funds in this third and final round of funding for the program through IKE, the state’s 10-year bipartisan transportation program. SLRIF made available $5 million each for state fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Selected projects:
|
Project Sponsor
|
Project Type
|
Award
|
|
Bestifor Farms in Republic County
|
Siding extension
|
$454,622.00
|
|
Cargill – Salina, in Saline County
|
Storage tracks
|
$1,252,530.94
|
|
Gavilon Grain in Sedgwick County
|
Major rehabilitation with rail relay
|
$421,664.64
|
|
Garden City Western Railroad in Finney County
|
Major rehabilitation with rail relay
|
$395,850.00
|
|
Hi-Plains Cooperative Association in Sheridan County
|
Major rehabilitation with siding
|
$276,716.90
|
|
Kansas-Oklahoma Railroad – Wichita South Yard in Sedgwick County
|
Major rehabilitation
|
$243,559.27
|
|
Scoular Grain – Pittsburg, in Crawford County
|
Siding extension
|
$580,098.44
|
|
South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad in Elk County
|
Rail replacement
|
$700,000.00
|
|
V&S Railway in Barber and Harper counties
|
Major rehabilitation
|
$666,366.77
|
| Total Awarded: |
$4,991,408.96
|
|
