FRA awards CRISI grants to TNW short lines

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals 3/24/2020 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals
TXNW and TXGN obtained CRISI grants for infrastructure and safety improvements.Photo – TNW Corp.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has allocated a $4.2 million grant to the Texas North Western Railway Co. (TXNW) and a $220,000 grant to the Texas, Gonzales and Northern Railway (TXGN) for projects to improve infrastructure and safety.

The grants were awarded under the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI). Both railroads are subsidiaries of TNW Corp. of Dallas.

TXNW, which will match its grant with $4.1 million in private funding, will apply the grant to its Etter Interchange Improvement Project, which will create a new interchange by combining two adjacent four-track yards in the Fisher Yard Complex in Sunray, Texas, into a single yard that can accommodate larger trains for customers and interchange partner BNSF Railway Co.

"The investment will significantly increase our ability to handle longer trains, improve cycle times and enhance customer service," said TNW Chief Executive Officer Paul Treangen in a press release.

Meanwhile, TXGN will use its CRISI grant to help pay for its Harwood Interchange Expansion Project, which calls for improving 9,000 feet of track in the Harwood rail yard at the railroad's interchange point with the Union Pacific Railroad's Glidden Subdivision in Texas. The project also involves building new siding to run parallel to TXGN's mainline, improvements in switching technology, replacing two wood trestle bridges with concrete culverts and rehabilitating two road access points.

"We can improve our operations and service processes, which means a more efficient transportation network that allows us to handle longer trains with shorter service cycles," said Treangen. 

TXGN will contribute $220,000 in private funding as part of the grant award.