3 Things You Didn't Know About Freight Rail

A $6.7 million federal grant awarded in 2021 to the Iowa Northern Railway Co., in collaboration with the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, has led to a number of training and education courses designed to help smaller railroads keep up with regulatory, compliance and safety requirements. 

Colorado officials have been working to find new ways to prompt economic growth in so-called “coal-transitioning communities” that had relied on mines and/or power plants, in part by attracting more usage of affected freight-rail lines. One result of their efforts is a freight-rail tax credit program designed to diversify the use of freight-rail lines affected by coal plant closures and power plant transitions. 

It became clear shortly after the Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center opened five years ago that it needed more space. So, the city of Rochelle, local economic development agency and other partners spent a number of months planning an expansion project, then marked the start of construction in mid-August.