Rail safety is one of the most essential things the trucking industry has a keen eye on. Transport Topics reports that Colorado received a $66.4 million grant to work on rail safety. Keeping people safe will always be a top priority. Keeping the rails safe will help reduce the tragic incidents that occur from time to time. The funding targets the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line north of Denver. The state also matched the grant with $28 million. The funds now total $94 million. The funding will pay for crossing improvements. They will also finance the addition of positive train control along part of the front range rail corridor.
How Important is the project?
Rail safety is quite a big deal. Officials see it as a significant step towards preparing the state for passenger rail. The communities are growing so quickly, and they need all the safety they need. The grant opens the door to providing safety to the rails. The funding shows that the future of Colorado’s rail network is a priority to the federal government. It is not a surprise, as having the best infrastructure should be a priority. The funding also helps Colorado to be in line with the rail set-out standards. The standards are around safety, which must always be a top priority.
The Colorado DOT welcomes all the help they can get. Colorado has always been big on freight and passenger safety. Therefore, directing the funds towards safety is not a surprise. At the same time, they are also preparing for the future. There have been rail incidents in the past that have not always ended well. About a year ago, there was a deadly rail derailment. It led to an increased focus on safety. It led to the loss of a life. It also led to the closure of the I-25 for several days. The authorities oversaw a quick repair of the bridge.
The cause of the derailment was likely a damaged section of the rail. Investigations pointed out a part of the rail that failed. And probably was the cause of the catastrophic incident. There was a recent incident that injured three people. The funding is not all towards the Front Range Rail Project, but it kick-starts the project in a big way. The FasTracks project is still incomplete. It makes the residents quite wary. It was a pretty costly project. The Front Rail Project also comes at quite some cost. It may take up between $6 to $12 billion. The estimates indicate that it could go up to $14.5 billion.
The funding aims to keep the rails safe for use. It applies to passengers and goods as well. All passengers must reach their destination without any worry. Freight must also get to the warehouses and the customers without any incidents. The funding will help in a big way to achieve the safety the people crave. More often than not, the rail incidents are pretty fatal. Therefore, keeping them safe saves a lot and encourages people to use them more often.
