PERU, Ill. — The City of Peru and OmniTrax have received a $6.08 million federal grant to upgrade right of way on the Illinois Railway between Peru and Zearing, Ill.
The project is one of the 45 to receive Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants announced last week. [See “FRA awards $326 million in grants to 45 rail projects,” Trains News Wire, June 12.]
The grant will be used to improve grade crossings and upgrade right-of-way with 25 miles of 115-pound rail, 20,000 ties, 7,600 tons of ballast and seven switch sets in a 17-mile segment of the railroad. The work will begin early in 2020 and will take several months to complete.
Illinois Railway operates four disconnected segments of railroad totaling 113 miles.
