ST. PAUL, Minn. — Seven projects will receive a total of $4.05 million in grants from the Minnesota Department of Transportation under its Minnesota Rail Service Improvement program. The seven, chosen from 21 applicants, were selected for their ability to aid economic development throughout the state.
“The number of applicants for the 2021 MRSI grants show there’s a great need to maintain or improve rail freight service in local markets throughout the state,” Peter Dahlberg, Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations program manager, said in a press release. “These local rail connections give local farmers, manufacturers and other local businesses the opportunity to compete in global and national markets.”
Grants awarded are:
— $480,000 to construct a rail spur as part of a new freight loading facility on the Otter Tail Valley Railroad in Fergus Falls.
— $500,000 to construct a new rail spur to service a fertilizer plant on the Minnesota Prairie Line. The plant currently ships product primarily by truck.
— $647,000 to reconstruct, upgrade and modernize approximately 700 feet of curved rail crossing and a switch located at the heart of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority’s Clure Public Marine Terminal.
— $250,000 to construct rail loading facilities at the Farmers Co-operative Elevator Co. siding in Echo, Minn., on the Minnesota Prairie Line. The existing elevator currently ships product primarily by truck.
— $820,000 to construct a rail spur at the Farmers Grain germinal in Theif River Falls that will enable efficient loading of unit grain trains.
— $210,000 to replace the timber deck on the Minnesota Commercial Railway bridge spanning 31st Avenue South in Minneapolis.
— $1.15 million to rehabilitate 5,475 feet of railroad track and re-establish rail service to the Grand Rapids Industrial park.
