RAISE grants support US grain transportation

Projects directly supporting grain transportation in the United States received a total of nearly $60 million in funding through the fiscal 2025 Rebuilding Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

The city of Galesburg, Illinois, US, received a $25 million grant that will be used to install rail track for an intermodal grain export facility to be built on 100 acres by the DeLong Co. When complete, the facility will support containerized grain exports to West Coast ports, via the BNSF Railway (BNSF).

The project is anticipated to have a significant positive impact on the region’s agricultural community by opening a new export market for commodities to Asia. This new overland rail shipping route reduces cargo transit by approximately 4,000 miles when compared to using the Mississippi River and Port of New Orleans to ship commodities westward.

“The DeLong Co. is excited to work hand-in-hand with the family farms and the Galesburg community on this important project,” said Chris DeLong, president of DeLong. “We are committed to being good neighbors, fostering strong relationships, and contributing to the growth and success of the region. This new facility represents an opportunity to build lasting partnerships and support the area’s agricultural producers in reaching global markets.”

DeLong, based in Clinton, Wisconsin, US, is a sixth generation, family-owned business that operates 37 locations across the United States. It is the largest US exporter of containerized agricultural products.

Another $25 million grant will be used in Stafford County, Kansas, US, to support construction of a rail-served transload facility and shuttle-loading grain elevator on a BNSF line. Construction is anticipated to start in March and cost $32.5 million.

The Port Authority of Stafford County (PASC) project will construct a rail-served transload facility and grain terminal adjacent to BNSF Railway’s La Junta subdivision. The new facility will consist of approximately 39,635 feet of track for a rail loop, staging, and storage of rail cars, as well as two approximate one-mile lead tracks.

This PASC Transload Facility Project will provide rail car capacity for 475 62-foot rail cars, including loop capacity for a 120-car unit train to serve planned grain silos and manifest track capacity for 292 cars, according to PASC. It is expected to facilitate the movement of a variety of commodities, such as grain, fertilizer and plastics, that currently move into and out of the county by truck.

In Richland, Washington, US, the Port of Benton received a $9.6 million RAISE grant to repair or replace sections of the short-line railroad serving the port. 

One of the port’s customers is Central Washington Corn Processors (CWCP), a 2.1-million-bushel grain transload facility that supports livestock operations throughout the region. With takeaway speeds of up to 40,000 bushels per hour, the facility can unload shuttle trains, 120 rail cars, in under 15 hours, according to CWCP.

The grant will fund repairs and improvements to the port’s Southern Connection industrial rail line from Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick to Horn Rapids Road in Richland. The following projects are planned:

• Replacing 12,000 rail ties along the rail line.
• Replacing the entire one mile of Wye track, including the ties and ballast.
• Upgrading three miles of track along elevated curves to heavier-duty track to accommodate longer unit trains.

Union Pacific and BNSF Railway utilize the port’s rail. Both carriers move goods in and out of the region.

Source: World Grain