Federal Railroad Administration makes $1 million crane grant

Federal Railroad Administration makes $1 million crane grant    The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has given the Port of Umatilla, Oregon, a $1 million grant to complete the installation of a new crane.
   The crane, replacing an aging predecessor erected in the 1940s, 'will nearly double the number of containers per hour that can be loaded onto barges,' said Joseph H. Boardman, FRA administrator.
   Containers loaded at Umatilla, 300 miles inland on the Columbia River, are then shipped to Portland, where they are transferred to ocean-going ships. Umatilla handles primarily alfalfa, dried grains and frozen beef.
   Last year, the Federal Railroad Administration gave the port $2.7 million to begin work on the replacement crane.