$98 million to start National Gateway rail project

$98 million to start National Gateway rail project    The U.S. Transportation on Thursday said a government injection of $98 million will kick-start work to allow double-stack trains to move freely from Northwest Oho through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.
   The so-called National Gateway Initiative will allow trains to increase freight capacity and make the corridors a cost-effective option for major ports and shippers, DOT said. It also would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel usage, shorten transport times and expand access to rail services.
   The $98 million grant is part of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to promote innovative, multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation.
   'This new initiative will give businesses a more competitive edge by giving them additional options for moving goods between the Midwest and our nation's ports along the east coast,' said Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez, in a statement.
   On Feb. 17, DOT announced the selection of $1.5 billion worth of TIGER grants for 51 projects as part of the one-year anniversary of the Recovery Act.