Tennessee submits State Rail Plan to FRA; short‑line bridge package and $20M state support highlighted

Keith Bucklew of HDR presented Tennessee’s State Rail Plan to the freight advisory group and said the document was submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration in March and is under FRA review. He described the plan’s four goals — asset preservation, safety/security, reliable goods movement and economic development — and said the plan draws on stakeholder input from Class I railroads, short lines and freight advisory meetings.

Buckl ew highlighted a short‑line bridge rehabilitation package totaling approximately $47 million that would rehabilitate 42 bridges on 10 short‑line railroads. According to the presentation, the funding split shown in the plan assigns roughly 50% federal grant support, 45% state funding and 5% contributed by the railroads themselves.

The plan also quantifies rail’s economic footprint in Tennessee: Bucklew cited roughly 35,000 direct jobs tied to Class I and short‑line operations and about $5.4 billion in earnings. He noted that Tennessee has three prominent Class I carriers in heavy use (CSX, Norfolk Southern and Canadian National) plus a network of 22 short lines, and that several intermodal yards and connections make Memphis a national freight hub.

Short lines continue to press for stable funding. TDOT staff and presenters discussed the Railroad Transportation Equity Fund and a recent one‑time legislative appropriation: the General Assembly provided a $20 million transfer this year to bolster short‑line assistance, TDOT said, while the recurring annual locomotive fuel receipts that feed the fund are roughly $3 million per year. Bucklew and TDOT presenters also noted a longstanding lawsuit has placed some equity fund dollars into escrow and limited availability.

On passenger rail, the plan documents corridor‑ID work. Bucklew described ongoing efforts on the Memphis–Nashville–Chattanooga–Atlanta corridor (progressing from Corridor ID Step 1 toward Step 2) and cited other proposals under study; Amtrak ridership patterns were shown as affected by the pandemic but recovering in places.

Next steps: TDOT is awaiting FRA feedback in the 60‑day review window; the department said it expects the plan and supporting materials to be posted online once the FRA review completes.