“Local producer, world provider” is one way to describe Nebraska and its farmers. Despite being the only triple landlocked state in the United States, Nebraska’s world-class infrastructure allows producers to ship high-quality products, including soybeans, across the globe. Upkeep and continued innovation in this area allow for reliable transportation and supply to customers. To address this, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) created the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program.
unincorporated community in Fillmore County.
Manning Rail, a Class III “short line” railroad, owns and operates a rail line between Fairmont and Burress, Nebraska, and recently received a $5.4 million FRA CRISI grant to transform their facility. This seven-mile line connects to agricultural product storage and transshipment facilities, supporting over 100 local farms.
To this point, all the outbound agricultural shipments from facilities on the line have moved by truck. With the grant, plans for the facility are to construct a new rail loading siding and equipment storage tracks, replace worn-out lightweight rail over a century old and restore at-grade crossing surfaces.
These improvements will revamp the region’s agricultural supply chain by providing access to a regular shuttle train service, one that uses industry-standard covered hopper cars. It is a long-awaited solution to decades of limited market access for producers ever since the original line shut down in 1998.
after the railroad had been repaired.
"We bought the line in 2005 when it was in disrepair and spent years clearing trees to drain water properly so the tracks weren't in mud. Using old equipment, we have slowly replaced over 15,000 ties to date. This grant makes the goal of restoring the track to heavy-freight capability achievable—something we were beginning to think was impossible,” said Kent Manning, President of Manning Rail.
By investing in infrastructure, there will be extended reach into soybean markets that are further away than the current trucking capabilities of the facility. These new markets would stretch across the U.S. and even internationally by export, increasing the competitiveness in the local area among soybean buyers and providing a direct benefit to producers.
"We are very excited for the opportunities this grant is going to provide for producers in Nebraska,” said Tyler Manning, Operations Manager for Manning Rail. The CRISI grant supplies the necessary funding for safe and efficient transportation of grain via rail. Once this project is completed, producers for generations to come will have access to 110-car shuttle trains on the BNSF railroad."
