Feds Grant $583K For NJ Railroad Safety Through Rutgers AI Program

NEW JERSEY - The federal government has allocated $583,000 to New Jersey railroads as part of a nationwide economic growth program aimed at creating more jobs, strengthening supply chains, modernizing infrastructure and making public transportation more affordable to rural and urban users.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program consists of 46 projects in 32 states costing over $368 million, with one project approved in the Garden State. Dubbed the Artificial Intelligence Aided Monitoring System for Railroad Trespassing Mitigation, the project will develop an artificial intelligence-based system to detect trespassing incidents on New Jersey railroads.

Rutgers University, with support from Amtrak, Louisiana Department of Transportation, and Dover and Rockaway River Railroad, will test prototype technology in five crossing areas in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Louisiana, according to a statement from the FRA.

The AI was first developed through a partnership between Rutgers and the FRA, but the additional funding will deploy an enhanced version of the system to find trespassing patterns, understand solutions and prevent future trespassing. Rutgers and Amtrak will provide a 42 percent match to execute the project.

"Americans deserve a world-class rail system that allows people and goods to get where they need to go more quickly and affordably, while reducing traffic and pollution on our roads," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "We're proud to award these grants to improve passenger rail for riders and strengthen the freight rail that underpins our supply chains and makes our economy work."

Other projects granted federal funding include rail safety upgrades between Pennsylvania’s Boyertown and Pottstown, and railroad improvements on the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway (NYS&W) in New York’s Onondaga and Cortland Counties.

By statute, $25.7 million in grants was set aside for capital projects or engineering solutions targeting trespassing, of which New Jersey’s project was eligible for. It also qualified under rural investment.

“This round of CRISI grants – one of the largest ever – is a major step forward for FRA and the Biden Administration’s efforts to revitalize and rebuild the country’s infrastructure,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “These awards will allow FRA to support rail projects that have a direct impact on numerous communities nationwide, while also laying the groundwork for future growth.”

A full list of the grant awards can be found here.