Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad gets federal grant

Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO) announced that the Missouri Department of Transportation secured a $353,600 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration.

With the grant, the Missouri Department of Transportation will reimburse the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad for losses incurred from flood damage in Vernon, Jasper, Stone, and Taney counties in 2008. The funding will be distributed through the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program.

"The Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad is important to Missouri's economy, moving large amounts of freight from Kansas City, Mo., to Northern Arkansas. That is why I was pleased to learn that the railroad will recover losses from excessive rainfalls and flood damage from 2008.

The grant will help the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad to keep trains running in Western Missouri and will benefit areas such as Vernon County," said Skelton.