October 13, 2020 10:50 a.m.

Congressman Peter DeFazio has announced that he has secured a nearly $9.9 million grant from the Department of Transportation for repairs to the Coos Bay Rail Line.

A release said this marks more than $40 million DeFazio has secured for the CBRL in recent years.

DeFazio said the line is “…a vital connection between Oregon’s natural resource economy and the world market”, which is why he has fought to bring in that much money for infrastructure investments to the line. DeFazio said federal investment in local infrastructure like the CBRL is essential to preserving and promoting the region’s economic viability.

The release said the line is a 134-mile short line railroad that serves as the only freight rail connection from southwestern Oregon to the national railway network via the Union Pacific yard in Eugene. It serves as a transportation option for eight primary shippers who employ approximately 800 people with family wage jobs and ship an estimated $250 million each year in goods to and from a tri-county region.

The funds will be used to rehabilitate and replace ties and resurface tracks at various locations along the rail line, according to the release.